Chapter 1: Otherworld Wave
Chapter Text
-Foreword-
Strange. Ever since ████████████, I've felt the urge to keep a ████████████.
Due to the ████████████ I suffered ████████████, my anger management counselor suggested I write my daily activities as a way to release my stress.
However, I never went through with it, since ████████████ never allowed me any privacy and any attempts to keep a journal back then ████████████ for some reason.
Now that I have access to the ████████████ that no one ████████████, I think I'll give it a shot. The idea from that guy isn't entirely without merit. Not to mention he was… ████████████.
To start off, I'll remind myself of my core. I have ████████████ from acquiring knowledge. And I have ████████████ to preserving knowledge. It is one of the few things I absolutely ████████████ whatsoever. I don't care if ████████████ in any way possible.
Knowledge, all knowledge, is sacred. It shouldn't be ████████████ but should be kept ████████████.
With that out of the way, I, ████████████, shall document my life.
The weather forecast for the day was cloudy. With a chance of thunder, rain, and decapitation from the monsters falling from the Wave rifts in the sky.
Or as the Shield Hero would put it: business as usual.
"Air Strike Shield!" Naofumi summoned the skill shield, blocking in a row of elephant-like man monsters that'd fallen to the ground.
"Rahhhh!" A line of adventurers fell on them. Tearing the large monsters to pieces before the skill shield pinning them down expired.
Naofumi nodded to them as he moved on. A flock of bird monsters that looked like a mix of peregrine falcons, eagles, and snakes flocked to the Shield Hero. They were called Interdimensional Garuda Shadows on his HUD.
Clangs sounded every time their taloned feet or beaks hit against him and his armor.
These monsters were definitely stronger than any of the wave monsters they'd fought in his world, but compared to the Spirit Tortoise and everything else they'd had to face recently, this was nothing.
Arrows whizzed past him and AoE spells hit around him as L'Arc's army protected the village they were evacuating and targeted the monsters Naofumi was aggroing for them, but he took no damage from any of the stray attacks whatsoever.
The reason for why was simple. Naofumi's level was currently 63+83.
This was because the wave going on right now was connected to his world. Meaning that, while the Wave was open, he had the power he'd accumulated in both worlds.
Yes, despite Naofumi wearing the same armor he'd been wearing since escaping Mikikage with Kizuna, and despite the fact that he was suffering from a fifteen percent defense debuff right now, his defense stat was higher than it'd ever been before. Especially since his level was high enough to be able to equip the strong Spirit Tortoise Heart Shield again.
He wasn't even using Aura to boost his stats right now. He could make his defense stat more ridiculous if he wanted.
With his high stats, the monsters were barely an annoyance that he batted away from his face. And no one besides the other Heroes stood a chance of hurting Naofumi.
The monsters seemed to realize that fact and tried to move away from the Shield Hero towards the village where people were still being evacuated.
"Hate Reaction!" With one simple skill, Naofumi brought them raging back to himself so Therese and the mages with her could continue to destroy the swarm around him with fire, ice, lightning, and a whole variety of cool spells.
"My name is Therese Alexanderite, and I am your friend. Give me the strength to annihilate them! Shining Stones: Ruby Flame!"
"Flying Circle! Combo Skill: Ruby Flame Flying Circle!"
Therese and L'Arc's combo attack wiped out a whole line of monsters. Causing many of the soldiers behind the redhead to cheer. Only a group of monsters named Interdimensional Ifrits, which looked a lot like fire spirits, withstood the initial attack. A group of mages supporting Therese hit them with ice magic, finishing them off.
The redhead was dressed like a member of the Shinsengumi. Just like those adventurers he'd noticed a while back. Therese was dressed similarly while the gemstone on her forehead was in plain view.
Weird gear to wear. But it apparently passed as gear in this world, so Naofumi couldn't make any complaints.
The duo was a pretty intimidating sight. Their attacks eliminated most of the monsters around Naofumi. So he walked away from the village to aggro the attention of more monsters, single-handedly pushing the line of monsters back up into the hills away from the village where the cracks of the wave were located.
Since he didn't have much to do while being a walking monster attractor, Naofumi thought about what'd happened since the festival earlier that week.
Naofumi and Itsuki, as well as their parties, had moved from their castle quarters into Kizuna's home. It wasn't because they'd avoid judging eyes there, which they hadn't seen much of anyway due to recent events. But rather it gave them a place to work and rest without being surrounded by lots of people.
Naofumi didn't mind a distraction every now and again. But having five different people knock on his door while he was trying to make medicines was beyond aggravating. Did the people here not know the meaning of the word 'privacy'?
The Hunting Hero's home had been as spacious as the Shield Hero remembered. There'd been plenty of rooms for all of them to stay in. There were also conveniences like plumbing and magic lamps to light the rooms and hallways. The kitchen had all the cooking tools he needed. There was a room where he could compound medicines in peace. The beds were nice and comfortable, and big enough for two people.
On a related note, the walls were also soundproofed. It was a good thing since Itsuki was just next door to him and Raphtalia.
Naofumi's personal favorite thing, however, was that Kizuna had an honest to god hot spring in the basement of her home.
Therese had set it up in the past using gems that could emanate heat… or something. However it worked, Naofumi had definitely taken advantage of it. Alongside his girlfriend Raphtalia…
Honestly, Naofumi was feeling better than he had in months. He was almost skipping across the battlefield in delight. He didn't know how to describe it. But it was like the morale boost she'd given him made even the wave going on around him look trivial.
Naofumi casually deflected an Interdimensional Ganesha Shadow's weapon, which looked like a bunch of oversized Buddhist prayer beads slapped together, away from himself with a deafening clang. He then used the attack's momentum to turn the larger monster away from him while simultaneously pushing it in the back of the knee.
The monster crumpled and fell with a bellow after losing his balance, and Raphtalia was right there to take its head clean off with her blade.
With a quick flick, she cleaned her weapon of the excess shadow residue before flashing a smile at her companion and resuming her massacre of the flocks of raptors around Naofumi with a skill from her weapon. Even covered in gore from the countless monsters she'd slain, the half-raccoon girl looked beyond beautiful in her Shrine Maiden Outfit.
If Naofumi had to say anything, it was that things between him and Raphtalia were good.
Actually, they were great! Beyond great!
It was currently somewhere in the realm of awesomely fantastic and God I hope this never ends.
Naofumi was going to hate it when they left the honeymoon phase and went back to bickering with each other like an old married couple again. The Shield Hero had never been happier in his entire life. Nothing else could possibly compare. And the reason for that was more than obvious.
Sex.
Loving, passionate, couples sex.
Nothing from the visual novels that he'd read back in his home world had prepared him for it. It made everything Naofumi had seen before look like a sham. All those videos and games and comics he'd seen/played back in his world absolutely failed to capture what the real thing was like.
How the hell could anyone live their entire lives without this sense of intimacy and closeness with someone else? It was absolutely crazy to think there were people out there who willingly lived their entire lives celibate.
That one night they'd shared together had brought the pair closer than anything else in the past. And they'd only deepened that bond with each other in the time since…
Okay, so maybe there was more than one reason why he'd wanted to move into Kizuna's home. For the sake of propriety, however, they at least tried to keep their activities limited to the night in their bedroom since there were other important things they had to do. Things that'd help them in the battle against Kyo like level grinding and accessory making, as well as commissioning new gear for all of them from Kizuna's blacksmith friend.
Still, Naofumi couldn't deny it. His new deep bond with Raphtalia was, by far, the most important thing that'd happened to him these last few days.
Besides petting Raph-Chan, of course.
"Rafu!" "Pen!" Raph-Chan and Chris dashed across the battlefield to the side, tackling a large monster together and saving a random adventurer's life. Dou-Lon followed up, his form looking a little more like Glass's compared to before as he weaved fluidly behind it and cleaved it in half with his blade.
Raph-Chan and Chris both cheered as the hakuko let out a victory roar from the amount of power coursing through his limbs.
Heh. Just like her mother, even covered in monster gore, Raph-Chan was beyond adorable. Naofumi wished that he had a spare moment to pet her right now.
"Naofumi, can you please not think about petting our daughter in the middle of a battle… again?" Raphtalia asked with a groan at the end.
"Would you rather I pet you instead?" Naofumi grinned mischievously.
"... Focus on the monsters. And then we'll see tonight if I don't pounce you before then." Raphtalia grinned back.
Damn. Raphtalia was so hot when she talked like that.
That reminded him. They needed to go by that store to buy more condoms. They'd already run out of the ones Therese had given them at the celebration.
…
What? Naofumi did say they tried to limit their shenanigans to the night. But that didn't mean they were always successful at doing so.
They were two young and horny adults exploring this new aspect of their relationship. It was a miracle they'd even been able to accomplish anything else.
Going through one box of condoms in just a few days was completely normal.
…
Anyway, to get his mind on less lewd pastures, and since he'd spotted him with Raph-Chan, Naofumi thought about how well Dou-Lon was doing lately.
From what little Naofumi had seen of the hakuko, he was really starting to come into his own thanks to training with Glass. His boost in progress came from him not having to worry about reuniting with everyone. As well as the fact that he could dedicate more of his time to training.
Naofumi was a bit worried at how the Hakuko male threw himself into the learning curve with a burning passion. He seemed almost driven to learn as much as he could. To the point that he often finished his training sessions with Glass covered in bruises while barely able to move.
But as soon as Naofumi healed him up, he'd be right back to practice a kata he'd learned from Eclair in the past, or practicing a series of steps and movements Glass had beat into his body that day. He still meditated at night, but not before stretching his body with another kata.
His training sessions with Eclair must have made him go crazy. There was no other explanation for the Hakuko's current irrational behavior.
"Dieeeeeeeeeeee!"
Yep, he hadn't rubbed off on the hakuko whatsoever.
…
At least he'd shown great improvement with the blade in a very short time. Naofumi looked forward to seeing how much he'd improve before the fight with Kyo.
Speaking of training, Naofumi had gone to Rishia with Raphtalia the day after the celebration as promised and, after getting a little jab from his girlfriend to encourage him, he'd gotten on his knees and pleaded with the green-haired girl to train him and Raphtalia in the art of Hengen Musou.
The girl hadn't even Fuehhhhed in surprise. Instead, she'd high-fived Raphtalia and promised to begin training both of them immediately.
Judging by the smirk on her face, the two girls had planned this the night of the festival.
Not that he'd minded, since Raphtalia was absolutely right about him needing to learn this. As hard as it was to do, it was necessary if he wanted to keep everyone safe down the road.
It was also something Naofumi and Raphtalia could work on together, when the Katana Hero wasn't training with Glass and Dou-Lon, and when the Shield Hero wasn't busy with accessory crafting or the other things on his plate.
The training itself was different. Rishia had asked Kizuna for a place to train somewhere in a mountain range far away from civilization, and the Hunting Tools Hero had used a skill to bring her precious Squishy and her friends to her favorite fishing spot in the mountains.
It was an enclosed area that contained a large lake in the center of it. It was filled by a spring from underground and was so hard to reach that not even the locals knew about it. Only those with flight capabilities could hope to find it.
Meaning that it was the perfect spot to begin learning to sense and manipulate ki.
Naofumi spent several hours in meditation there each day. Attempting to recognize and connect with the 'ki' in his body.
He also had to spar against Rishia and mitigate or otherwise block the defense-piercing and defense-rating attacks she threw at him. Something he hadn't managed to accomplish at all thus far.
He wasn't currently using Hengen Muso in this battle. Not because the monsters weren't strong enough to damage him. But because he was still struggling to even understand how it still worked.
And to think that Itsuki and Motoyasu could both use it to a degree.
He'd really shot himself in the foot waiting to train in it till now.
…
Then again, the last thing he'd needed while trying to reunite with Raphtalia was another impossible frustrating task to overcome physically and mentally. And he really was in a better place mentally right now so the failures didn't frustrate him too much.
Rishia was also a good and patient teacher. She was as patient with him as she was with Raphtalia and Itsuki. And sometimes Glass or Ethnobalt when the former came to observe.
Speaking of them, a fireball from Therese cleared away the monsters above Naofumi, and he looked up to see Ethnobalt's ship high up in the sky.
Itsuki relentlessly spammed his ranged attacks all over the battlefield from there. Spanning from all the way near the village to deep in the mountains where Kizuna was likely fighting, unleashing hell on the main monster's ranks. Rishia stayed on board to fight any monsters that landed on the Invincible near the Bow Hero.
Volleys from the bottom of the ship crashed down on the monsters in the distance every now and then. But the attacks hardly did any damage. It appeared that what the Boat had in Defense, it lacked in Attack, and at best, it briefly distracted and startled the monsters so they couldn't move forward to attack the soldiers and adventurers across the battlefield in droves.
No wonder Ethnobalt didn't normally join in on fights. He'd only joined this one because Kizuna put her foot down and refused to bend.
As for Glass, she stood at the prow of the Invincible. She yelled something to Itsuki, who threw a bottle of Soul Healing Water at her as a large flock of Interdimensional Garuda Shadows came towards Ethnobalt's ship. She dumped the contents over herself, glowed brightly like a beacon, and then unleashed a massive skill that sliced all of the monsters all around the ship out of the air.
Hundreds of their carcasses fell all over the battlefield like a rain of blood.
It wasn't just the item's effect on her race. The spirit woman was at full strength at last. Thanks to being able to finally rest in a safe place, being reunited with Kizuna, forgiving herself for some of what'd happened in the past… and possibly Naofumi using his Blessed Shield's ability [Ray Of Hope] to absorb the remainder of her curse which she'd inflicted on herself when destroying Label's Regression Prison.
Nothing major, really. Just an extraordinary ability that made Kizuna really envious.
That was the reason Naofumi had the defense debuff too. Not that it mattered since his defense was still high despite that.
As for why they were at a Wave, instead of hunting the rogue Book Hero? Well, just because he was Naofumi's and Itsuki's primary goal did not magically make the regular waves disappear. And while Kizuna and Co would be able to take care of them on their own, sitting out felt rude to the duo and their allies. Especially since they promised to help save both of their worlds and all.
Not to mention. They could get weapon forms from this that'd benefit them down the road.
This was the second wave that they were participating in during their stay in Kizuna's world. The first one took place in a country called Lapis two days ago, while this one was happening somewhere in Sickle.
Kizuna's assistance at that previous wave had allowed her to get a foot in the door and to get the neutral-aligned country to agree to host an upcoming International meeting.
…
Oh yeah, he almost forgot, since this Wave was connected to their world…
"Ha!" Filo ran past in her Filolial form. Smashing into a large monster like it was made of putty.
Yep. Filo was a Filolial again. However, she would become a humming fairy again after the Wave's conclusion.
Weird discovery, but it was still pretty cool regardless.
"You doing good sweetie?" Naofumi asked.
"Mmhmm! As much as Filo likes being a hummingbird, it's great to be a Filolial again!" The girl said happily as her large foot squashed another monster beneath her feet. She then turned and kicked another elephant man in the groin.
It was uncertain if it had testicles or not. The monster still flew through the air screeching in pain regardless and crashed into its compatriots with zero health left. Melting away into shadow once that occurred.
Filo was doing good. She'd taken time since the fight in Katana's country to raise her level out in the wild with help from Itsuki and his friends. She was currently around level 60, plus the 75 or so levels she had back in their world. When she wasn't playing with her younger sister, she was learning how to cook from her Daddy.
Had she been in her humming fairy form, she would have looked bigger compared to before, though the real change would have been to her vocal cords.
Humming Fairies were apparently good at a form of magic in this world called Performance Magic. The reason for this was that as Humming Fairies advanced in growth, their vocal cords gained the ability to sing more harmonies at the same time.
In English, this meant Filo could sing with three or more different voices at once. Which was a major boon when it came to doing Performance Magic.
"Alright. Keep up the good work." Naofumi nodded while Filo raced past him and continued forward.
His daughter began to sing as she did so, and a layer of energy covered her and Naofumi. Naofumi saw his defense and agility stats receive a boost and smiled in delight.
The Shield Hero finally saw Kizuna in the distance. She was doing battle with a legion of different monsters, just like he'd suspected.
Interdimensional Ganesha Shadows. Garuda Shadows. Ifrits. Nagas. Nagarajas Shadows. There were so many different kinds that Naofumi lost track. It seemed the monsters of this wave were based on India Mythology. Something he only knew about because he was an otaku.
They all came to the Hunting Tools Hero in droves. But Kizuna was in her element. With a wide smile that seemed out of place in the middle of a battlefield, she effortlessly cut down all the monsters around her. With skills, with her fishing pole, with a tuna knife, whatever she needed.
A few attacks landed on her, but they hardly left a scratch. Kizuna said all her stats were doubled when facing monsters. Meaning her defense was doubled too. The weak ones stood no chance of beating her.
Kizuna had looked genuinely happy during the last few days, and even now she battled with a smile on her face. Being reunited with all her friends had done wonders for her emotionally and mentally. And she'd spent a lot of time making sure to catch up with those she'd missed.
Naofumi hadn't seen her much since the festival because of that. But the spunky girl Hero still chatted with him whenever he and Filo were cooking dinner for everyone. And she helped out whenever he was preparing seafood dishes.
While the girl still struggled with some inner conflicts that Naofumi didn't pry about, she was genuinely much better off than she'd been when they first met.
"PAWOOOOOOO!"
As Naofumi drew close, the Wave Boss finally fell from the sky.
It was an elephant. And a very big one at that. It's title was Interdimensional Girimekhala.
It was at least half the size of the Interdimensional Whale from the Cal Mira Wave and just as tall. It squashed several of its minions underfoot just from landing on the ground. Its tusks were far longer than any spear. It had war paint in the shape of a swirl on its forehead. Its overall appearance gave in full the Indian vibe the other monsters possessed.
Naofumi wasn't sure if that was right or not. He'd never been that good at history. But it seriously made him wonder where these monsters lived in his world since he'd never encountered them before.
However, when the monster brought its large trunk down to attack Kizuna, it still Clanged when Naofumi protected the Hunting Tools Hero with his shield. Kizuna's Fishing skill then hooked the great beast by one of its tusks before it could recover from its failed attack, sending it high into the air before it crashed down belly up in a daze.
"Impressive. That has to be the biggest thing I've seen you use that skill on yet." Naofumi said admirably.
"Yeah, I was just barely able to manage that." Kizuna hit the beast in the stomach with her Lure Needle skill. Then, she jumped high up into the air.
"Second Shield!" Naofumi's skill shield gave her an extra platform. But instead of using it like a normal person, she twisted her body and pressed her feet against the underside. She then launched herself down at the monster that was struggling to get back up.
"Instant Blade: Sun Flower's Strike!"
Her attack cleaved the entire monster in two.
…
Had… had she just one-shotted the Wave Boss with one attack?
"Thanks for the assist, bro." Kizuna gave him a thumbs-up as the two halves of the monster fell on both sides of her.
…
…
Yeah, she was definitely showing off. She probably hadn't even needed to use that Lure Needle ability of hers to double her damage.
Or maybe this was just a sign that Naofumi had forgotten the meaning of the words "power scale" after Trash's pathetic battle with them.
"No problem, sis." Naofumi gave Kizuna a thumbs up with a deadpan look, and she had the audacity to laugh.
"You can thank Raphtalia for sharing her strengthening method with me! I'm just a little bit stronger now because of that!" Kizuna admitted gleefully.
Oh yeah, he'd almost forgotten. Raphtalia was now the Katana Hero of this world. Meaning she was now able to use the strengthening methods used by the weapons in this world, making her even stronger than before.
Raphtalia's method was similar to Motoyasu's [Smelting] method. And sharing it had also given the Otherworld Heroes a boost in strength after they used it. It wasn't too major since it was only one method, but Kizuna had still noticed the difference. Everyone kept benefitting from their alliance more and more.
"N-No fair! I was going to help my sis defeat the Wave Boss Kiddo!" L'Arc finally caught up, cutting down the last line of Ganesha Shadows between him and Kizuna with his Scythe.
"Oh, there you are, boy." Naofumi continued his deadpan tone at the nickname L'Arc used. "Any luck catching up on all that work?"
"Hurk!" L'Arc looked like he'd been punched in the gut again.
If there was anyone he hadn't seen much of the last few days outside of the Waves, it was L'Arc. All Naofumi knew was that he'd been beyond busy catching up on his 'royal' duties. And with Kizuna back, he spent the night in his room at her home in an effort to escape said duties for a few hours.
Not that it kept Therese from dragging his butt back to the castle each morning. By the ear if necessary.
"Well, boy?" Naofumi pressed.
L'Arc turned to the side, unwilling to acknowledge the Shield Hero. Naofumi had taken a liking to calling him boy whenever the redhead referred to him as Kiddo. However, when L'Arc called him Naofumi, he would refer to him by L'Arc.
Naofumi wasn't cruel like before. He was only using the nickname to encourage the redhead to break free of his annoying habit.
Though his reactions to the nickname were pretty funny. He might need to use it even when L'Arc called him Naofumi.
"Master Craftsman. I saw what you did. Thank you for protecting our friend from the Wave Boss's attack." Therese walked up, smiling happily as she did so. "L'Arc, aren't you going to thank him too?"
"HURK!" L'Arc nearly doubled over, an agonized look on his face.
Naofumi smirked. "Come on, boy, it isn't that hard."
"F… fu…" L'Arc looked so tempted to say something bad as he began to raise the bird. However, he did manage to swallow his pride eventually and kept from raising his middle finger at the Shield Hero. "Thank you… Naofumi."
"Your welcome, L'Arc. Was that so hard?"
L'Arc flipped him off and turned to deal with some of the remaining monsters on the battlefield. Naofumi and Kizuna both laughed at the sight.
"Kizuna, are you ok? Did any of the monsters hurt you?" Glass descended from the sky as the Vassal Boat made a pass over them low over the ground. Her red eyes were filled with worry and concern.
"Of course I'm fine! Thank you for worrying about me though, Glassy!" Kizuna rushed up to the spirit woman and hugged her happily.
Glass's face went through several shades of red. She almost wasn't able to return the hug but managed to do so with a smile.
The spirit woman really had relaxed compared to before. Naofumi almost felt bad as he coughed into his fist and interrupted the moment between the two. "So, are you two going to help clean up the remaining monsters, or are we just going to stand around doing nothing?"
"O-Of course." Glass stuttered in embarrassment. "Let's go, Kizuna."
"Talk to you later brooooo!" Kizuna said cheerily as Glass took her by the hand towards another group of monsters.
Naofumi chuckled to himself. "What's so funny, Master Craftsman?" Therese asked curiously.
"Nothing really. Just surprising to see Glass like that still." The Shield Hero smiled.
As embarrassed as she got, Glass genuinely seemed a lot happier as of late. Even when she was in serious mode when training Dou-Lon in her dance style of combat, the calm reserved woman had a small smile on her face.
It was odd. But in a good way. Even if they were still working on winning over the people and everyone in this world, they'd made friends with these Otherworld Heroes for life.
A bit unfortunate that L'Arc was included in that group. But eh, at least calling him boy or young master made Naofumi feel better. In this instance, immaturity was well warranted.
Even Raphtalia approved of it so long as it was because L'Arc referred to them by Kiddo. He wondered if he'd feel bad when… if L'Arc broke free of that very annoying habit.
"Kiddo, I swear to God if you're thinking cruel things about me again, I'm going to-" L'Arc began to yell in the distance.
"Master Craftsmen, L'Arc." Therese corrected.
"ARRRRRGHHHHHHHH! DEADLY DANCE!" L'Arc took his anger out on the monsters near him. It didn't help that he would have to go back to his 'boring kingly duties' after this wave was over. So he might as well vent out as much frustration as he could.
Raphtalia, who was nearby, laughed and gave a thumbs up to Therese, before diving into the monster horde herself.
"Thanks." Naofumi smiled.
"Of course." Therese looked up and gestured at the sky. "The wave cracks aren't closing yet."
Naofumi looked up at last.
Yep, they'd managed to defeat the boss. Yet the cracks were still open.
With the knowledge on the Waves that both groups had thus far, this meant that either the Boss on the other end hadn't been killed yet, or…
"Daddy, Fitoria's here to see you!" Filo ran up to him again.
Yep, somebody from their world was there to pay them a visit. Naofumi smiled at Filo's approach and at the news she brought him.
"Let's see her then before she has to go back."
Thankfully, with Naofumi riding on Filo's back, it didn't take long to find the Legendary Filolial Queen.
As Filo ran, Raph-Chan jumped on and joined the pair. Looking as eager to see the Filolial Queen of Legend as Naofumi. The Shield Hero gleefully took the moment to pet the shikigami's soft fur, and Raph-Chan cooed in delight as she rested on his lap.
Awwwwww, precious. Her enjoyment of the petting only encouraged Naofumi to pet her more. So pet he did.
Pet! Pet! Pet! Pet! Pet!
…
The Carriage Hero stood at the base of the valley they'd been fighting in. Hordes of dead monsters surrounded the small girl. Because the wave was still open, she had all the power from their world. Plus whatever she'd just acquired killing all these monsters away from everyone else.
Every now and then, a blade of wind came off her, slicing another monster that began to approach her in two. It was awesome in a way that words couldn't describe.
"Naofumi. It's great for Fitoria to see you again." The little girl said, a small smile on her face as Naofumi rode up on Filo.
"It's great to see you too." Naofumi jumped off, then got on his knees and hugged her tightly. Fitoria returned the hug with a content look on her face.
And still, another blade of wind came off her, decapacitating one last monster in the distance before the hug ended.
She was really something. He was glad that Fitoria would never be their enemy. It wasn't even a thing about being allies. Naofumi genuinely cared for this little girl as he would for any member of his family. And like them, he didn't want to make her sad ever again.
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan ran up, nuzzling against the Filolial Queen's neck and making her look down at the shikigami curiously. "So, this is Filo's new sister?"
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan nodded happily.
"Yes. I'll take it Filo already filled you in on some of what's happened through her ahoge?" Naofumi asked.
"Yes. I started sensing her on the other side of the Wave and left my flock and the Spear Hero in charge of cleaning up the remaining monsters. I mainly wanted to come to make sure you and Itsuki were doing okay." Fitoria admitted, her eyes shining with worry. "We haven't heard anything from you since you left our world."
"Sorry. We were separated into groups when we first arrived. But we're back together again. We even found the Cardinal Hero missing in this world and befriended her." Naofumi said. "Things are going much better here thanks to her being around again."
"Good… very good." Fitoria relaxed. She then focused on Naofumi again. "You look like you're doing better than before too."
Naofumi's eyebrow perked up. "I wasn't in a good spot before?"
"No, not like this. You were trying to do better, but you were still troubled… it's hard for Fitoria to describe…" Fitoria's face scrunched up in concentration, reminding Naofumi of Filo since she did the same thing.
"Daddy looks really happy and not so weighed down by past events." Filo provided happily.
"Rafu!"
"Yes, that's a good way to put it Filo." Fitoria looked up at Naofumi again. "It hasn't been that long, but you've changed for the better since coming to this world. In a very good way."
"... Well, I…" Naofumi didn't know how to respond to that.
"That's because Mommy and Daddy have started mating with each other!" Filo said happily. "Filo can't wait to have another sibling!"
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan and Filo began dancing as if to celebrate the arrival of a sister or brother nine months from now.
"Oi! There's no way that's happening!... at least, not until after the Waves are dealt with!" Naofumi exclaimed angrily.
"Awwww, Boo!" Filo pouted at him, and Raph-Chan did the same.
Gods, did they have no common sense whatsoever?! If Naofumi got Raphtalia pregnant while they were still fighting the Waves…
The Shield Hero didn't even want to consider that. That was more than enough motivation for them to use protection, no matter how horny they got around each other. If she got pregnant…
"Oh? So the two of you have finally engaged in the act of sex? That would explain it, I suppose. Sexual tension between two individuals is definitely unhealthy when left unresolved. And it looked like there'd been plenty of it built up between you two. Congratulations to the two of you." Fitoria said casually.
Naofumi flushed red in embarrassment. Had it really been that obvious for that long?
Instead of allowing the conversation to continue as is, he hugged the Bird Queen close again.
…
"... what about the rogue Book Hero?" Fitoria finally asked after a moment. After she'd sensed that the Shield Hero had calmed down.
"We'll be facing him soon enough," Naofumi said with relief at the change of topic. "L'Arc is having his army mobilized. And the Hunting Tools Hero is going to host a summit for the nations here to convince the Book's nation to either give that Male Bitch up or if that fails, which I find likely, to garner military support for the campaign against him. After my group levels up a bit more, we should be dealing with him permanently within a week, maybe two if things don't go according to plan."
"Good… not as good as I hoped, but it's better than nothing," Fitoria said sadly. "I was really hoping that you'd be done already so you could come back home. Stupid human politics."
"Are things not going well in our world?" Naofumi asked worriedly.
"It depends. Clean-up is still being done for the damage the Spirit Tortoise and its minions caused in our world. Along with that, the Spear Hero began a journey for the human nation of Zeltoble two days ago. He said the village received a message from someone who used to live there asking for the Hero's help."
"Is he up for that?" The Shield Hero quirked an eyebrow up. Motoyasu had been in pretty horrible shape last he checked.
"Yes, he should be. He recovered from his injuries remarkably well over the last week. And he's definitely grown strong enough to fend for himself." Fitoria answered. "He's progressed far faster than I was expecting. I didn't even know if he'd be able to help with the Waves in a week's time or not, but he's done really well today and-"
"Wait, one week?! It's been over two weeks since we arrived in this world!" Naofumi said in surprise.
"That would be because of the way time flows differently between worlds," Fitoria explained. "A week in our world can be several months in another world. Or perhaps a day, or an hour... Fitoria can't remember the details."
Naofumi frowned. That was interesting to learn. But did that mean time moved twice as fast here as it did in their world? It was so strange that he had to shake his head to clear it of the fact that he was technically aging twice as fast as everyone back home right now.
"If Motoyasu is off to Zeltoble, how is he helping in the Wave? And why isn't Ren helping out?"
"Motoyasu saved the location he was at to his weapon, then got summoned with Fitoria to help in the Wave. After that, he'll teleport back to where he was before and continue to Zeltoble." Fitoria answered. "He's been traveling during the day and teleporting back to the village at night to rest."
…
Wow. That was actually a pretty smart way to travel. Suddenly, Naofumi had the thought that he and Itsuki could have just teleported everyone back to Sickle to rest up before continuing their journey in Katana's country instead of camping out. Why bother with overnight camping when you could save your progress and rest on a good bed?
"As for the Sword Hero… he is in no shape to help out with the Waves currently. He is in better shape than he was a week ago. But it will take a while for him to… Fitoria thinks it is best to leave him with his friends for now."
"Alright. I'm sorry we're not ready to go back yet." Naofumi said apologetically.
Fitoria smiled a little for him. "Fitoria would volunteer her assistance since the fate of our world is at stake. Unfortunately, if I stayed, I'd become very weak, and…" Fitoria frowned. It was likely she'd heard something from the Wave cracks, as she turned around to face the one she'd traveled through.
"What's wrong?" Naofumi asked.
"Motoyasu just dealt with a group of strong poachers. They were trying to capture members of my flock. Even though they were dealing with the monsters from the Wave…" Fitoria frowned deeply. "No… they're not poachers, that isn't the word for them… it's just like every other time I revealed myself in the past… what did they call themselves…"
"You mean, they're like the people you told me about who betrayed you?" Naofumi's eyes widened in realization.
"Yes. But I can't remember them." Fitoria's face saddened. She looked conflicted about talking to her Hero or going immediately back to protect her flock from any further attacks. "If I stay, they'd either target my flock while I'm gone… or they'd come here to kill me while I'm weak."
"They can do that?" Naofumi asked in disbelief at the sudden turn their conversation had taken. "Just who are these people?"
"I… I can't recall." Fitoria shook her head in frustration. "There is too much that Fitoria can't recall. But somebody just tried to kidnap members of Fitoria's flock like before, likely to try and get at me, and…"
3:00
A timer appeared over their vision. Showing that they had three minutes left before the Wave ended.
"Ah. So little time…" Fitoria shook her head again. "Before I go, Naofumi, one of Ren's friends asked if you'd found anything on the Waves while you were here. Fitoria has been searching her Sanctuary and her memories for answers, but has neither found nor remembered anything besides what I said before."
"Well, me and Itsuki haven't really found anything but there's another hero here, the Boat Hero, Ethnobalt. He's like you in a way. He created my shikigami daughter here." Naofumi gestured to Raph-Chan, who waved at Fitoria again. "He and Rishia have begun studying some of the ancient texts he has on the Waves. But so far, they've only found what we already know."
"Have any of the texts been tampered with?" Fitoria narrowed her eyes.
"No, thankfully. They were stored in a very secure place in a very dangerous dungeon that Ethnobalt is in charge of." Naofumi answered.
Fitoria shook a little. Naofumi thought it was from relief, but Fitoria spoke in a voice of worry. "Make sure that he guards those texts with his life. According to Ren's friend, our enemies are actively working to destroy any knowledge on the Waves."
"You mean like those books the Three Heroes Church owned or the mural in the Spirit Tortoise temple that was tampered with even before we were summoned?" Naofumi pointed out.
"No, your friends have gotten more books from the countries allied with you against the Spirit Tortoise. Dug out from the depths of their libraries. But the day after they arrived at the village, several of the books had pages torn out, and others were missing entirely. Neither Fitoria nor her flock noticed anyone strange entering or leaving the village the night it happened."
…
"How?" Naofumi breathed out.
"They don't know. I don't know either. But however the enemy is doing it, they are showing themselves to be more active in our world than before. I'm sorry if it's Fitoria's fault for revealing herself and-"
"No, it's not your fault." Naofumi clenched a fist. It appeared things had gotten more serious since they'd left their world. "Don't worry. We'll be back as soon as we can. We just have to deal with Kyo so the Phoenix doesn't awaken early and cause us even more issues while we're trying to deal with that. It hasn't awakened yet, right?"
"No," Fitoria answered. "What Ost said before is true. Somehow, she has kept the Phoenix from learning of her death. For how much longer this will last, I am uncertain. Fitoria is preparing herself for such a battle, just in case."
That's right. That was the other reason Naofumi couldn't go back yet.
Ost had given her life to protect the world she loved. Naofumi wouldn't dare to let the sacrifice of his good friend go to waste while her killer was still alive.
1:00
"Whatever you do, make sure to recover the soul energy of the Spirit Tortoise and return as soon as you can." Fitoria smiled sadly. "Hopefully, things will improve when you do. But if not… Fitoria would still rest better knowing that her Heroes are ok."
"Got it." Naofumi rubbed the little girl's head. "Keep your head down if you have to. Don't risk yourself or your flock with our problems if it puts your lives in danger."
"... if only it was that simple." Fitoria smiled sadly up at the Shield Hero. "The Heroes and their flock are now Fitoria's flock, after all."
…
That touched Naofumi in a way that couldn't be put into words. A tear formed in the corner of his eye as he hugged the little girl to himself one last time.
"Fitoria, one last thing. If you still can't find anything, maybe bring Motoyasu or Ren along with you to your Sanctuary." Naofumi whispered. "Perhaps they could help you find something significant there?"
Fitoria relaxed and hugged the Shield Hero back, tears also appearing in the corners of her eyes. Filo, who'd been quiet for the two of them, hugged Fitoria as soon as Naofumi had let her go.
"I'll consider it, Naofumi," Fitoria whispered back while lovingly rubbing the back of Filo's head.
"Take care, Fitoria. Don't do anything Filo wouldn't do." The little blonde girl said.
"I will. Continue being there for your Father, Filo. Continue to love him as you promised me in my Sanctuary." Fitoria replied calmly.
"Rafu." Raph-Chan took one last chance to snuggle against the Bird Queen. And Fitoria graced her with one pet on the back.
L'Arc and the others showed up at that point. Fitoria looked at them, smiled, and waved. Then the Carriage hanging on her necklace glowed, and she disappeared in a pillar of light back through the Wave Rift to return to her flock.
...
"Oh… oh man… to think somebody as powerful as her could have crossed into our world during a Wave." L'Arc looked like he was going to be sick.
"How curious. Who was that, Naofumi?" Ethnobalt asked quizzically.
"Her name's Fitoria," Naofumi answered. "Don't worry, she's pretty nice once you get to know her."
"Hmmm…" Ethnobalt looked up at the Wave Rift Fitoria had disappeared into curiously. "So there are Guardians on other worlds too…"
Naofumi tilted his head curiously at that. However, his thoughts were dashed thanks to the person who spoke up next.
"She looked so cool! I want to try fighting her the next time we meet!" Kizuna had a strange glint in her eyes.
The spirit woman next to her sputtered in shock. "A-Are you kidding me!? WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO DO THAT?!"
"Could you not see the waves of power radiating off that monster?!" Kizuna asked excitedly. "I could probably fight her with all of my power and still have a chance at losing!"
"DID YOUR TIME IN THAT LABYRINTH FRY YOUR BRAIN?! THERE'S NO WAY ANY OF US COULD WIN AGAINST HER!" Glass grabbed the small girl by the shoulders and shook her. Not even Glass at her worst would have been stupid enough to fight an enemy like Fitoria.
It wouldn't have been a fair fight even if Fitoria was forced to fight in her human form!
"Pfft. I can take her. Right, Naofumi?" Kizuna pouted as she crossed her arms and turned away.
"NO, YOU CAN'T! EVEN WITH MY COMBINED LEVEL THANKS TO THE WAVES, HER LEVEL STILL APPEARED AS QUESTION MARKS TO ME! SHE TOOK ON A GUARDIAN BEAST SINGLEHANDEDLY FOR OVER A DAY!" Glass screamed before Naofumi could answer.
"Meh. Levels aren't everything Glassy. You should know that already." Kizuna began to happily pull on Glass's cheeks again, as was her usual when Glass became too uptight for her own good.
"Gah!"
While the others laughed genuinely or nervously, the cracks in the sky began to glow, and then they visibly closed before their eyes.
After a moment, the sky turned back to normal. And the Wave they'd been fighting was over.
The sun showed it was barely even afternoon. That whole wave hadn't taken very long after all.
"Well done today, Naofumi." Raphtalia pecked him on the cheek appreciatively.
"Day's not over yet." Naofumi hugged Raphtalia close before she could back away and kissed her on the lips.
Filo cheered in her humming fairy form, and she and Raph-Chan both climbed onto their parents. Raphtalia, though surprised, closed her eyes and returned the kiss with fervor.
And here she was thinking she'd be the one to pounce on Naofumi first.
"Axie-poo, we can't let them outdo us!" Maya said excitedly to her knight.
Oh? Naofumi had forgotten to mention Itsuki's party members being on the ground too. He guessed it was because he hadn't seen any of the battles they were participating in during the Wave.
"As you say, my strange yet lovely raccoon girl." Aksel swept Maya off her feet, bringing her down close to the ground before locking lips with her happily, much to her delight.
There wasn't much to say about them. The show they put on said more about how things had been going for the two of them lately than anything Naofumi could ever say.
"F-Fuee…" Rishia whimpered nervously, and Itsuki blushed at the dual displays before them.
"Hey, um, Therese, maybe we can try that too-" L'Arc started to say hopefully.
"Ask me that after you're caught up on all that work and then I'll think about it, L'Arc." Therese deadpanned.
…
Yep, L'Arc's life was hell.
She then smiled and gave him a wink. "But if you behave like a good boy and finish it, I might give you more than just a kiss."
…
Gods. It was probably another way to get his hopes up like she had at the festival. But at least she gave him the motivation to want to get through everything else left over from his time away from his country.
Just a kiss on the hand from the beautiful Gem Girl would make this living hell worth it to the redhead.
After that, the soldiers and adventurers cleaned up the remaining monsters so they wouldn't become an invasive species in their world. The villagers were escorted back to their homes. And Naofumi and co portaled back to the capital of Sickle after absorbing the various monsters and acquiring new weapon forms from them.
It was just another day in the life of the Shield Hero. And it was barely lunchtime.
Hero Clips!
Fitoria Vs. Kizuna
Naofumi had thought these random scenarios were weird before. But this…
Boom!
Bigger Boom!
*random explosion noises*
This took the cake.
"Impressive, even after that barrage, you're still standing," Fitoria said with amusement shining in her eyes.
"You're not so bad yourself, bird queen. Perhaps you may draw out my full power yet." Kizuna grinned as she held her large tuna knife up towards the monster girl.
"Funny, I was about to say the same thing." Fitoria grinned as layer after layer of wind slices appeared in front of her. Launching themselves at the small Hunting Hero faster than the eye could follow.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The landscape around her was utterly decimated by the attack. Yet Kizuna, who'd avoided getting hit in her dash forward, brought her blade down towards the giant bird queen's head, forcing her to block with a barrier of magic that cracked from the hit.
"I guess you have proven yourself worthy. I shall now show you 2% of my full power." Fitoria yawned into her wing as a wave of green energy covered her form.
"Great, because I haven't even reached 1% of my full potential yet! Bring it on bird loli!" Kizuna said with a manic grin as energy covered her blade.
Naofumi didn't know what was more ridiculous. The fact that these two were fighting like characters from an anime. That Kizuna of all people was calling Fitoria a loli…
Or that said fight had been going on… for the last three days.
Yes, Kizuna had outlasted the beefed-up Spirit Tortoise. Somehow. Did fighting monsters give her an endless energy supply or something? That would be incredibly broken.
"Aren't either of them tired out yet?" Raphtalia yawned into her hand as she and Glass appeared behind Naofumi.
"Nope. Not even close." Naofumi sighed.
Glass hung her head sadly. She'd worried for Kizuna's safety at first. But now, she was wondering if the fight would ever end so she could spend time with her best friend again.
It was uncertain since the two individuals fighting were freaks of nature in their own right.
And thus, the battle between the two raged on. With no clear end in sight.
Naofumi didn't even want to consider the amount of crack behind letting this fight between two individuals of different worlds at their full power happen outside of a Wave.
Till Next Time
Allen
Chapter 2: Training for the Future
Chapter Text
- ENTRY #1 -
I wasn't ████████████. Not originally, at least.
I was born on ████████████ in a ████████████ in a time of great turmoil.
However, despite ████████████ being ravaged by plagues, wars, famines and death, my parents did everything in their power to shield me from the worst of it.
Even if the way they did it was not always ████████████.
I was made to understand from an early age that my parents ████████████. That nothing in this world ████████████. That everything ████████████ and had ████████████ with tooth and nail, including my ████████████ and continued ████████████. In my case, the price they demanded from me was excellence.
Whether it be ████████████ or anything else they wanted. I had to be the best. Nothing short of ████████████.
Love and affection ████████████.
I remember how early on I tried to ████████████ to this treatment. To ████████████. To ████████████. But it was always ████████████. By force, if necessary.
I vividly recall one particular day when I got a ████████████ on one of the ████████████. It was the ████████████. It was tied for the ████████████ in the academy's history.
Father was furious.
He did not care that I was the ████████████. My efforts did not matter. I was supposed to get ████████████ on everything. This was the first time in my life when I ████████████. I had trouble controlling my ████████████ back then. I shouted back at him, ████████████ my points and ████████████ his ████████████.
I was made to understand that his will ████████████.
My mother wasn't ████████████.
She controlled my social life, ████████████ rather. She instilled her rhetoric into me about the ████████████ of human interactions and ████████████.
The few friends that I tried to make were ████████████ for not being ████████████. I had to ████████████ and ████████████ with those of ████████████ to my own, as was the norm that I had to live up to. Because that's what it all boiled down to, the most basic ████████████. Those ████████████ only approached those with it to ████████████. It was my duty to not allow those ████████████ to get ████████████. My excellence was meant ████████████. And I had to do everything to crawl further up from my ████████████ using every leverage available to me.
I was not successful in such endeavors, unfortunately, despite my mother's best attempts at matchmaking, she simply ████████████ necessary to allow me to meet ████████████. Not that she ever ████████████. It was always ████████████. I was not trying ████████████. I was a bad son for failing her.
I wasn't strong in my musical talents either, which only frustrated her further and soon, the few scraps ████████████ I used to be able to receive had disappeared.
Thankfully, what I was good at was studying, especially after the encounter that I had ████████████. Clearly, fear has proven to be a much stronger motivator ████████████.
I don't know if I can blame them for ████████████ now. But after ████████████, I can't help but wonder why ████████████ were so hard on me.
After all, it certainly didn't help me out ████████████.
"How does the hourglass look?"
It was an hour after the Wave. Itsuki, Rishia, and Ethnobalt were meeting with the Prime Minister of Sickle in front of the Hourglass.
"It's just like it was in Lapis. Instead of two weeks, the next Wave isn't scheduled to hit us for another forty-five days." Ethnobalt told the prime minister after looking at the hourglass on his HUD.
"That long?!" Stone put a hand to his chest as if he was having a heart attack. "We haven't had a reprieve like that since… I don't think we've ever had to wait that long between Waves before! The people will be beyond elated to hear this news! This is cause for another celebration!"
"Are you sure you want to give your King that kind of chance to get in trouble?" Itsuki asked.
Somewhere in the distance, L'Arc screamed as another stack of paperwork was set onto his desk by another minister.
"... on second thought, perhaps a small feast would be better." Stone thought out loud. "Still, why did this happen now? This seems almost too good to be true."
Itsuki smiled brightly. "That would be because you had Cardinal Heroes helping with the Wave this time."
"... You knew this would happen then?" The prime minister asked.
"Yeah. We've helped out with multiple waves in our world. We don't even have to be the ones to defeat the wave boss, actually." Itsuki shrugged. "Naofumi can't fight like me and the others, but having him present helps to suppress the wave. We don't know why it works that way, but that's happened with every wave me or my Cardinal friends have participated in, whether together or separate."
Stone frowned. "Meaning if no Cardinal Hero was at a Wave… it'd make things worse for the opposing world."
"Yeah. It would." Itsuki gave the ground of Stone's argument to him. They were working together, but that didn't mean there wasn't any lingering distrust. "But that's why it's important for Cardinal Heroes of both worlds to participate. The more Waves they participate in, the less their worlds will collide with one another. And the less calamities either of our peoples will have to endure."
…
Stone's frown disappeared. "That is a valid point. Ethnobalt, please make sure to verify this."
"I already have." Ethnobalt smiled as did Rishia. "That was in the text I studied yesterday. I wanted to verify it with the Wave today though, so that's why I didn't tell you sooner."
"Truly…? I see." Stone nodded in relief. "In that case, if you'll excuse me, I must make sure that boy is fulfilling his duties. Good day, and… good work." With that, the man turned around and left the Hourglass Building.
…
There was a short pause as they waited to make sure Stone got out of earshot.
"Well, that went better than I expected," Itsuki said sarcastically.
"Give him time. At the very least, you've taught him, and me, another benefit of our alliance." Ethnobalt said reassuringly.
"You didn't actually find that in the texts, did you?" Itsuki bluffed.
"Haha. Well, large parts of the texts are still untranslated. But it could be there." Ethnobalt chuckled awkwardly.
"Heh. You better hope it is or he'll get mad at you for lying to his face." Itsuki then frowned. "I don't know if that theory is correct anyway since we learned today thanks to Naofumi that time goes by twice as quickly in this world compared to ours…"
"After the amount of time I spent thinking over bad theories, I wouldn't mind giving room for a hopeful one for once." Ethnobalt smiled.
"Alright…" Itsuki turned to Rishia, and the girl blushed lightly. He blushed lightly as well.
"I should get going," Rishia said nervously. "I need to teach Naofumi and the others in the mountains."
"Alright. I'll be chatting with Ethnobalt for a bit then. I'll… I'll message you tonight if I don't see you before." Itsuki promised.
Rishia blushed a little more, but she happily smiled as she bowed to the two and then quickly exited the hourglass room. She ran in the direction of Kizuna's home, where the others would hopefully be waiting for her.
…
Itsuki's content smile was ruined by what Ethnobalt said next.
"I could still make a shikigami for you two if you want?"
"I… I don't even have anything that is personal to her with me." Itsuki blushed at the Boat Hero's knowing look.
"So you're not against having a shikigami then?" Ethnobalt smiled.
"Of course not! I just don't know if Rishia is against it, or-" Itsuki caught himself before he could shoot himself in the foot. But before he could say anything more, his mind flashed back to a memory.
His hand reaching out to someone familiar, walking away from him…
"Naofumi's shikigami was created with a lock of Raphtalia's hair. Amongst the materials used to make Chris was Glass's old katana and one of Kizuna's favorite lures. The things that hold a close connection for individuals are wide and varied." Ethnobalt replied, taking Itsuki out of his reverie. "I find it hard to believe that you don't have something from that girl that doesn't hold a close connection to her. Especially when you looked ready that day to make a shikigami to find her."
"I… I really don't know her well enough to make that kind of assessment." Itsuki rubbed the back of his neck in frustration as more memories tried to leak into his mind. He didn't know why but this topic seemed charged to him. "Can we please talk about something else?"
…
"Very well." Ethnobalt nodded in understanding. Itsuki began to walk out of the room as Ethnobalt followed on his boat. The two were given space by the people they passed outside, and some even greeted the Bow Hero with a smile for the good he and his friends had done as of late.
"So, during this Wave, I couldn't help but notice something." Itsuki began to speak once they'd gotten past the crowd. "I know you already shared your woes about being weak in the past, but seeing it in person…"
"Ah… I thought you might ask that." Ethnobalt's eyes fell.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude." Itsuki elaborated. "It does seem like you at least have an attack stat compared to Naofumi. Is this a feature of the Vassal Boat, or…?"
"Mmm. No, it is not. Previous wielders of the boat weren't known to be particularly powerful. But they could hold their own in a direct confrontation." Ethnobalt replied. "I, on the other hand, can only inflict negligible damage on my enemies, as you saw. Regardless of the weapon form I choose."
"You were using plenty of AoE skills in the Wave. Those typically have low attack power." Itsuki pointed out.
"That is correct, but my skills meant for one target aren't much stronger either." Ethnobalt sighed. "I believe it has to do with my race. Librarian rabbits aren't made for fighting."
"So… your stat build was already pretty terrible before you got the Boat?" Itsuki asked.
"Correct. My kind is geared towards intelligence and speed. We aren't meant to be frontline fighters in conflicts. In the beginning, when the Boat chose me, my defense and attack did rise, so I thought that'd allow me to fight alongside Kizuna and everyone else…"
"But while I quickly reached the limit of what I could do, my friends kept growing stronger, and so did our enemies. And it, well, it seemed like I was only getting in the way. If you know what I mean." Ethnobalt admitted with a sad chuckle.
"Didn't you see Kizuna before though? She really pleaded with you to join us in today's wave." Itsuki pointed out. "And even if you didn't do much damage yourself, you gave me and Glass the perfect vantage point to help out all over the battlefield. And your ship was really good at taking attacks to protect us."
"Yes, I suppose my presence today did bring a few benefits…" The Boat Hero looked away sadly. "Still, that doesn't really change the fact that I'm weak. You could have taken care of the Wave without me, with little issue, but I would be helpless without you in the same circumstances."
Itsuki opened his mouth but closed it when he was unable to form a reply and the two heroes simply continued to move forward silently.
Damn it. Why couldn't he think of anything to say?! This was just like Aksel and Maya all over again! There had to be something he could do to help him out!
…
"You know, the funny thing is: early on, both me and Kyo spent a lot of time pondering on this issue, since we shared it." The rabbitman suddenly admitted. "We looked for all sorts of ways to try and cheat, modify, or otherwise circumvent the stat limitations of ourselves and our vassal weapons so we'd be able to do a lot of damage like Glass or L'Arc. The ship you saw me use in the wave earlier was our last attempt and it went nowhere too.
"That's the unfortunate thing about Status Magic. There are no loopholes to exploit or ways to cheat yourself into becoming infinitely stronger. Stats mean everything and those who believe they can get around that are fools that have no idea what they're doing.
"It is of little matter now, however. I've accepted that I'll always be useless in fights despite Kizuna's continued protests. There's no reason for me to get in the way of the others when they're much better suited to it than me-"
"Oi, did you not hear what I said earlier?!" Itsuki suddenly interrupted angrily.
"... ah? About what?" Ethnobalt asked unsurely.
"About how you gave me and Glass the perfect vantage point for that last battle?!" Itsuki said loudly.
Ethnobalt frowned. "Yes? But as I already said, I would have been helpless on my own and had to rely on you and the others to kill the wave monsters attacking my ship-"
"And Naofumi had to rely on everyone on the ground to kill the monsters flocking him." Itsuki interceded. Ethnobalt frowned again, but Itsuki continued. "Just because you're not capable of taking on everything that Glass and the others can, doesn't mean that you aren't contributing to the battle or to them in general! Even though Naofumi couldn't damage the monsters, he was still pushing them back from that village singlehandedly just by walking past them! He was contributing in a very meaningful way!
"If you want an even better example of it, look at Rishia! A month ago, she was the same as you! Her stats were absurdly low and even though she can cast all types of magic back in my world, those spells were pretty weak! She was clumsy in battles and she couldn't face monsters by herself!
"But I didn't care about all that because she was my friend and the glue that kept me and my other friends together! She's incredibly smart to the point that she could learn your language in a very short time! She… she was the one brave enough to help me come down from my Cursed Series when I was losing control. She helped me learn how to read so I could study magic. And on top of that, she can cook Napolitan better than Naofumi!" Itsuki ranted.
Ethnobalt cocked his head to the side curiously. "What's Napolitan?"
"You don't know what Napolitan is- never mind that! Look! The point is, I didn't want her to stay because of her fighting prowess! I wanted her around because I care about her, and I wanted her to see that she could contribute in other ways that helped me and our friends out!
"It was only recently that she became strong enough to fight alongside us. And that was because while she continued doing the things that helped her to contribute, she kept looking for other ways to grow stronger. And she eventually learned Hengen Musou from an old woman in our world. It's because of that one thing she tried that she became strong! Really strong! Hell, she kicked Kyo's butt singlehandedly after he'd kicked all of ours!"
Itsuki paused in his walk. Ethnobalt turned to stare at him curiously.
"Look, even if I'm wrong and what happened to Rishia turns out to be a lucky fluke, that doesn't take away the fact that there are other ways to help your friends. So please, don't just think you aren't able to do anything just because you can't blow up a hill or part an ocean with your attacks or perform some other great feat of strength!
"And if you still feel like you want to do more, then go out and look for new ways to do it! Don't just fold like a napkin and give up because you can't do one thing!
"Like, don't just watch Rishia and Naofumi and the others train in Hengen Musou with mild curiosity from afar. Ask to join them to try it out too and see if it would work for you like it did for Rishia!
"Maybe it'll help or maybe it won't. But at least you would have tried! And if it doesn't work, try something else next! Maybe there is some secret martial arts equivalent in your world that would allow you to get stronger. Or maybe there is some undiscovered type of magic here that doesn't rely on your stats, like dragon vein or gem magic. Or a power-up method from some other vassal weapon that would greatly benefit the boat specifically!" Itsuki took a deep breath.
"This is a vast world with countless things in it to look into and discover. And if by some miracle you ever manage to find out all of its secrets, you can go and continue on to do it in ours. You don't have to be an over glorified taxi driver if you don't want to."
…
"You are quite fond of Rishia, huh?" Ethnobalt said.
"Y… Yeah. She reminds me of my best friend from my world." Itsuki admitted.
She was becoming more like her. Before they discovered their abilities. Before they were relentlessly picked on by the bullies. And…
And… she reminded him of… well… him. The scared, timid boy who got picked on by everyone. Who hardly had any support outside of his family, and who was never able to help out someone else going through his situation…
Including his best friend.
He couldn't ever allow Rishia to do what she had done. Never. "I can't ever allow her to go through what she did," Itsuki said, his hands clenching at his sides.
As Itsuki struggled to push the memories brought up by his zealous plea to Ethnobalt down again, the rabbitman pondered his words for a while.
Itsuki really hoped he'd said the right thing. He didn't want to think that he'd said the wrong thing again after…
"... right." Ethnobalt nodded to himself after a moment. "I'm not sure if it'll help, but I can try. There is wisdom in your words. No progress can be made without moving forward."
"..." Itsuki smiled, feeling relieved. "Thanks for listening to my rambling."
"No, thank you for what you said, Itsuki. Sometimes, I forget that fighting monsters or people isn't the only way to be useful in a fight. I guess after what happened to Kizuna, I wished that there was something I could have done to save her and…
"Well, as I said earlier, we're past that now."
The two reached the outskirts of town, and Ethnobalt paused at the gate. "Are you sure you don't want a shikigami?" Ethnobalt asked one last time.
"... can you ask me again, after we've defeated Kyo?" Itsuki replied this time.
"Very well. I will. Take care, Bow Hero."
"You too, Ethnobalt."
The two went their separate ways.
Ethnobalt was going to ponder what the Bow Hero had said to him. Hopefully, something there would help to reignite a spark he'd long thought to have burnt out.
And… he realized that he did have to improve himself. If what Naofumi told them was correct and the Guardian of his world feared there were people actively trying to destroy any information on the Waves in both of their worlds, then he was going to have to become strong enough to protect those texts, with his very life if need be…
He made a note to himself to contact his tribe. They were going to have to begin regulating who was allowed to visit the Ancient Library Labyrinth in the future.
As for Itsuki…
He was going to take his chance to use the Hot Springs BEFORE Naofumi and the others returned.
He'd rather get the chance to relax now while he was certain that the Hot Spring in the basement was safe to use.
Naofumi and Raphtalia had traumatized him forever when he walked in on them a couple of days ago.
He'd never been so angry in his life. They had a freaking room they could do it in! Why did they have to do it in there?!
He didn't even think about what he was going to be doing for the rest of the day. That being going out to grind monsters so he could utilize Motoyasu's methods on his best weapon forms. He wanted to use the Hot Spring without fear of his older brother being there to traumatize him with lewd activities. He also wanted the distraction to help take his mind off the green-haired girl he was crushing on hard.
She had been improving so much as of late. And… unbeknownst to everyone, they were growing closer than ever.
They messaged each other back and forth every night. Talking about all sorts of things from what they'd done that day to things about themselves.
And, they'd also had some time here and there when no one else was around to sit down together and read the manga he'd bought in Katana's country. It was so awesome being able to share a hobby with Rishia. And…
His mind still feared that he'd do something wrong, and all that progress they'd made would be destroyed, and that he'd hold her back like his best friend and…
It was rather unfortunate that he got back to Kizuna's house and went downstairs with only a towel wrapped around his waist while he was distracted by these thoughts… because he didn't immediately notice that Maya and Aksel were in the Hot Springs.
But he did notice before he'd gone more than a few steps past the door. Because yes, the two were in the middle of doing lewd activities with each other.
At the very least, Itsuki's troubled thoughts were sent flying straight out the window.
"Ack! WHAT THE LITERAL &^%$, YOU TWO?!" Itsuki screeched as he covered his eyes. He hastily scrambled back and slammed the door with his other hand. "THIS IS NOT WHAT YOU USE BATHS FOR!"
"Oi! Ever heard of knocking first Itsuki!?" Aksel's voice yelled from the other side. "I doubt you'd want me to walk in on you and Rishia while you're in the middle of being intimate!"
"THE TWO OF US AREN'T ANYWHERE CLOSE TO BEING INTIMATE WITH ONE ANOTHER!" Itsuki screeched like a banshee.
"Ignore him, Aksel. We're not done yet." Maya's voice piped up.
"Right, your reward for doing well in the Wave," Aksel said suavely.
"My reward? I thought it was your reward." Maya teased.
"Come now. We both know how much we enjoy this. And might I say, you're really rocking that body suit?" Aksel laughed, and Maya giggled along with him as they resumed their lewd activities.
Itsuki put a hand to his face in embarrassment and raced back upstairs, holding tightly to the towel around his waist with his other hand.
He didn't care how stupid he'd look to anyone who might be in the house right now. He just had to get as far away from there as fast as possible!
What was with this stupid sideshow?! It was as if sex had made his good friends and his older brother figure complete idiots! Would the same thing happen to him if he and Rishia ever-
No, he couldn't even get himself to think about that right now. Things were awkward enough for the two of them as it was. There was no way in hell that he would have even had the thought a month ago! Naofumi and Aksel were ruining everything!
Itsuki ended up locking himself in his room for the rest of the day. Reading the manga he'd bought since he didn't want to bother with anyone else until dinnertime.
He didn't care if he couldn't read this world's language without Rishia's help. He could garner enough from the art to move himself along.
Gods, these couples made him sick.
Naofumi's original plans that day had been to soak in the Hot Spring with his girlfriend, check on how their new gear was coming along, continue working on the accessories he was making for everyone, spend more time with his girlfriend before making lunch, spend a couple of hours training in Hengen Musou with Rishia, take a break with his girlfriend during that, maybe take a nap after the hard work and effort he'd put in lately before cooking dinner for everyone… or spend time with his girlfriend if she didn't want to nap.
The Wave had effectively ruined the majority of those plans for the morning.
Stupid wave.
Naofumi honestly hadn't been this comfortable in a long while. Hell, he hadn't even been this comfortable in Cal Mira. The closest he'd come was that day on the beach when he cuddled with Raphtalia.
Even though they'd still been doing other things, Naofumi had relaxed a lot and had definitely not been taking things as seriously as he should have.
However, because of his talk with Fitoria, he only stayed in the Hot Spring long enough to clean the gore of battle off him. And then, he went to the local blacksmith shop without the intention of working on accessories so he could get the important things done.
"Hey, Shield Hero. How are things?" The woman behind the counter greeted Naofumi warmly as he entered her establishment.
"Good. I'm here to check on your progress today." Naofumi replied curtly.
"You're not going to tell me how the wave went?" The burly woman asked.
"We won." Naofumi rolled his eyes.
The woman barked in laughter.
The blacksmith's name was Romina, and while this wasn't his first time meeting her, he'd actually seen her once before. She'd been the woman standing behind Glass and Ethnobalt in the picture of Kizuna's victory fishing trip.
This had helped to easily mark her as one of Kizuna's close friends before Kizuna introduced her to him in person. Though the way Romina treated the small girl spoke volumes about how close the two were.
It was oddly creepy how similar Romina was to Elhart. She was tall and she had the muscles of a blacksmith on her arms.
The main differences were her womanly assets, the red gemstone on her chest signifying her Jewel race… and of course, her full head of lustrous red hair.
Elhart's bald head could never compete against something like that.
"I might just like you a bit more than Kizuna. Straight to the point, unlike her." Romina commented when she was done laughing. Her face then turned serious and her tone took on a business demeanor.
"I'm almost finished with the Katana Hero's sheath. As well as two new katanas that she'll be able to copy. Your tiger friend can then choose which one he wants to wield when they're finished, though their level requirements are going to be pretty high since I'm working with Guardian Beast materials here. I'd recommend he get his level raised a little more. As for your armor, I've been…"
According to Kizuna, Romina was the best blacksmith she knew. As the tall woman took him around the shop showing the things she was working on for them, he had to agree with the Hunting Hero's assessment.
Even unfinished, the various pieces of equipment he saw looked incredible. Leagues better than anything he'd seen in this world thus far. Hell, he'd learned on the last visit that she was able to make stuff with the Guardian Beast materials in this world. Including the hard components of the Black Tortoise, which she was currently shaping into a katana.
If he went home and found out that Elhart couldn't do that… then Romina would officially be the best blacksmith he'd ever met.
Though he did frown when he looked over the armor she was making for him. "Is something wrong with it?" She asked.
"I… it's nothing." Maybe he was just seeing things. There was no way that armor resembled the armor he'd used to wear in his old world. Romina and Elhart couldn't possibly be that similar.
"Well then, are you going to continue working on those accessories?" Romina eventually asked when Naofumi had seen all that he needed to.
"No. I'll save that for another time. I need to get back to training." Naofumi deadpanned.
The tall woman pouted at him. "I can't even watch the Master Craftsman work? That's no fun."
"Oi, keep the Therese attitude to yourself." Naofumi scoffed.
Romina might be the best blacksmith he'd ever met. But she was still a Jewel person at heart. Meaning she was just as awed by his creations as Therese was.
Therese had felt like a fluke. But after seeing the quality of his creations, Romina had been just as awed too. Not to the point of giving them equipment for free, but she'd been awed regardless.
He'd need to be careful about this. He could very easily become a God in two worlds if he wasn't careful. And being a God in one was bad enough.
"While you're out, I could use more of these materials." Romina handed him a sheet of paper. "I should finish up much more quickly with these."
"Alright, I'll give it to Kizuna since I can't read this," Naofumi said farewell to the blacksmith, and he got back to Kizuna's home, where the others had finished getting ready to teleport everyone to the mountains.
He did so, and he at least had enough time to give the Hunting Tools Hero the sheet of paper after making the teleport before the younger girl began to run towards the lake in the center of the large bowl.
"Have funnnnn!" Kizuna skipped with glee.
However, Glass grabbed Kizuna by the arm, keeping a determined look on her face as she stopped her best friend. "Kizuna… We would be honored if you would join us."
"Ehhhhh?! Who needs to train to fight monsters?! Those beasts are way too dumb for me to bother with any of that finesse you use in battle!" Kizuna yelled.
As Glass tried to think of an explanation for not wanting the girl to leave her sight, Dou-Lon chuckled to himself. "Haha, perhaps this is Glass's way of asking to spar with you."
"O-Of course not!" Glass stammered. "Dou-Lon, get into your stance immediately!"
"Got it!" The hakuko male saluted the spirit woman. Then he got into the worst stance imaginable, forcing Glass to let go of Kizuna and begin correcting the hakuko male.
During that, Kizuna took the moment of opportunity she was given to give Dou-Lon a thumbs up before leaving the party and using her hiding skill so she could run off to fish in peace.
By the time Glass finished correcting Dou-Lon's stance and turned back to Kizuna, she realized her mistake and groaned. "Do not travel too far away from us at least!"
"Thanks, Glassy!" Kizuna's voice echoed from somewhere around the lake.
Glass groaned again. If Kizuna were to keep on acting like this even in Lapis, then Glass would have to cuff the girl to herself to keep her from running and causing trouble.
Not that she wouldn't enjoy it, but she'd rather not have to resort to-
"Ha, you're wide open!" Dou-Lon lunged forward.
Glass swiftly blocked his katana with one fan, then jabbed at the hakuko with her other fan.
"Eep!" Dou-Lon saw her body move for the strike and barely managed to get back out of reach in time.
…
A smirk slowly touched the spirit woman's lips at the action. "You're finally learning to read my movements."
"No, I was just trying to avoid the bruise that would have given me!" Dou-Lon yelled back unsurely.
Yeah, he had noticed the way Glass's upper body had moved in preparation for that strike. But he still hadn't gotten quite used to the 'rhythm of battle' as the spirit woman liked to call it.
"You are finally getting used to the weight of your blade. Very good. I can finally go as hard on you as I do against Raphtalia." Glass said ominously.
She might have also just pieced together what Dou-Lon had done to help Kizuna escape. Kizuna really had a way of making allies with anyone she met. If only she could protect them from the consequences of their actions.
"Uh, hey, now, if this is about my tendency to go for sudden surprise attacks, I'm sorry-"
Too late, Glass had already blazed forward, and Dou-Lon found himself on a desperate defensive to not get beaten to a pulp by the spirited transparent woman.
Nearby, Naofumi found himself in a position Dou-Lon would have been much more comfortable in. His legs were crossed beneath him, and he was attempting to tune out everything around him next to his girlfriend as Rishia paced around the pair.
"Are you ready to start?" The girl asked formally.
"I… I think so?" Naofumi felt like he could tell the energy Rishia was talking about this time. However, he was also distracted by how different Rishia sounded in a teaching position.
There was no trace of the usual timid girl. In a way, Rishia was beginning to remind him of Raphtalia. Only she was shorter and braided her hair differently. But she stood as tall as Raphtalia. And the small girl was almost as well endowed as his smoking hot girlfriend, which made him question why Itsuki wasn't making any moves on her or-
"Naofumi, focus," Raphtalia said beside him.
"What? You must be wondering why Itsuki isn't acting on his feelings for Rishia too." Naofumi rolled his eyes.
"Of course, I wonder about that. But right now isn't the time for such thoughts." Raphtalia rolled her eyes in return with a slight blush on her face.
"F-" Rishia opened her mouth but swallowed her attempt to make her usual whimper.
Eventually, after a few more minutes, Naofumi and Raphtalia took their pebbles off the ground. Naofumi mimicked Raphtalia in trying to sink his finger into the rough stone through the use of ki.
Rishia described it as gathering his ki to his finger and releasing it to make the rough stone give way to it. Those who were precise and in control of their ki could sink their finger into the stone without making it explode from excess ki. Once this level of control was reached, one could more easily mold their ki and pull off different kinds of attacks that'd mimic the skills of the Heroes, or, if they were Heroes, they could use it to unleash new kinds of skills they didn't have before…
Or something like that.
Naofumi was still trying to learn, after all. Though he remembered Motoyasu using that skill that pierced his defenses.
After a few minutes, Raphtalia's pebble exploded in her hand next to Naofumi, making her fall back in surprise.
"I… I can't believe that actually worked!"
"It took you almost a week of training to learn how to explode a rock," Naofumi muttered sarcastically. "Congratulations."
Raphtalia kissed him on the cheek smugly. It dulled his disappointment in himself somewhat.
"Raphtalia was able to expel her life force from her body. It will still take a lot of time for her to finetune it for any sort of attack." Rishia explained. "You're not as far behind her as you think, Naofumi. Now, concentrate again."
Naofumi rolled his eyes but tried to do as the girl asked. But a few minutes passed with nothing changing for him.
He'd taken it in stride before. But now that he was trying to take this seriously, it was just frustrating him. At times, he wondered if he did see what Rishia was talking about or not. But it just felt so foreign, and Raphtalia exploded two more pebbles while his sat in his hand mocking him for wasting his time doing this instead of going out to gather levels and-
Pow!
Naofumi nearly collapsed to the ground from the hit to his back! He hadn't expected that!
"Fueee! Are you OK?!" Rishia asked worriedly.
"Wh-What the hell was that about?!" Naofumi asked angrily as he got back up. "Why did you just attack me out of the blue?! Are you trying to piss me off?!"
"Fueee…"
"Naofumi, please calm down." Raphtalia put a hand on his shoulder and began rubbing it.
…
Naofumi groaned. Nope, Rishia wasn't completely different when she messed up and reverted to her usual self. "Please… explain what you were doing there."
"I… I um…"
"It's okay, Rishia," Raphtalia said amusedly. "We understand that you were trying to help."
"She was trying to help by hurting me?" Naofumi asked incredulously. "Yeah, thanks for surprising me with pain and-" Raphtalia pinched Naofumi's arm, quieting his complaint.
Sometimes, he forgot that Raphtalia was still one of the only people powerful enough to hurt him if she chose to do so, and that was before she had the Katana to boost her stats.
It was a turn-on at other times.
Not this time though.
Rishia breathed in deeply to steady herself. Then, she began to rub her arm awkwardly. "Sorry, I can tell that you're doing your best. But you can't recognize your own ki still. So I wanted to try hitting you with an attack when you weren't expecting it to see if you'd sense the energy entering your body or not."
"I felt something entering my body alright. Something that felt a lot like pain." Naofumi grouched.
…
However, there was some merit to Rishia's idea. The main thing he was struggling with was identifying ki since he couldn't see it or understand what it looked like.
How was one supposed to use something they couldn't see or comprehend? Naofumi felt like he was learning magic all over again! Only, he was having to discover something that was already a part of himself! He just hadn't used it before to defend someone or anything.
"That's a good idea, Rishia. How about you let him know it's coming though so he can expect it and try to sense it." Raphtalia recommended.
"Hmmm… alright." Rishia nodded to herself. "We'll just call this a different form of sparring then. I'll start."
"Is this just your way of watching me get beat up?" Naofumi deadpanned to Raphtalia.
"Better that Rishia does it than some enemy trying to kill you." Raphtalia shrugged with a smile.
Naofumi would have snarked, but Rishia went to punch his shoulder with her fist and he raised his shield instinctively.
"Ow!" However, the ki of the girl's attack went through the shield, hurting his arms.
"Keep your shield down. You're not going to try and defend yourself with your body this time. Concentrate on your inner ki and try to repel my attack." Rishia punched his shoulder again, and Naofumi grit his teeth as he closed his eyes and tried to bear it.
Raphtalia stayed quiet and set the shattered remains of her latest pebble to the side as she watched Naofumi struggle with Rishia's onslaught.
The girl wasn't cruel and allowed Naofumi to heal himself every few minutes before resuming. She also made sure Naofumi had plenty of time to focus his thoughts between each strike and that she didn't target his face or any major spot on his body.
Almost half an hour in though, Naofumi still felt like he'd signed up for a brand new way to torture himself. This wasn't working any better than the pebble. He was starting to wish that he'd stuck with the pebble idea.
Pow!
Then, he finally felt it. Something besides the pain of the defense rating attacks going down to the very bones of his body.
Or maybe he was delusional from the pain?
Either way, when Rishia struck him again, he felt that force enter his body again. Only, this time, it felt… tangible to him? However, having finally reached a point where he noticed it, he tried to redirect the energy he felt just like he would with magic power, and...
The strike ended up being nowhere near as painful as the others.
"Oh?" Rishia paused curiously. "Well done, Naofumi."
"Wh-What do you mean?" Naofumi asked nervously, confused about what had just happened.
"You not only negated a lot of that attack, but you tried to flip it back on me. That was pretty impressive." Rishia commended him.
"Huh? I did?" Naofumi muttered confusedly.
Naofumi was given a moment to use healing magic on himself again. Then, he thought about what he'd just done. As well as the energy he'd seen and manipulated. "Weird. I wasn't trying to use it to attack you or anything. Sorry."
"No, that's fine Naofumi. That wasn't an attack you did. Rather, you were deflecting the attack I unleashed back at me. It didn't damage me since I dissipated the energy before it could hurt me, but well done…" Rishia looked at the Shield on his arm again. "... maybe that's where I was messing up trying to train you? If only Granny was here. She would have picked up on it sooner." Her face fell sadly.
"Please, explain," Naofumi asked, not wanting to see the girl sad when he was still trying to understand what had just happened.
"Well… Sinking a finger into a rock is supposed to help with manipulating your ki to form offensive techniques. It isn't that useful though for teaching someone to shape their ki for defensive techniques. Or to deflect the ki of someone else's attack back at them. It might be that your talents and skills lie elsewhere in how you can use your ki."
"... so what you're thinking is that my shield restricts me from using Hengen Musou as an attack option too?!" Naofumi asked in surprise.
"Fueee, um… maybe? I'd need more time to make sure, but if we get different results trying something else, then-"
"WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Naofumi got up and let out a long, excited cheer.
"Fueeeeee?!" Rishia backpedaled in shock. The others paused in their training to look at Naofumi incredulously.
"You hear that Raphtalia!? I won't have to worry about wasting time using defense rating or defense-piercing attacks in battle anymore!" Naofumi said excitedly as he grabbed the girl by the hips and spun her in the air above him.
"Ack! Naofumi! Put me down! Put me DOWN!" Raphtalia yelled in surprise, but despite her loud complaints, she was laughing happily with the Shield Hero.
Dou-Lon rubbed his sore arm curiously. "Sir Naofumi is excited about not being able to attack?"
"That appears to be the case," Glass murmured just as unsurely.
Naofumi was a strange person indeed.
Naofumi eventually set Raphtalia back down, and she smiled broadly in return. "See, I told you there was nothing to worry about."
"Yes, you were right." Naofumi's grin changed to a smile, and he kissed the girl caringly on the lips. Raphtalia melted against him as her arms wrapped around his neck and deepened the kiss.
"Fueeeeeeeeee!" Rishia whimpered loudly at the open display of affection. "C-Can we please focus on the training again?!"
"... Fine." The two separated and Naofumi rolled his eyes in disappointment. "We don't have any condoms with us anyway. So we're not going to sneak off or anything."
"FUEHHHH?!" Had that been what those two were doing when they took a break from training?!
The green-haired girl had never looked so mortified in her life!
"I've made some decent progress today already. I'll head back and see what else I can get done." Raphtalia smiled happily.
"Alright, see you later. Love you." Naofumi kissed her again, and Raphtalia happily accepted the love.
The two separated. And Naofumi was still smiling while Raphtalia wished that they could sneak off just like Kizuna had.
Only, it wouldn't be to fish in the lake.
…
Actually…
No. Fun could come later. After she'd gone by that store…
She was definitely going to make sure it'd be a while before they needed to buy any protection again. Raphtalia used a skill from her Katana called Return Transcript to portal back to the hourglass in Sickle's Capital.
It was a skill that allowed the wielder to return to an hourglass they'd registered to. But they had to be within a certain distance of it. And they couldn't use it to go back to where they'd been before. It was essentially a one-way skill.
"Fueee, Naofumi, we're going to continue like before. Only, I want you to redirect the attacks out of your body using your ki." Rishia tried to bring the training back on track.
"Alright, now that I've tried it, it should be easy, right?" Naofumi said upbeatedly.
It wasn't easy.
Two hours later, Naofumi had only managed to do it three other times. All of which felt like flukes. And he'd had to heal countless bruises all over his body from failed attempts to redirect the defense piercing or defense rating attacks back at Rishia without taking any damage from the attacks.
It was really tricky and would take more time for him to be able to do it properly in a fight. But Rishia said he was improving on manipulating his ki at last. And… admittedly, when her fists went to punch him, he saw a faint layer of energy over them that he hadn't noticed before.
Or, perhaps he had noticed, but he'd thought it was his eyes playing tricks on him or something. Was this something the others could see too?
Oh well. He'd at least made progress today. And now Rishia had a new way to train him that'd benefit him.
He only wished it didn't involve her beating him up the whole time. Ouch, his muscles were really going to feel it tomorrow.
It was after he portaled everyone back inside the Hunting Hero's home that weight settled against the Shield Hero's side.
"Urgh… Sir Naofumi…"
Dou-Lon looked incredibly exhausted and beat up. Glass looked almost as exhausted as the hakuko, but she had no visible injuries besides a light scratch on the sleeve of her kimono.
"You actually landed a hit on her," Naofumi said, his deadpan tone holding a hint of how impressed he was.
"Y… Yes. It wasn't even… a surprise attack." Dou-Lon managed to say with a grin on his face.
Glass said nothing. She turned away but didn't seem willing to divulge how Dou-Lon had managed a counterattack through her barrage of attacks.
"Alright. Lie down while I fix you up." Naofumi moved the tall Hakuko male over to the couch and began using healing magic on him. Just as he had the last few days after every other training session. Only this time, Dou-Lon looked even worse for wear due to how much more intense his training session/round of sparring was with Glass this time.
Now that Naofumi thought about it. He hardly saw the two pause for a break or anything while he was up against Rishia.
"You know, as good as it is that I can do this, you really need to pace yourself, Dou-Lon. These injuries today are worse than anything Eclair ever inflicted on you." Naofumi pointed out worriedly.
"Ha… if I was able to fight through all this… then I'll definitely beat that crazy swordswoman when I return!" Dou-Lon yelled through his pain with glee.
It would have been cool, if not for the pitiful groan that came afterward as he almost passed out.
"You could have gone easier on him you know?" Naofumi complained to Glass.
"I was planning to take it easy on him. I merely wanted to punish him for helping Kizuna to escape. But then he begged me not to stop when I tried to slow the spar down." Glass shrugged.
Holy hell... Dou-Lon had actually asked for it this time?!
Dou-Lon really was turning into a muscle-headed idiot!
"Didn't you talk to me before about pacing yourself and not taking on more than what I could handle?" Naofumi asked his friend incredulously.
"Maybe. Once I perform my cooldown stretches, I'll see if I remember that or not." Dou-Lon replied with a grin. The Shield Hero's magic was already making his pain disappear. "And I've found today that I can definitely take on more than I thought I could!"
"There is such a thing as overtraining. You are not going to progress faster than your body can handle," Glass said seriously.
"And with Sir Naofumi's help, my body will be able to take it!" Dou-Lon replied with glee.
Yep, he'd definitely gone crazy.
The Shield Hero sighed. He wondered if he should stop there just to force Dou-Lon to rest for the night. But he went through fully healing the Hakuko's injuries, and as soon as he was done healing Dou-Lon, the tiger man jumped up from the couch. He expressed his eternal gratitude to the Shield Hero before he ran outside with his blade and began to perform a cooldown kata in front of the large home.
"He better not kill himself doing this." Naofumi sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm going to get a headache if he turns into Eclair II."
Glass frowned as she thought to herself for a moment. "I think he is merely driven to overcome the obstacles before him."
"What do you mean?" Naofumi asked. "Do you mean beating Eclair in a duel?"
"Possibly. Though, he also mentioned something about the people of his race needing to overcome the shame placed upon them back in his world," Glass answered. "I can't recall the specifics since I wasn't part of the conversation. But it seemed to be something very important to him."
…
Naofumi frowned. He looked outside the door where Dou-Lon was continuing his kata.
But there wasn't a trace of shame or anything on his face. The tiger man genuinely looked to be having fun with what he was doing.
"It might be the case for other hakuko back home… but I don't think that applies to Dou-Lon. Not anymore, at least." Naofumi shook his head.
He'd ask about it later if it became a problem. But as long as Dou-Lon was serious about this, Naofumi wouldn't try to get in his way.
While Dou-Lon was doing his thing, Naofumi got started on cooking dinner. His daughter reappeared a short while later with Raph-Chan. And the two helped him with preparing food for everyone in the group.
Soon, dinner was ready, and Kizuna and their friends gathered to eat.
"So amazing!"
"Thanks for the food!"
"Why can't I cook like this?!" The last comment came from L'Arc, who was sobbing once again.
The poor guy looked ready to keel over. The ministers must have really worked him to the bone today even though he'd participated in a Wave. Naofumi almost would have felt bad, if L'Arc hadn't continued speaking.
"Shield Kiddo, please, give me lessons like what you're doing with your daughters so I can woo Therese-"
"No," Naofumi replied before L'Arc could finish.
"But why?!"
"Because you called me Kiddo, boy," Naofumi answered.
The redhead's eyes widened in shock, and he screamed internally in frustration.
Therese looked so happy that it wasn't even fair! Even though Naofumi was hitched and had no interest in other girls, he still had nightmares at night about catching the two of them making out with one another while he was tied up and unable to do anything about it!
If only he could have time to work on his accessory-making skills! Why did the Council of Ministers have to ruin his life?! It was so unfair!
Raphtalia came back in the middle of when Naofumi was preparing seconds for everyone since his cooking was, once again, being consumed at a fast rate.
Naofumi set a meal on the table in front of his girlfriend, and she opened her mouth to thank him only to suddenly freeze in place.
It looked like an exact replica of the meal they'd had in that inn long ago after the incident with the dog monster in the mines. It even had a tiny replica flag on top of the rice.
"Everything ok?" Naofumi asked nonchalantly.
"Yeah, th-thanks, Naofumi." Raphtalia smiled tensely. However, when Naofumi turned around to head back to the kitchen, she rolled her eyes, thinking that Naofumi was messing around with her. She wasn't a kid anymore.
She dug into her food all the same. Even if it was a bit embarrassing, it tasted almost as good as she remembered.
The Katana Hero thought Naofumi had prepared it just for her. But when she was almost done, Filo came out from the kitchen wearing an apron over the front of her outfit to stand next to her Mommy. Daddy followed behind her with a proud smile on his face. "Is the food good Mommy?" The little girl asked.
"Huh? Of course, sweetie. Daddy's cooking is always amazing." Raphtalia replied absentmindedly, not catching on to the unusual atmosphere.
"Actually, that would be false," Naofumi said with a smirk.
…
"What?" Raphtalia asked, confused at his response.
Filo then spoke again with a happy smile on her face. "Filo made Mommy's food from start to finish!"
…
…
…
Raphtalia's stunned face looked from the remaining food to her daughter, and to Naofumi in disbelief. It took a while, but she eventually managed to speak in a hoarse voice.
"You taught Filo how to cook?"
"Some." Naofumi shrugged. "She's learning it herself and still has a long way to go. I'm just giving her pointers here and there. This went a lot better than her first try on her own."
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan bounded onto Naofumi's shoulder, and he rubbed the shikigami under the chin.
"Filo also asked me what your favorite food was and I couldn't exactly tell her: 'anything I make', so..." Naofumi smiled.
Raphtalia was shaking in her seat. Tears were slowly going down the sides of her face, and before Filo could point out that Mommy was crying, Raphtalia hugged Filo tightly.
"It was delicious, honey. Thank you." Raphtalia tearfully admitted. "But what an awful mother am I, that my own daughter has to cook for me."
Filo pouted and escaped Mommy's hug. "That's stupid. Mommy has been helping Daddy prep food for Filo for ages. It was about time Filo learned how to return the favor for Mommy and Daddy."
"I… but I did it because I loved you and-" Raphtalia began to say.
"Mommy and Daddy don't have to cook for Filo to make Filo love Mommy and Daddy." Filo smiled happily. "Mommy and Daddy do enough to make Filo feel loved. So let Filo do something to express Filo's love for Mommy and Daddy."
Raphtalia hugged Filo again. She was shaking, but this time, the tears flowing down her face were that of joy. And Raph-Chan had to wipe a single tear from Naofumi's face at the wholesome sight.
"Urgh!" L' Arc slammed the table in front of him in envy and grimaced tearfully. "It should have been me, not him! It's not fair! Why does Naofumi get to have a hot wife and a cute daughter who can cook?!"
Therese was about to joke, wanting to ask if now would be a good time to ask Master Craftsman for cooking lessons. However, even she wasn't that cruel. So instead she rubbed L'Arc's back in an effort to comfort him.
Glass simply rolled her eyes while Kizuna laughed joyfully at the wholesome sight. "Don't feel bad big bro, you still have a long life ahead of you!"
"With how reckless he is?" Naofumi expressed his doubt.
"Uhhhh… okay, fair point." Kizuna shrugged.
Most of them laughed while the redhead died on the inside once again.
The next couple of days passed in a similar manner with good weather and nothing world-ending going on. Though, thankfully, Naofumi was able to keep to his original schedule without a wave disrupting anything.
Naofumi got to grind a little with his daughters. He got to see Romina the blacksmith and craft accessories at her forge. He got to train more with Rishia and continued learning how to manipulate life force energy to defend against attacks.
Sometimes Aksel and Maya, or Ethnobalt and Itsuki would join them. While it was a surprise to see the rabbit man suddenly interested in participating, it was a welcome one.
It was uneventful for the most part as preparations began for the International Meeting in Lapis.
…
Oh, and, of course, Naofumi got all his time with Raphtalia throughout the day.
It really was a miracle the two of them got so many other things done.
The night before the International Conference at Lapis, Dou-Lon finished swinging his blade down for the thousandth time.
The hakuko, tired, but feeling satisfied with his cooldown kata, drank deeply from a water flask he'd set on the ground nearby. Draining off most of its contents before pouring the rest over his head.
It'd been a rough time since appearing in this world. And the muscles in his arms, neck, and upper back still strained a bit from the change in weaponry. But not nearly as much as before.
As surprising as it was, Dou-Lon felt like he was finally getting used to this new form of fighting. Perhaps those sword lessons he'd taken years ago while he trained to become a royal knight were finally beginning to poke through his muscle memory? Or maybe he'd just had a hidden talent for the blade that he hadn't known about before?
Either way, he was finally beginning to shake off much of the fighting style he'd gotten from his years as a lancer and gauntlets brawler. He was learning to thrust less than before, to not get up into Glass's face, and to stay back to read her body language in the midst of battle. He was also beginning to treat Glass's dance form of combat with the respect that it deserved and practiced the steps and the movements when he wasn't practicing with the katana.
In many ways, it reminded him of Eclair's combat style. However, that knight treated it less as a dance and more like an art. As if being able to read and react to her opponent as a flowing river came more naturally than breathing.
It was in training with Glass that Dou-Lon could really begin to appreciate the rose-haired knight's style of combat. To realize how she'd spent all that time reacting to his attacks and…
Dou-Lon frowned and shook his head again.
That blasted woman. Always invading his thoughts when he least expected it.
Dou-Lon sheathed his blade at his side. On his way back towards the front door, he paused for a moment to admire the new sheathe as well as the layer of armor covering his torso and shoulders.
Kizuna's blacksmith friend had finished his set first. It still had the kimono underneath, which made him mildly uncomfortable. But it came with light metal greaves over leather and other pieces of equipment that covered his forearms all the way up to his neck. It had a bit of the Western look that Melromarc was well known for, mixed with the Eastern Japanese look too.
It was amazing and the hakuko loved how well the custom armor fit. And even though the kimono was still slightly uncomfortable, Romina had taken his fur into account and made the sleeves of his kimono out of a strong material that didn't sacrifice stats whilst also allowing his arms room to breathe.
That blacksmith was truly amazing. Dou-Lon loved his custom armor. And he was sure that if Eclair saw him in it, she'd be jealous and…
…
Dou-Lon frowned once more.
Damn it, not again.
It was late, and he'd missed dinner. He was going to have to hope that Sir Naofumi had left him a plate with something to eat.
The thought of eating Sir Naofumi's cooking made his mouth water. And thoughts of the crazy rose-haired swordswoman were driven from his mind briefly as he walked towards the kitchen.
He did find that, yes, the Shield Hero had left him a plate with dinner on it. However, after grabbing it off the counter and heading towards the table, he found Itsuki's tank friend sitting there, eating as well. The hakuko paused in surprise.
"Ah, hey. Late dinner for you too?" Aksel asked around a mouthful of food.
…
"... yes." Dou-Lon moved to the other side of the table. Sitting as far from Aksel as he could.
The knight swallowed and smiled. "Relax. It's not like I plan on pulling your tail again."
"I still haven't forgotten that you know." Dou-Lon jabbed back. "I vowed never to trust being around you again thanks to that."
"Ah, whatever. Have it your way man." Aksel rolled his eyes.
The two ate in relative silence after that. And the minutes slowly passed beside the sound of chewing and gulping.
…
Eventually, though, Dou-Lon seemed to realize how odd it was for Aksel to be down here so late at night. Especially with the changes in the knight's love life recently. He began to look around with narrowed eyes but didn't spot anything out of the ordinary.
"Is something wrong?" Aksel asked seriously. His hand moved to the ax resting against the chair next to him.
"… is Maya somewhere here to pull my tail for you, or…?" Dou-Lon asked.
Aksel's eyes widened, and he let out a laugh as his hand released its grip on his weapon. "Ha, no. That'd be funny, but she's not down here." The knight chuckled for a moment more, but then he deflated a little bit. "She's in bed right now. She came down with a high fever yesterday."
"Oh… oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude," Dou-Lon said apologetically with a sad expression. "Has Sir Naofumi helped her?"
"Nah, she didn't want to trouble him. Besides, it only came about from our own stupidity anyway." Aksel lightly smiled, though he blushed a little bit. "… she kind of got overheated from our Hot Spring activities. I should have known that having her wear that bodysuit of hers in there would be a bad idea. Unfortunately, our horniness got the better of us."
…
Dou-Lon… tried his best not to melt into his chair. "You did that in the Hot Spring? Where all of us go to bathe?!"
"Hey, Maya got the idea since she saw Sir Naofumi and Miss Raphtalia do it first." Aksel waved him off. "Wow, it's weird to think of her as Miss Raphtalia now. The things that change when someone becomes a Hero. Weird."
…
Dou-Lon had to force down so many different thoughts that it wasn't even funny. It was only because of Aksel's face becoming crestfallen that he didn't lash out then and there.
"Anyway, Maya's asleep in our bed now. I've done my best to take care of her today, but she forced me out of the room to get something to eat. That's why I'm here right now." The knight admitted.
"… I'm sorry to hear that." Dou-Lon considered his next words for a moment. Now that he thought about it, he really hadn't seen the knight much since yesterday. "Have you spent all that time caring for her?"
"Of course. Why wouldn't I?" Aksel asked curiously.
"No reason. I'm just surprised. With how you two have been lately, I was beginning to think it was just… you know…"
"Just us being horny?" Askel supplied.
"Sure. That." Dou-Lon blushed.
"Yeah. Well, I'll admit, we've both been plenty horny. And I don't mind that one bit." Aksel smirked before his face turned thoughtful again. "But it's not just lust man. I love her. Like… I really love her. And the fact that she's going through this right now…
"I seriously wish that I didn't have to eat right now so I could be back up there, holding a pack of ice to her head and gripping her hand in mine so she'd know that I'm there for her, and… …"
The knight trailed off. He seemed to be thinking deeply about something. And instead of saying something to break his concentration, Dou-Lon listened intently for when he'd speak.
…
"I grew up wanting to become a knight, wanting to be able to protect my friends. And I was interested in other things too. And I had crushes on other girls. And some of the people I'd met made me want to protect them from anything and everything. It's just…"
He paused again.
…
…
"Maya is… special." Aksel chuckled as he smiled. "She makes me want to protect her, yet at the same time, I know she can kick my butt if she has to. But even knowing that I still love her… and just thinking of her makes me want to become better. So I can protect the whole world and make it a safe place for her to be happy.
"So that… so that we'll have a place to be happy, together," Aksel admitted out loud.
…
Dou-Lon was caught off guard by the profundity behind the knight's statement.
Aksel thought to himself a little more and then nodded. "And it isn't just for her. But… also my good brother Bakta. And my good friend Welt. And everyone else I've come to care about or lost in the past."
"I don't want to stop improving. I want to continue on the path to becoming my best self so I can be there for everyone around me. So somebody like Bakta won't have to sacrifice themselves for me or anyone else I care about ever again."
…
Aksel began to chuckle again, though it was self-mocking this time. "Sorry if that came out of nowhere. It feels good to finally say that out loud though."
"How long have you been holding it in?" Dou-Lon asked seriously.
"... You're… you're not going to tease me on it?" Aksel asked in surprise.
"Of course not. It might have been a while since I last fell for someone. But I can tell yours is genuine… not to mention, I've lost good friends in the past too." Dou-Lon admitted sadly. "I won't tease you for wanting to improve because of that."
"... I've been holding it in since the moment I processed their deaths. And I learned the true meaning of love for your fellow man. Something Bakta had long before I did."
Aksel looked down at his plate. Dou-Lon did too. It seemed the conversation had gone in a direction neither of them had expected.
It was quiet for a moment longer. And then, Aksel spoke up again. "Can you tell me about them? The friends you lost long ago?"
Dou-Lon was surprised by the question. But then, he didn't even think about it for very long. He simply smiled. "Sure. Their names were Po and Han."
The next hour passed in conversation between the two men.
Dou-Lon started by telling stories about his friends. How they met in his village. How they grew up playing together. How they leveled and grew with one another.
"One time Han dared me to stick my hand in a Scorpion's nest and not get hurt. And I did so for a minute without getting the slightest sting. He couldn't believe it and tried to do the same thing, only to get stung at least a dozen times before he finally pulled his hand out." Dou-Lon laughed at the memory.
"How did you manage to do that?" Aksel asked as he laughed while picturing it in his mind.
"I had taken in my friend Chen at that point. She was very interested in monsters and I remembered her telling me what to do so the scorpions wouldn't look at me as an enemy." Dou-Lon answered. "So I did that and it worked."
"That sounds oddly vague," Aksel replied skeptically.
The hakuko grinned. "It's been a while since that time. My memory isn't that perfect."
The two laughed again, and then Dou-Lon continued with stories of his close friends. And Aksel shared stories of his friends from the village in turn. In many ways, it reflected Dou-Lon in how he grew up with his friends. However, there was also the addition of the boyhood crushes Aksel had had as well as the times they'd gone swimming in the ocean looking for sunk treasure.
It was a while. But eventually, Aksel asked the question they seemed to be avoiding.
"How did they die?"
…
"... we were in Melromarc searching for the Shield Hero… …" Dou-Lon considered his next words for a moment. "... we were stupid and got captured. And… a nun from the Three Heroes Church beheaded the two of them before my eyes.
"I'd been severely wounded and could do nothing as I watched it happen. I thought she would kill me next, but she left me there to die… with their bodies still lying before me, discarded like trash for the vultures in the sky…
"I was thankful when I later learned that Chen managed to escape back to Siltvelt, but…"
"..." Aksel didn't smile. His expression upon hearing that was hard to read.
"How about you?" Dou-Lon asked.
"I was in the Capital when the Wave struck my friend's village. I was still in training then so I didn't get to go out with the other knights from the Church.
"But… I learned what they'd done when they came back. And, well… every now and then, I'll go to the Memorial in our village, and run my hand along their names. Wondering if any of them are still out there somewhere…"
Aksel, though his face was down for a moment, smiled once more. "Maya went with me the last time I did it before the Spirit Tortoise attacked. Back when we were still friends. She'd gathered a bouquet of flowers for them and set it in front of the large stone… … …"
The knight shook in his seat. He wiped a tear from his eye as he looked back at the thoughtful hakuko again. "We're really in over our heads, huh? Being here in another world trying to bring an omnicidal maniac to justice."
"A little bit, yes." Dou-Lon chuckled. "But I think we're all growing in ways we wouldn't have otherwise."
"Heh, yeah. If it wasn't for us coming here. I don't think me and Maya would have been as close as we are now, and I possibly wouldn't have learned how much I care about her and…"
…
Aksel eventually stood up. "I should go back to her. Make sure she's doing ok."
"You're not tricking me with something that'll lead to you pulling my tail?" Dou-Lon asked.
"Nah, not tonight. We talked about some serious things today. And, well, I definitely got to interact with you a bit more this time compared to before." Aksel smirked. "Next time though, I'll see what I can do."
"I will not hesitate to cut your hand off if there is a next time," Dou-Lon replied blandly.
"Alright, whatever. Good night, Dou-Lon. Thanks for the talk."
"Good night, Aksel."
The knight left the room, leaving the hakuko alone at the table.
…
…
Dou-Lon pondered Aksel's words for a while. The knight truly did care for those around him, especially Maya. And he was growing because of it…
Dou-Lon then thought of his old friends. His face became downcast as he realized how long it'd been since he thought about them.
He wondered if they'd been given proper burials. If the woman who'd rescued him had buried his friends at the base of that tree, and…
Eclair came to his mind. She stood smiling, sword in hand next to the silhouettes of his dead friends.
A feeling coursed through Dou-Lon as his vision turned red. 'No… I'll never let the same thing happen to her. Not ever… … …'
The hakuko frowned. Where had that thought come from? If there was anybody that needed protection the least, it was her. For all of her crippling insecurity and worries about her inability to inflict heavy damage, she fought Sir Ren to a standstill. And that was while he was in the third stage of his cursed form.
Dou-Lon continued to frown as he felt troubled by his thoughts again. His mind was being unruly, and the simple exercises he used when he wasn't meditating to rein them in weren't working right now.
Was Eclair doing alright? Was she taking her training seriously? Was she okay from the problems sneaking up on the village and-
Dou-Lon slapped himself. What the hell was wrong with him?! He shouldn't have been this concerned about the crazy swordswoman! It was ludicrous!
It was only then that he finally realized how he'd been skipping on his meditation as of late. Maybe that was the reason his mind was being like this. Had he really been that focused on his training?
Looking outside, Dou-Lon then saw just how late it'd gotten. There were probably only a few more hours till sunrise at best.
Turning off the light in the kitchen, the hakuko went back to his room to roll out his meditation mat and begin a meditation session to try and find out why his mind was so troubled by thoughts of the rose-haired knight as of late.
Unfortunately, to his frustration, thoughts of the rose-haired knight wouldn't leave Dou-Lon's mind. And he wouldn't come any closer to figuring out why, as he'd fall asleep in the middle of his meditation. And his dreams that night would be centered around Eclair.
He couldn't figure out why for a long while yet.
"Master Dai-kun. This just came in for you."
"Oh? What's this? A letter?"
"Yes, it's from the King. It appears that you've been invited to some conference."
"So it seems… it looks like the "Hunting Tools" hero is running it. The rumors are true then, she is back. The same girl that defeated the dragon, huh?
"Ha ha ha! I think I'd like to meet her. Then I could possibly challenge her and maybe even bed her!"
"Dai-kun, please don't say such things out loud."
"What? She is the warrior that defeated the demon dragon and carries the title of "hunting hero". She has to be the tall Amazon warrior type! There's nothing more attractive than that!"
"I don't like it when you use terms that I'm unfamiliar with."
"I feel like burying his head into the floor again.
"Ha ha ha! Don't speak nonsense, Medina, Vel.
"Come on, let's get to the castle already! I can't wait to meet her!"
"Hoshi, it's for you."
"Is it a letter from my publisher? If it's about the delay on my next manga, please tell him that I'm trying my best-"
"No, it's a letter from the King. It seems he's having a Conference and he wants you to be there."
"... eh? Um… didn't I ask him to leave me alone?"
"It says that the Hunting Tools Hero will be there. Perhaps that is the reason why the King is inviting you, despite your wishes."
"You mean the girl that defeated the dragon? Eugh... I really don't think I should…"
"Come on, you've hardly left this place in the last few months Hoshi. Perhaps you'd overcome your writer's block if you actually go out and do something."
"You don't have to put it so harshly, you know!"
…
"Fine, I'll go, Kuro. But I want to do it before we go!"
"Don't be gross Master Hoshi."
"Come on, pretty please?"
"No."
"Come on, I know that you love it."
"I am going back to the customers, Sir Hoshi."
"Ah! Kuro-chan, please wait!"
"Miss Akane?"
"What is it Lilia? Can't you see I'm busy with my latest masterpiece?"
"Ah, my deepest apologies ma'am, but… his Majesty wanted to make sure that you receiv-"
"Yes, yes, the International Conference. Of course, I'm invited. I know all about it already. I'm not as cut off from news as those two hikikomori. You can tell 'Corrin' that I'll be there."
"Oh, very well… thank you for your time, Miss Akane."
…
…
'To think that the missing Hunting Tools Hero that killed the dragon and easily defeated the Wave here is back… Just what does she want…? What's her angle…? Is she making a big comeback?'
'That would mean that I'd no longer be the only female Cardinal Hero. I have to make sure she isn't prettier than me. If she is, then...'
...
'Well, we shall see.'
Hero Clips!
Filo's First Attempt At Cooking by Herself
'Hmmm…'
Filo looked over all the ingredients on the counter before her. It was their second night in the castle, but Mommy and Daddy were off doing something else. So it was up to Filo to make dinner for her family.
"Let's see, what should Filo make? Hmmm…"
She tried to picture all the meals Daddy had made for her in the past. They were hard to recall though since she ate them so quickly. Daddy made it look so easy...
"Rafu! Rafu!" Raph-Chan jumped up and down next to her excitedly. She was wearing a chef's hat on her head.
"You're right Sis! Maybe if we just get started, then we'll be able to make food as good as Daddy's!" Filo exclaimed excitedly.
"Rafu!"
"Alright! Let's get cooking!" Filo proudly tied the apron poorly to herself sideways, and then she and Raph-Chan began throwing everything in front of her into a pot on the stove.
Half an hour later, Naofumi was standing outside next to Filo, watching as L'Arc's castle burned in the light of the evening sun.
"Honey, next time, wait for me to be there in case you need help." Naofumi deadpanned.
"Oops, hehe." Filo giggled nervously.
"Rafu!" Naofumi should have been more annoyed, but Raph-Chan in a chef's hat was absolutely adorable. So he couldn't get too angry… at least, not until a certain redhead showed up.
"See! I told you this was perfectly normal for newbies to do!" L'Arc yelled victoriously.
"Are you seriously throwing your castle under the bus just to appease your ego?" Naofumi asked incredulously.
"Yes! Absolutely!"
"Also… what's a bus?" L'Arc asked confusedly.
…
Naofumi groaned as he facepalmed at the redhead's stupidity.
Meanwhile, Filo was taking notes alongside Raph-Chan about what they'd done wrong.
"Next time, don't turn... the heat... too high..."
"Rafu! Rafu!"
"And... no...using… wind magic...to put... it...out…"
And that was how Filo's first attempt at cooking went.
Perhaps there was more than one reason as to why they'd moved into Kizuna's home…
Till Next Time
Allen
Chapter Text
- ENTRY #2 -
Because of my upbringing, I focused ████████████ on learning.
Economics. ████████████ The sciences. Everything and ████████████ I could get my hands on that'd ████████████.
I didn't ████████████ on History, as History is the ████████████ repeating the same mistakes ████████████ the time one ape slapped another. Nor did I ████████████ like cooking, since they were irrelevant to ████████████. Even if I was forced to learn those skills later in life.
I didn't talk to ████████████, nor did I interact with them after ████████████. I was fine with that. On some level, I think they were fine with it too, since none of them ever tried to ████████████.
Not that I would have allowed them.
By this point, ████████████ had hammered into me that to ████████████ would be a waste of my time and talents. While they were ████████████ unaffectionate, my efforts were rewarded as they got me into the top ████████████. There, I was able to foster my growing talents and intellectual prowess with all ████████████ who were experts in their fields.
I didn't waste time with ████████████ or the ████████████ peers got into. I couldn't. I was ████████████, and not a second could be wasted ████████████.
My efforts throughout ████████████ eventually landed me into ████████████ Where I eventually ████████████ with a degree ████████████ and then another ████████████ after another year.
I was the top of my class. Truly, I was smarter than ████████████ who were amazed that I wasn't the one ████████████. It was all perfect. For once, everything in my life was looking up.
The day of the International Conference arrived.
Kizuna shuffled uncomfortably in the new outfit she was wearing. Instead of her usual frilly dress and cloak, she was now clad in a wave-patterned indigo kimono with sleeves that went all the way down to her wrists. She was also walking on tough wood sandals just like Glass.
It definitely looked out of place on her, and she didn't like it at all. "Ugh, why do I have to wear this Glassy?"
"You are a Cardinal Hero representing Sickle. It would be informal if you didn't dress the part when meeting the other nations. Especially so, since you will be leading it.
"Not to mention, this is your first public appearance in years and-" Glass kept on talking. She was also wearing her usual kimono outfit.
Kizuna pouted and interrupted her. "Okay, okay, I get it. But still, how do you find this comfortable?"
"You get used to it." Glass shrugged. She then kept on going with her earlier speech.
The pair were walking through the town towards the Dragon Hourglass building.
Chris was with the group, resting on Glass's head while one of his flippers played with the spirit woman's hair.
Glass's hand moved up to rub her and Kizuna's son on the head. Chris's face shone with happiness in response. "Pen!"
The spirit woman smiled. She was, fortunately, not wearing any cuffs since Kizuna had promised not to run off or do something equally stupid.
Kizuna was still pouting though. People in the town paused to look at them, mostly in amusement when Glass had finished giving her logical argument. "I'd feel a lot better wearing the haori you made for me!"
"I… I appreciate the thought, Kizuna." Glass flushed in embarrassment. "But it really was beat up from all those years in that Labyrinth. This was as good a time as any to have Romina fix it up."
"It isn't beat up! It's lived in!" Kizuna retorted.
…
Kizuna crossed her arms on her nonexistent chest and continued to pout at Glass's blank stare. "I'd still feel better if I had it."
The last member of their group, Itsuki, spoke up then, sounding just a little bit nervous. "Is this really that big of a deal? I haven't been able to wear my usual attire for a while and you don't hear me complaining.
"Besides, shouldn't you be more worried about how you're going to address all the various country's representatives?"
Itsuki was dressed in the same Kyudo outfit he'd gotten before they went to rescue Glass and the others from Katana. He really didn't mind having to part with his old armor for now. In fact, he was wondering if he'd somehow be able to get this outfit replicated in his world so he could wear it there. It was way more comfortable than what he'd worn before.
Thoughts for after they beat Kyo, he supposed.
"I already have a speech prepared just for that." Kizuna waved her hand dismissively. "But this?" She gestured down at her body.
"I mean, wearing a kimono just really shows how short I am!" Kizuna whined back to the Bow Hero. "How am I supposed to look threatening and intimidating like this?!"
"Glass was able to pull that off pretty damn well when we first met," Itsuki commented to himself, only to then grimace at what he'd said.
Glass's face fell a bit at remembering that particular event. Kizuna's playful facade fell briefly to look up at her best friend in worry before squeezing her hand.
Glass looked down at Kizuna with a grateful smile before thinking of something to say to take her mind off the past. "That one soldier we took from Katana called me the Ruby-eyed demon. So Itsuki is not entirely wrong."
"No way, you're not a demon! You're more like a cuddly bunny rabbit!" Kizuna pulled on Glass's cheeks while laughing.
Glass blushed tenfold as some of the townspeople who were around to witness the sight laughed. The spirit woman tried in vain to fight her best friend off.
Itsuki coughed into his fist. Damn, there he'd gone running his big mouth again. Was he ever going to stop doing that? "By the way, regarding the whole "height" thing. You really ought to be more aware of who you're with when complaining about things like that." Just like how he needed to be more aware of who he was with when making certain comments of his own.
Itsuki could almost smell the hypocrisy coming off of himself.
"What do you-" Kizuna stopped playing with her best friend to look at Itsuki, only to freeze up.
The Bow Hero was just a smidge taller than her. He was actually the shortest of the Cardinal Heroes in his world, even though he wasn't the youngest.
That title went to Ren.
Kizuna chuckled nervously. "Oh, right, we both suffer from the same curse, don't we? Heh Heh."
"Let's just get on with our task. We have a long day ahead of us." Itsuki sighed.
"Yes, let's." Glass agreed. She'd rather they got there before Kizuna felt tempted to pull on her cheeks in public again.
Itsuki still might have been a little sensitive about being the youngest-looking of the Heroes in his world. And while it might have been a little selfish, he hoped it was the same for Kizuna so at least one person would be able to share his pain.
He still couldn't believe that Naofumi had asked him to go with Kizuna in his place as they'd initially planned. But Naofumi was still trying to get a hang of life force before they had to face Kyo. Just in case the bastard had developed defense piercing or defense rating attacks in the time since they'd last met. Over the last few days, he'd only gotten to the point where he could redirect such attacks reliably a fifth of the time.
Then there was that trick with his Blessed Series that he was also trying to figure out…
Well, regardless, Kizuna also needed a Cardinal Hero from their world to represent it when she gave Sickle's long-term plans during the meeting. And while that part could be postponed for later, Naofumi had a bad gut feeling about this Conference, due to his experiences with Siltvelt. So the Shield Hero wanted someone reliable to keep an eye on his younger sister besides her own friends. So that was another reason Itsuki was going along.
"By the way, Itsuki, did you unlock anything useful from the White Tiger Clones we faced in Label?" Glass suddenly asked. "Considering how they were artificially created monsters, I expected to get something unique. But neither me, L'Arc, or Kizuna got anything unusual from them."
"I got some weapons, yes. They're not really all that special though." Itsuki grimaced. It was likely because they were clones of the original and the materials they dropped were, likewise, scaled down in quality.
That was something else L'Arc had actually done for them. It'd been a while since the defeat of their world's Guardian Beasts, so it was actually pretty hard to find materials from them in their world, including Byakko, the beast the White Tiger Clones were based on. The Scythe Hero had opened the storehouse to Romina though, and he and the Council of Ministers were trying to find out if they could possibly acquire any more Guardian Beast materials from anywhere else in the world for Naofumi, Itsuki, and Raphtalia to absorb and get some more powerful weapon forms.
At least the Bow Hero had gotten a good bow from the last Wave Boss they'd faced, he had it equipped right now. It was called the Demon Elephant Bow.
It was big and gray, with a target on the front similar to the symbol that'd been on the beast's head. It was better than anything he'd gotten from the Wave Bosses in his world. While it didn't have a skill, it did have a special effect that would change the arrows he fired from that weapon form into elephant tusks that had an increased chance of landing a critical hit and doing more damage to a target.
Very handy.
"So are you sure that you're okay with being separated from Squishy for today?" Kizuna then asked with a snicker, seeing how Glass's attempt at conversation had panned out.
Itsuki was about to ask, then remembered that Kizuna used that nickname for Rishia for some weird reason.
He frowned. "No, it's alright. Rishia can take care of herself. She doesn't need me to keep an eye on her anymore."
…
"Oh… well alright then." Kizuna promptly backpedaled at the weird tone that Itsuki replied in.
"To be honest, I'm more concerned about how sparse our security measures are." Itsuki continued without missing a beat. "I'm confident in my abilities and I've experienced what Glass can do firsthand, but still…"
"I would normally agree with you wholeheartedly on matters like this," Glass replied. "I would drag everyone out for this including Ethnobalt and a small army of Sickle's finest soldiers to escort Kizuna. But it is better that we don't take too much of our fighting strength away for this Conference. It could make us be seen as a threat. Or worse, it could leave Sickle open to attack.
"Many people who will be there already know how strong I am, and Naofumi should be well known for his accomplishments in breaking Kizuna out of Mikikage and assisting the Katana Hero in defeating-"
A breeze blew down the street, covering over the name Glass uttered, much to Itsuki and Kizuna's confusion, but Glass continued on as if nothing had happened. "- in Label. That leaves you as an outlier. An extra bodyguard for Kizuna while we're in Lapis. Our potential enemies will look at me as the main threat, without realizing that it's you who is the person that they should be watching out for since you are stronger."
"..." Itsuki paused in his walk, causing the other two to look back at him. "I'm… I'm stronger than you?" Itsuki asked incredulously.
Glass smiled. "You, Naofumi, and Ren beat me soundly at the Cal Mira Wave. And you've only grown stronger since then. And, unlike me, you don't tire quickly. If a fight broke out while we were there, I'd be relying on you to carve a way out of it for Kizuna."
"And… to tell the truth, I feel better having you come along instead of Naofumi." Glass paused in her speech to find the right words. But fortunately, they came rather quickly. "Unlike Naofumi, you have the eyes of a killer."
…
Itsuki remained silent while Kizuna openly cringed. "Glass, that's a little…"
"No, Kizuna. I am not trying to offend or stir up trouble by saying this." The spirit woman continued. "It's just an observation of mine. I can tell because my hands are tainted with blood and sin as well. I won't ask or judge. But in a twisted way, I feel more confident and relieved to have Itsuki protecting you, Kizuna.
"Unlike Naofumi, Itsuki won't hesitate to do what's necessary at any given moment for the sake of the mission.
"Had it been Itsuki taking the shot at the Spirit Tortoise's core instead of Naofumi back in their world, we wouldn't have had to hold Kyo down for so long. The Shield Hero's hesitation to kill nearly cost us our lives."
"... I still disagree with such rhetoric," Kizuna replied sourly. "If it comes down to it, I'd rather surrender than pay for my safety with innocent lives."
Itsuki had begun to smile a little at the Spirit Woman's words though. It was kind of nice, having a kindred spirit who understood what he'd gone through…
Heh, kindred spirit. He almost said so out loud but decided against that dumb pun. That was more Naofumi's line of work anyway.
However, he did disagree with Glass about Ost. Had he been the one taking the shot instead of Naofumi…
Would he have hesitated, actually? He remembered he'd helped with Kyo because he didn't think he'd have the firepower to break the barriers and destroy the core. But what if he had the firepower then…?
Well, whatever the case, he'd seriously rather a fight didn't break out. Itsuki didn't want Naofumi's bad premonitions to come true. Again.
"Anyway, enough of that nonsense. I won't be in near as much danger as you might think while we're in Lapis." Kizuna shook her head. "I saved the current Emperor's life during the war against the Demon Dragon. And L'Arc and I assisted him in becoming popular enough to be elected by the people. He'll make sure the security details at the conference are top-notch."
"If anything, I'm more worried about our witness friend. I really hope Ethnobalt was able to deliver him here safely."
"He was. I checked with Ethnobalt yesterday evening while he was studying with Rishia." Itsuki said.
"Good. Oh, and Glass forgot to say it, but we need you to come along since you know how to use the crystal ball from your world." Kizuna said.
"Well, that was obvious," Glass muttered.
"Still can't believe your world has video cameras. Why can't we have them too?" Kizuna mumbled to herself.
Right. They weren't just having this Conference to garner military support against Kyo or to establish that Kizuna was allying with Heroes from another world. They first needed to clear the misplaced blame on Sickle for murdering the past Katana Hero and then the rest could follow.
Hopefully.
Itsuki didn't know what the political environment was like in this world. He hoped that it was at least somewhat better than what they'd been dealing with in theirs.
Itsuki remained silent, thinking to himself about how he could possibly help here. He felt a bit better after helping Ethnobalt. He'd felt like he was stagnating before that, but maybe if he could continue building on that success…
They finally reached the Hourglass building. L'Arc was there waiting for them, as well as Therese, Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Rishia.
"Are Dou-Lon, Maya, and Aksel not here to see us off?" Kizuna asked curiously.
"Dou-Lon is back to training again," Naofumi answered. "As for those two, who knows."
"To be honest, I'd rather not know what those two are doing right now." Itsuki rolled his eyes.
Rishia weakly fuehed in agreement.
Little did they know that Aksel had fallen asleep in his chair next to Maya's bed after taking care of her all night. The raccoon girl was holding his hand and smiling while watching her knight sleep.
It was nothing but wholesome and the people there should have been ashamed of themselves for assuming they'd be doing something lewd at that moment.
Though, in their defense, they had very good reasons to back up why they would have expected that to be the case, based on the last couple of weeks.
"Erm…" L'Arc walked up and rested a hand on Kizuna's shoulder. "I doubt I need to tell you this, but be careful over there, okay?"
"Yeah yeah. I won't be participating in any fighting. And if things go from worse to worst, I guess Itsuki can teleport us back here immediately." Kizuna rolled her eyes. "Why do they have the awesome portal skills? We wouldn't have near as much trouble if we could use those kinds of skills too."
"Heheh. Yeah, I feel ya…Thanks for agreeing to escort my little sister, Bow Ki-… Itsuki." L'Arc struggled to not say his nickname for the young boy.
Itsuki sighed as he turned away. Better he didn't acknowledge the Scythe Hero, as any further conversation with the Scythe King would just get that stupid nickname out in the air again and again.
Glass talked with Naofumi and Raphtalia briefly, double-checking that she had plenty of Soul Healing Waters in her fans in case a fight broke out. Rishia and Itsuki began to say a long awkward goodbye to each other while Ethnobalt stood nearby listening in with a smile on his face.
It was now or never for the redhead to talk to Kizuna in private.
"Hey, lil' sis, I'm really sorry that I haven't been able to spend any time with you these past few days," L'Arc said sadly. "You know that I'd like nothing more than to catch up with a fishing trip."
"You mean you wouldn't get bored out of your mind like last time, Big Bro?" Kizuna asked with a twinkle in her eyes.
L'Arc smirked, and he rubbed a hand through her hair in response. "I actually did take to fishing somewhat after your disappearance, thank you very much."
"Hey, don't mess up my ponytails!" Kizuna complained.
"Alright, alright…" L'Arc bent down and hugged Kizuna close. Kizuna smiled as she hugged the Scythe King back.
She thought it would have been the end of their goodbye right there, but L'Arc leaned his head forward a little to speak into her ear in an oddly serious tone.
"I spoke with Kenshiro's ghost during the recent celebration. He wanted me to tell you a few things." L'Arc began.
Kizuna's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but she quickly regained her composure and kept on listening while L'Arc continued speaking. "First off, he said that you aren't a greenhorn anymore. He recognizes you as a true hero and you have his respect."
Kizuna's eyes widened even further, and L'Arc smiled before he frowned. "As for the other thing… he wants you to try and get the other three Cardinal Heroes back into fighting shape."
"Sheesh, leave it to him to give out a crumb of praise before following it up with an impossible task." Kizuna frowned. "From what I've heard, they don't sound like the most responsible bunch."
"Yeah, personally, I think it's a lost cause and I don't really have any hope for getting them to help us either. However, you're going to Lapis, and that's where those three have been staying these past couple of years. So, if you somehow end up meeting them and have the chance to speak with them in private… Kenshiro said to ask them why it is that they have to keep on living instead of asking them why they're not fighting."
"Why they have to keep on living?" Itsuki suddenly butted in.
The two almost fell back in surprise at the Bow Hero's intrusion. It appeared that he'd already finished saying goodbye to Rishia, who was standing off to the side with a small smile on her face. Itsuki had gathered the courage to give her a goodbye hug, and that seemed to have made her really happy.
"Oh, sorry. Was it something private?" Itsuki asked awkwardly.
"Really, Bow Kiddo? I'm trying to have a heart-to-heart with my little sis and you feel the need to barge in on us?" L'Arc clicked his tongue in annoyance as a large smirk appeared on his face.
Itsuki scowled at the nickname, and he subsequently turned and walked over to Glass.
L'Arc smiled at Kizuna again. "Anyway, Ken said that there's some deeper reason for why they're refusing to participate in the fights against the Waves, but he didn't have the time to elaborate before he passed on. I'm still not sure what it might be, even though I've thought about it these last few hellish days. But… if you can get them on our side while you're over there somehow…"
"Don't worry, I'll definitely try," Kizuna said happily. "After all, who can possibly resist this smile?" She made a cute pose as a happy smile spread across her face.
L'Arc laughed and hugged Kizuna again. "Thanks for not thinking that I'm crazy for telling you about this."
"No worries. I already thought you were crazy when we first met." Kizuna grinned as L'Arc pouted at her words. "But I've known you long enough to tell when you're being serious. If you really saw Kenshiro's ghost, I won't ask you how. I'll just accept it and do what I can to follow your orders."
"... You've really grown up, you know," L'Arc remarked.
"Not too much though." Kizuna winked.
L'Arc smiled as he hugged her again. He'd been worrying for a while that Naofumi had taken Kizuna's favorite bro spot from him. But perhaps he'd been mistaken.
"I'll see you soon, big bro. And you better be ready, because after all this is over, we're definitely going on another fishing trip!" Kizuna separated from L'Arc happily, and then she ran off and gave Naofumi and Raphtalia hugs as well.
"Just you wait! My fishing skills will leave you crying!" L'Arc yelled after her.
Kizuna stuck her tongue out at him, and Naofumi rolled his eyes while Raphtalia giggled at his side.
"Are we ready to go now?" Glass asked.
"Yep, I'm all set! See you later, everyone!" Kizuna waved to the group as she put her hand on the Hourglass. Itsuki waved to Rishia as he flashed her a confident smile.
The poor girl nearly melted on the spot.
"See you later!"
"Bye!"
"Have a safe trip!"
"Just go already. We don't have all day."
Kizuna stuck her tongue out at Naofumi, who smirked back at her. Favorite bro his &^%.
Naofumi had L'Arc beat by a mile.
"Return Dragon Vein!"
A golden glow surrounded Kizuna, Glass, and Itsuki. And then, a moment later, they disappeared from the Dragon Hourglass building and traveled across the world.
Itsuki hadn't known what to expect when they arrived. Maybe an ornate building like Label. Or the grand building like what was in Sickle. Or even the office building Naofumi had described being in Mikikage. Maybe a Church like in Melromarc. Or a cool underwater temple. Or something.
Where they arrived in Lapis was…
Underwhelming.
There weren't any guards to meet them. No cool tapestries or anything on the walls. Just a single lone man standing in front of the Hourglass.
"Ah, you're finally here." It was a small, dimly lit room in which the walls were made of stone. It almost reminded the Bow Hero of the room he and the others had been summoned to. With one major difference, he was quick to stumble upon.
This wasn't a room. This was a cave.
That was why it was so dimly lit. The only light was coming from the Dragon Hourglass glowing behind them as it counted down towards the arrival of the next Wave in the area.
Itsuki was beyond confused, and he began to open his mouth to ask if they'd gone to the right spot or not, but then Kizuna rushed up to the figure with a wide smile on her face. "Corrin! It's so great to see you again!"
The man smiled in return and accepted it as the Hunting Tools Hero tackled him with a vicious bear hug. "I already saw you at our last Wave. Did you miss me that much?"
"Of course! All my friends are important to me and I hate it when I'm apart from them!" Kizuna laughed in response.
"Ah, you must hate life a lot then, seeing how many friends you have all over the world." Corrin laughed along with Kizuna, and having a feeling that this person was probably someone important, Itsuki took note of his features.
Corrin had light grey shoulder-length hair, as well as piercing brown-red eyes. His hair was messy in a stylistic way. The armor he wore was a bit fancy, with greaves running down his arms all the way to the gloves on his hands. A blue robe flowed out behind him, finishing off the honestly pretty cool look.
Itsuki guessed he must have been an officer in Lapis's army. Or perhaps a member of the local nobility? He certainly looked more important than the average soldier. But he hardly looked to be older than L'Arc.
Kizuna suddenly let Corrin go and pouted. "You know, I still haven't forgiven you for that comment you made before!"
"What? Is it not true that you've hardly grown an inch since the last time we met?" The man smirked.
"You could have been a bit more gentle about it at least!" Kizuna screeched.
The pair laughed as they messed around. Itsuki wondered how much longer this would go on when Glass spoke up next to him.
"Your Majesty. Pardon the interruption, but should we not get going?"
Wait… YOUR MAJESTY!?
This was the Emperor of Lapis!?
"Please, just Corrin is fine here. At least, until we get to the castle. Goodness, you'd think I'd be used to that title by now." Corrin turned to the exit. His blue robe flowed with him as he moved. His hair parted on his forehead, revealing a light grey gemstone embedded in it.
Itsuki was still reeling from the discovery. And it was only thanks to Chris touching his leg with a flipper that Itsuki began to walk alongside the shikigami.
"You have done well for your country, Emperor Corrin. I would be doing you a dishonor to not refer to you by your title," Glass responded formally.
"Eh, don't mind Glassy, Corrin. You know she's always been uptight on formalities even though I've tried so hard to break her of that habit." Kizuna grinned mischievously.
"Hey, I do not refer to you by title anymore at the very least!" Glass replied angrily.
"Yes, that would also explain your change in attire." Corrin returned the younger girl's grin. "I take it she had to force you into that?"
"Yep! The whole thing! What I'd give to be out of this and-"
Kizuna stopped talking as she suddenly felt someone's hands get put on her shoulders threateningly. The girl swallowed hard in response, now painfully aware of what felt like the God of Death looming over her tiny form, with its ruby eyes glowing within the dark cloud looming above her.
"A-Anyway, is Hinoka here too?!" The Hunting Hero asked frantically.
"O-Of course! She's waiting for us at the ship! You know her, she's always been the better pilot! Hahahaha!" Corrin responded quickly, feeling a trail of sweat going down the back of his neck.
Itsuki trembled a little bit even though he wasn't in the line of fire.
He didn't care what anybody else said. Glass was definitely the scariest person he'd ever met.
Unless you counted how terrifying Naofumi's plans usually were. He might have her beat then.
"Yay! I'll get to see Hinoka too!" Kizuna said gleefully.
"Pen!"
As the group walked away from the hourglass, Glass's demeanor returned back to its calmer state. But she was still following the Hunting Tools Hero like a shadow, forcing Kizuna and the Emperor to talk to each other in hushed voices. Itsuki would have tried talking to Chris… if Chris could talk.
Itsuki instead returned to his thoughts on where they were. And wondered why Lapis's hourglass was in a bland boring cave.
There were no statues. No guards. No portraits. Nothing. The walls and floor weren't even carved. Only the ceiling had been touched, and it looked like it was to clear it of stalactites.
It made no sense. Everywhere in his world, minus the Underwater Temple, the Hourglass was normally in the middle of the city in an elaborate building of some kind. And while the hourglasses served an essential purpose counting down to the Waves, they were even more essential in this world since people could use them to get drop items, register for Waves, or, thanks to Trash's recent invention, teleport from Hourglass to Hourglass.
So, why was it in the middle of some stupid cave?!
...
It took almost a minute. But they eventually came out onto a small hillside in the middle of a tiny island.
A red-haired woman was waiting for them. Standing on the deck of a ship similar to the Invincible.
However, unlike it, it had rows of gemstones lined all along its hull. The ones underneath glowed a faint blue while the ones on the sides were green.
The ship was also floating in the air and not sitting in the water. It was a short walk away from the cave's entrance. Looking around, there was no city or anything. Meaning the Hourglass was in the middle of nowhere.
"It's about time. I was beginning to think that we'd have to wait here forever." The woman said sarcastically, but she had a happy smile on her face regardless. "Welcome back, Hunting Tools Hero."
"Hahahaha, I'm sorry I didn't get to spend much time with you two last time." Kizuna laughed happily.
"You know how it is. Having to lead a country while also taking care of a baby." The woman rolled her eyes. "I'm surprised I haven't gotten a call from one of the nannies pleading for help with Kana."
"Don't worry, we'll have the whole ride to the castle to catch up." Corrin laid a hand on her shoulder as he smiled at his wife.
Hinoka had armored greaves on her shoulders and a naginata sheathed on her back. But otherwise, her state of dress was tamer compared to Corrin's. With a red vest over a white shirt, boots that went up to her thighs, and white sleeves that only covered her forearms, leaving her muscled upper arms exposed.
Her hair and eyes were red. And the short locks in the front briefly parted, revealing a red gemstone embedded in her forehead. She looked like a warrior, just like her husband.
It was hard to imagine that they were actually the rulers of a country. Itsuki was still trying to wrap his mind around that.
It was probably then that Itsuki noticed the island they were on was located in the middle of a large lake. And in the distance, there was a far larger island with a bridge connecting it to the mainland.
"Is… is that where we're going?" Itsuki asked Glass, as Kizuna was already talking to Corrin while Hinoka took over at the helm.
"Yes. I suggest you get a good look while we fly over it. Lazuli is considered to be one of our world's greatest wonders and seeing it from above is a rare and breathtaking experience." Glass suggested as she moved to the side of the boat, giving Kizuna time to catch up with two of her friends. Chris moved to stand beside her.
Itsuki nodded, deciding to take the advice, and kept his eyes on the horizon while Hinoka brought the ship up into the sky. Laughing as the wind blew against her face. "Now this is much better!"
It took a few minutes to cross over the massive lake. Itsuki kept on rubbing his eyes as he thought that the sun's glare was reflecting off the crystal-blue water of the lake, preventing him from seeing the city that they were flying to.
But that wasn't the case. It was the white city wall gleaming with the refracted sunlight of thousands upon thousands of different color gemstones blocking his view.
The Bow Hero's mouth hung open as he finally realized that.
"That's Lazuli's famous gem wall. It has been built and upgraded for millennia by countless generations of gem people. Not even the Demon Dragon's forces at the height of their power were able to get past it." Glass explained beside Itsuki. There was a hint of awe in her voice.
"It's said the Demon Dragon itself tried to personally breach it only to fail."
"Pen!" Chris gestured in agreement.
"Haha. That's a huge exaggeration." Corrin laughed from where he stood by Kizuna. The two had paused in their conversation to look at the approaching city. "The gem wall is powerful but it's still only a wall. Had the Demon Dragon really come for us personally, I'm certain that his cursed breath would have destroyed it-"
The king suddenly did a double take on the Bow Hero. "Oh, that's right! I haven't introduced myself yet! I apologize, it's easy to get carried away when around Kizuna and her boundless energy. My name is Corrin and this beautiful woman is my wife, Hinoka."
"Yo!" The redhead waved her hand behind her without turning away from the wheel.
"As you already figured out, we are the rulers of Lapis." The Diamond Gem leader continued. "And I assume that you are one of the two heroes from another world that Kizuna spoke of? The bow one, yes?"
"That's correct, Your Majesty. My name is Itsuki, it's a pleasure to meet you." The Bow Hero decided to go for a more casual greeting. After reading the atmosphere, it was apparent that proper etiquette could be skipped, at least for now.
"Kizuna sang many praises of you and your friends." The king smiled without missing a beat, Itsuki's hunch was right. "I have high hopes for this alliance that she told me about. It sounds quite fantastic, but I have grown to know that the world we live in is quite fantastic in and of itself. So, it's not as outlandish of a story as one might think at first. And Kizuna has never failed us before, so I shall follow her discretion and welcome you with open arms as well."
"Thank you. Your open-mindedness is appreciated, Your Majesty." Itsuki made a short bow before speaking again. "Back at the topic at hand, however, this 'gem wall', does it act as some sort of magic barrier?"
"Yes, among other things. If you're determined to be a threat, some of the gemstones will shift into attack mode, and… well, it wouldn't be pretty. Fire magic. Water magic. Thunder magic. You name it. It might not have stood against the Demon Dragon, but it did repel that Earth General of his. Almost killed the blasted creature too. Too bad it managed to escape with its forces." Corrin elaborated.
Itsuki began to pray that none of them would be considered a threat.
This place definitely didn't have to worry about dealing with Titans anytime soon, that's for sure.
Fortunately, they were allowed to fly over the wall and the city proper came into view.
And it was… beautiful.
It was weird to call a city beautiful. But Itsuki couldn't think of any other word he could use to describe it.
To explain, the capital of Lapis was located on a huge island in the center of an equally huge lake. Some parts of the great wall surrounding it reached even down into the water. And yet, that didn't stop the city from having several shipyards on the shoreline inside the wall. Some were built to house ships capable of flight like the one they were on, while others were able to enter and leave by water via the gates built into the walls.
The streets of the city were filled to the brim with countless people. With his eyes and his skill helping him out, Itsuki could see spirit people, wood elves, dwarves, and many other races. Carriages moved along the roads here and there, but there weren't many of them.
There were also these weird gem golems patrolling the streets. They were at least ten feet tall, and their outer stone layer flashed with the light of many gemstones embedded in their skin. Along with them the Bow Hero also spotted a few odd-looking cats on the street.
They reminded him of a certain Pokemon with a gem on its forehead.
And, of course, there were gem people.
Lots and lots of gem people.
"Lapis is considered to be the birthplace and homeland of the Gem People," Glass answered when Itsuki pointed that out. "And Lazuli is often considered the "Heart" of their race."
"A… Amazing." Itsuki looked down below again. The gems seemed to be a part of everything. Even the houses and shops that he could see.
Why couldn't their world have something like this? That was a bit unfair. No wonder the other Heroes had chosen to stay here. Just from above, Itsuki could spot enough wealth to make the greatest of treasure troves look like a poor man's mite.
With his birds-eye view, assisted by skills from his bow, he saw all kinds of shops and restaurants as they flew overhead. He could have sworn that he even saw a maid cafe on one street. There was a Greek Styled Gym in another part of the city too. The two stood out because of how different they looked compared to the other nearby buildings there.
Though Itsuki quickly lost interest in them as a glow on another street caught his attention.
The glow faded, revealing a crying newborn baby on the ground. A blue gem was embedded in its forehead, and it was stark naked, without so much as a blanket wrapped around it. As Itsuki stared down at it in surprise, he opened his mouth to shout for Hinoka to slow down and land the ship.
But then, a pair of golems patrolling the street below moved over to the crying baby. They picked it up with a gentleness that was surprising for their jewel-encrusted stone bodies. One settled the little one in a white blanket while the other began to glow.
The newborn quieted as if it was hearing a gentle lullaby.
The two golems then moved with the calm newborn to the main street, where the local people quickly parted. They all smiled as they gave way for the stone constructs. They carried the baby away, down the street and out of Itsuki's sight.
"What… what just happened down there?" Itsuki asked in confusion.
"Where?" Glass asked tensely, looking where Itsuki had been looking to see what potential threat he was talking about. She quickly relaxed when he explained what it was though. "Oh, that? Do not worry, that child will be fine. That is a normal thing that happens around here."
Itsuki's eyebrow arched up, but by that point, the ship was approaching another set of walls. These ones, however, surrounded a large castle built at the top of the city like an impregnable fortress.
It wasn't enough that the walls of the city proper were already built around the city in the center of a large freaking island. It wasn't enough that the Hourglass for the city was located offshore. These walls were lined with ballistae and cannons. And there were slots in the wall that could open to reveal more cannons or allow slots for archers and mages to attack from.
And, of course, it had plenty of gemstones that likely held the same function as those on the outer wall.
If the enemy somehow got over the first massive wall, if they got through the streets, the stone guardians, and fought their way up to this point, they'd still have to deal with yet another wall embedded with gemstones. As well as an array of heavy weaponry.
Plus, as Itsuki figured out when they flew over it, they'd have to deal with the fleet of airships parked on the ground next to some more armaments too.
They had a freaking airfield next to the castle.
That was so cool it wasn't even funny. Their world really needed to shape up.
Maybe Kizuna had a point when she said not to worry about danger here too much. It also explained why Glass was not nearly as paranoid about her safety as Itsuki thought she would be.
He thought that Label's, the Katana Country's capital looked impregnable when he first saw it, and it made sense, considering their militaristic nature.
But Lazuli? It completely blew it away in terms of security. And unlike that city, Lazuli still managed to keep a sense of wealth, culture, otherwordly beauty, and aesthetics, despite the sheer number of defensive measures it held.
Naofumi had definitely missed out by wanting to stay behind to train. If only Rishia could see this.
"Ah… that was nice," Hinoka commented contentedly as she landed the ship in an area where people were already standing to guide her ship in. Kind of like the guide persons Itsuki saw at the airport back in his world. "I really wish I had excuses like this to fly personally more often."
"Honey, you know we are only supposed to use these ships for major fights or when we need to outside of that. I only agreed to this because of how important Kizuna is." Corrin frowned. "Not even the other dignitaries got this kind of treatment."
"Yeah yeah, of course they're war machines and all that. It sure sucks though, since I was clearly born to fly." The gem woman pouted.
"Which is quite ironic, since we came from the ground." Corrin rolled his eyes.
"Maybe we could go for another circle around the island?" Hinoka asked, sounding hopeful. "As long as we're near it, the gems powering the ship will naturally recharge their power from the Earth. So it wouldn't be a big deal. And if some of our citizens, or the representatives attending the meeting have a problem with that then they can kiss my %$#."
…
Yeah, you definitely wouldn't have thought that she was the Queen at first glance.
"Honey… we'll fly again later, I promise. We can't be too careful." Corrin responded patiently. "Especially today."
Hinoka would have refuted, but an ofuda on her side began to buzz. She picked it up, only to groan softly. "It's Kana. The nannies say she just woke from her nap and needs to be fed."
"Well, you're her mommy. Unless you'd rather have one of the wet nurses do it?" Corrin suggested with a smile.
"No. She's my daughter." Hinoka scowled protectively.
Corrin kissed her on the lips, softening the scowl on her face into an embarrassed smile. "Then I'll see you both later. Hopefully by dinnertime, if things don't run for too long."
Hinoka blushed and hurriedly ran off into the castle without another word. She looked really happy though.
"Man, I still can't believe you two had a kid and that it wasn't by adoption. Every day I learn new things that I missed out on and it sucks." The hunting hero pouted.
"Haha, well, to be fair, it's not often for the two rulers of our nation to actually love each other. And it didn't happen that long ago." The king patted the pouting girl on the head reassuringly. "Kana was only born six months ago, believe it or not. And she's already quite the spitfire! Just like her mother!"
"That's… that's so great!" Kizuna smiled widely, only for her smile to falter. "I… I'm sorry I wasn't able to make it. I really did miss a lot while I was gone…"
"It's fine. I promise that you'll be able to meet her for yourself when there's time." Corrin smiled again as he pulled his hand back.
Kizuna perked up at that and flashed her friend a thank-you smile of her own. "Um…" Itsuki walked forward, a questioning look in his gaze. "It was really cool flying over the city and all… and I'm sure you have other things you need to do, but I really need to ask since it was so out of place. Why is your Hourglass so far away?"
"Ah… I admit the change is recent. We used to have it in the castle up until a couple of weeks ago." Corrin admitted.
"... what?" Itsuki tilted his head.
"When we learned that an item had been created that replicated the Hero's portal function, we thought the security risk would be too great. We relocated the Hourglass outside the walls for now until we have its new sanctuary ready."
"It's a hassle for our nation's adventurers. But better to use the machines for drops until we're certain that an enemy army won't be able to just appear in the heart of our country."
"Is that possible?" Glass asked worriedly.
"It would take only one person registering at the hourglass to allow for waves and waves of soldiers to be teleported in after them via the scrolls," Corrin explained. "They'd be capable of bypassing most of our defenses if that scenario ever occurred."
Glass thought it over to herself, however, Itsuki spoke before she could. "I thought those giant things were immovable?"
"Oh, that's a common misconception. They can be moved. It just takes a lot of manpower to do it. About half of our fleet of ships to be precise." Corrin answered. "And it was slow going too. It took at least a few days of careful flying and a lot of planning to get it inside that cave. It'll suck to move it back out. But I'd rather be safe than sorry. Lazuli… my family, can't afford to have that kind of hole in our defenses."
…
Corrin handed Kizuna a communication ofuda as Itsuki couldn't think of how to respond to that. "There's still a little time before the Conference is scheduled to commence. I have rooms prepared for everyone, but knowing you, they will probably remain unused again. The guards have orders to allow you and your friends unlimited access in and out of the castle. Show them this ofuda when you do so. It has a special seal on it for identification. Now go ahead and play around at your leisure. Just don't forget to come back in time for the meeting proper."
"Thanks, Corrin! I promise we won't cause any trouble!" Kizuna said happily.
"I will make sure she does not break that promise," Glass muttered dryly.
"Awwww, come on Glassy." Kizuna pouted.
Corrin smiled again as a group of guards approached him. "I'll see you all later." Holding his hands behind his back, the Emperor walked with his escort towards the doors of the castle.
Itsuki pondered on what he'd learned. As well as what they should do now. There was so much here that was new that he wanted to understand. Before he could ask though, Kizuna pointed to a path beside the castle. "Let's go that way! I think I remember them having an awesome gem garden there!"
"Gem… garden?" Itsuki asked.
"You will find the Gem People have found a wide variety of ways to use the gems of this land thanks to their magic and craftsmanship," Glass said with a shrug. "Though these creations came from a past Jewel Hero if I am not mistaken."
"Come on Glassy, Itsuki will get bored if you keep it to a lecture!" Kizuna encouraged her spirit friend.
"Pen!"
"Sure." Glass smiled. "I would like to see them again too."
Intrigued in the best of ways, Itsuki followed beside the two girls as they left the small airfield behind.
Itsuki found that his stay in Lapis's Capital was going to be accompanied by many moments of awe and wonder.
The city itself had looked great from above. But stepping into the castle's Gem Garden really took things to another level.
There was no ceiling up above, but the walls of the area were engraved with drawings of flowers and trees. And the gemstones used on them made the walls look alive.
Yes, gemstones were so plentiful here that they were embedded in the walls for artwork. And the shingles of homes. And the pots holding plants in them. And the toys that kids played with.
Gems seemed to be a part of daily life here and could be seen in almost everything.
But then there was what was in the garden.
Imagine seeing a wide variety of flowers. Then, imagine if the stems were made of gold, silver, or some other exotic metal, and the petals were precious gemstones of all kinds from diamonds, rubies, tanzanite, and everything else under the sun.
It was like walking into a vault of all the precious materials in the entire world, in flower form.
"In… Incredible." Itsuki slowly reached a hand out to what looked like a lily with ruby petals, wondering if he'd even be allowed to touch it. There were more of those stone golems on patrol here. Some were tending to the flowers in the garden.
"Feel free to take one," Kizuna said as she plucked a different flower from the ground nearby.
"W-Wait! Really?! We can do that?!" Itsuki asked in shock.
"Yeah. Thanks to the magic in this area, they'll grow back eventually. And besides, it would be a great souvenir for Squishy." Kizuna winked.
How could she talk about precious metals growing?! That'd be like printing money! That was impossible, and…
But that emerald-petaled flower really did look pretty. And he imagined Rishia holding it with a smile on her face. Or, even better, wearing it in her hair.
"A-Alright." Itsuki carefully picked it up by the stem. Even after leaving the dirt it was growing in, it didn't look any less alive.
He couldn't wait to see the green-haired girl's reaction!
A golem suddenly lumbered over to them after the action. Itsuki quickly backpedaled in surprise, thinking it was going to attack them.
But it simply stopped in front of the disturbed soil.
It stared at it for a moment. Well, it didn't really have eyes, but the top of it was bent down towards the soil.
But then, one of its rocky hands reached out, digging a small hole. From its arm, it pried loose an emerald, planting it into the soil like it was a seed.
A low groan came from it, and the emerald glowed faintly. The Golem then covered it over with soil again before lumbering away to another part of the garden.
"See? A few weeks from now, another flower will have grown in its place, and that golem will have grown another emerald in its arm." Kizuna said happily. "Corrin won't mind us taking a couple flowers back home as long as we treat them with care."
"T-Treat them with care?" Itsuki asked hesitantly.
"Duh. This garden is alive silly. They all need an infusion of magic power every so often to maintain their growth."
With that, Kizuna skipped off to admire some amethyst-tinted flowers nearby.
…
Itsuki stared at the flower in his hands with a look that felt mixed between awe and confusion. "How can these things be alive and growing though? They're metal and fancy rocks. This… doesn't make any sense."
"Did you forget what we saw earlier?" Glass asked, this time in amusement.
"What are you talking about?" Itsuki blanched.
"Did you not see the newborn baby?" The Spirit Woman elaborated.
"I did. But I still don't understand where it came from or anything. Did its parents abandon it in the street or something?" Itsuki asked.
"No, of course not. What you saw was a Gem finishing its journey and being reborn as a gem person," Glass answered.
…
...
...
Itsuki just stared blankly in response. "What, you have people in your world that mature and grow with levels. Is it odd for some people here to be born from gemstones?" Glass chuckled.
"I… I'm just trying to process how that works." Itsuki muttered. "Is it a thing for two gemstones to love each other very much or something?"
"No, nothing like that. However, truthfully I don't understand all the details either, even after Therese painstakingly explained the whole process to me from start to finish. It is a phenomenon unique to our world, and more so to this land specifically. It takes certain requirements to take place. One of them being a continual saturation of magic power."
"Didn't… didn't Hinoka mention something about that earlier? How the gems powering the airships would naturally recharge if she flies around the island?" The Bow Hero recalled.
"That is part of it, yes. The whole land here is overflowing with magic power from the earth. This power is captured by the gems all over the city. This causes gemstones to be produced much more quickly here. It also serves as a catalyst for what you witnessed earlier."
"Huh… Is it any gemstone that can, or…" Itsuki trembled, thinking in horror about all the random places where a baby could be born.
"The Gem People understand the requirements better than me. When they sense that one will become a person soon, they put the gemstone in an open area like the streets. Where they will be easy to find and get picked up by the city's golem caretakers once their transformation is complete."
…
Oh, that was a relief. If one of those wall gemstones were to ever…
You know what? It'd be better to not go down that line of thought.
"Though, these flowers also hold the potential to give birth to a Gem Person." Glass then added playfully. "You and your friend could end up having a kid of your own if you are not careful."
"Ack! So that's what Kizuna meant when she said that they're alive!" Itsuki said incredulously. He purposefully ignored the second part of Glass's statement.
"Of course. Remember, our races are different compared to what you have in your world." Glass's form became transparent for emphasis as she spoke, only to solidify right after.
"O-Of course our races back home are different. Still, people being born from flowers?... Yeesh!" Itsuki said awkwardly.
That was even weirder than seeing a kid with animal ears become an adult in less than a month's time.
Glass laughed again while smiling. "Yes, it is a strange thing for outsiders to learn. It is something many parts of our world are ignorant of, actually. Even though it is the Gem People who have helped to advance our technology the most during the last few hundred years. It does not help that it is extremely rare for gems to become people outside of Lapis. Even if the other requirements are met, it is hard to supply them with the magic power they need over such a long period of time."
Itsuki looked at the flower, thinking long and hard. He almost felt guilty for picking it, but at least it didn't… seem to be unhappy with being picked?
Its petals continued to gleam with a soft green light that was reminding Itsuki of Rishia's hair. And he almost thought he heard a giggle come from it…
…
Yeah, he must have been going insane. There was no other explanation for it.
He put the item near his Bow's gemstone, and it glowed in response.
He absorbed the flower into his Bow, unlocking the Emerald Flower Bow. He didn't pull it up yet since he wanted to continue learning from Glass. But thankfully, after being used to unlock a weapon form, it appeared in his weapon's inventory.
Most of the time, absorbing materials to unlock a weapon form got rid of the absorbed material permanently. His weapon hadn't done that with this flower though. Thank goodness. Would that have been grounds for murder? Maybe he should have thought more about it first before absorbing the item into his weapon.
"Are the Gem People born from this garden special in any way?" Itsuki decided to ask.
"Hmm? In a manner of speaking, yes," Glass answered. "Those born within the walls of the castle are known to possess higher capabilities for magic than other Gem People. They're normally taken in by the royals or the high nobles living here. Though, they don't always necessarily become royals or nobles themselves. Therese is one such example."
"..." Itsuki didn't even ask. He'd already learned a lot of surprising things today. Yet Glass still led him to another part of the garden. Here, sapphire flowers grew alongside ruby orchids and diamond flowers.
"When we visited with her once, she pointed this patch of ground out to L'Arc, saying that this was where she was born. I still can't forget the look on his face when she said that. Nor can I forget hers when he eventually gave his response."
"What did that idiot say?" Itsuki asked.
Kizuna suddenly appeared coughing into her hand, before starting to mimic L'Arc's voice as best as she could. "No wonder you're so beautiful! You were born from the most amazing flowers in the world!"
…
Itsuki stared at Kizuna in surprise. Glass smiled though, not contradicting her friend or anything.
"I… I can't picture him ever saying something that smooth." Itsuki finally responded.
"Believe me. It took the rest of us by surprise too," Glass smirked. "If anything, it was the first time I'd ever seen Therese blushing so much from embarrassment. But it also made her really happy at the same time."
"I really wish those two would get together already." Kizuna pouted up at Glass. "Therese doesn't have to worry about returning to Lapis anymore. And Big Brother's the king now, so people won't care if he marries a gem girl or not. Heck, Therese has even gotten the Council of Ministers on her side. What gives?"
"From my understanding, Therese wants to keep L'Arc focused on his role as a hero." The Spirit Woman explained somberly. "She doesn't want to distract him from leading his country and saving the world with the mundane elements of family life… Though, if you ask me, I think she just enjoys playing hard to get far too much." Glass rolled her eyes at the end.
"Awww. Maybe one day she'll stop toying with big bro." Kizuna sighed.
While they talked, Itsuki took the moment to absorb a few more of the gem flowers around the garden. Unlocking more Bow Forms in the process.
The flowers didn't disappear and instead appeared in his weapon inventory, just like the first one. Finally, he'd come across an item that could be freely shared between the Heroes to unlock new weapon forms!
Though they weren't anything too special. A stat increase here, and resistance to magic damage there. One did have an equip effect called Gem Reform.
That sounded like something quite useful. Maybe this was how the past Jewel Hero made the gem flowers?
He really hoped this was ok. He was only limiting himself to one… well, two flowers per type, so Naofumi could absorb these too. But he was leaving the majority of the garden untouched. And the golems didn't seem to mind it either, as they simply planted more gem seeds in the areas that Itsuki picked them from.
Gem seeds? He'd never thought he'd think of those two words together. He would have thought on it some more or considered going through the rest of the garden to see what he could find/unlock.
However…
"Ahahaha! I was right!"
A short guy in a weird-looking white tunic fastened at the shoulder suddenly dashed through one of the garden's entrances. Running past Itsuki towards Glass and Kizuna.
"Huh-" The two girls turned in surprise at the newcomer. But the guy pushed Kizuna out of the way to stare in awe at the spirit woman. "The Hunting Tools Hero really does look like an Amazon Warrior! Incredible!"
"Ughhhh…" Kizuna slowly sat up, rubbing her sore head. She'd just barely avoided squashing a patch of amethyst gem flowers.
"I'm… sorry, I believe you are-" Glass began to speak. Her left eye was twitching.
"It's decided then! I won't rest until I have you in my bed! I'll make you my wife and-"
Smash!
The unfortunate young man, whoever he was, never got to finish his sentence. As soon as Glass understood what he was implying, her hand grabbed the fool by the back of the head and smashed it into the ground below.
She buried it through a layer of brick and gemstones. Impressive.
For the young man, that is. Itsuki was pretty certain that any lesser man would have died from such an attack delivered by the Fan Hero.
"Mmm! Mmmmm!" The guy's confused screeching could be heard beneath the destroyed brickwork. He pushed against the ground with his hands and knees to try and pull his head out.
"You know this guy, Glassy?" Kizuna asked in confusion.
"Ugh. Forget him." Glass looked disgusted.
There was only one person that she'd ever allow to 'bed' her. And it was definitely a girl, not a guy.
"Is he going to be okay…?" Itsuki began to ask, only to trail off.
The guy was still alive. So he must have had decent stats at the very least.
Or a very thick and hard skull.
"He'll be fine. Now, come on. I believe the conference should be starting soon. And we must prepare." Glass grabbed Kizuna and Itsuki by the arms, dragging them both off towards the castle.
"Hey, I can walk on my own!" Itsuki complained.
"I can too!" Kizuna complained as well.
They left the gemyard. Leaving the poor musclehead buried neck-deep in the ground.
Another hour quickly passed by. By then, all the delegates had gathered in a large dome-shaped conference room.
It had multiple levels, with different people sitting all over it. There were grass elves. There were dwarves. There were humans and spirit people and gem people of all kinds. The representatives of the countries with smaller amounts of influence sat near the back while larger countries with Vassal Heroes had seats up front.
"Where are Luvar's delegates? We were supposed to start fifteen minutes ago." Itsuki muttered.
"I don't know. I sent Yomogi a letter asking her to be here!" Kizuna said frantically. "I was hoping to clear some things up through her, since she's Kyo's spokesperson and because she's always felt more honest and genuine to me, but she never responded!"
"Perhaps Kyo doesn't want her or anyone else from his country to attend," Glass murmured.
"Uhhh… who the heck is Yomogi?" Itsuki asked.
"I'll explain later. Right now, I need to focus." Kizuna began breathing in and out deeply at a frantic rate to try and calm herself down.
She really wished that she had Chris there to pet. But the shikigami was currently stored away in an ofuda for the meeting. Unfortunately, Naofumi hadn't managed to make an ofuda that mimicked the real feel of the shikigami.
A weird side obsession from her older brother's love of Raph-Chan. But now Kizuna could see why he'd spend time trying to make such a thing.
The three frowned. They looked at the chamber entrance again where two golems stood by, guarding it. But with all the murmuring in the room, it was growing increasingly apparent that everyone wanted to start things already.
Just as Corrin began to stand, the doors opened.
"Finally, it's about time they-" Itsuki began to murmur to himself, only to stop.
"S-Sorry we're late, Your Majesty."
"Yeah, we found this idiot stuck in the ground in the gardens and had to dig him out."
"I-I wasn't stuck! I was going to get out eventually!"
Three figures walked into the room. Two guys and a girl.
The first guy who'd spoken was around Naofumi's height. He wore a black turtleneck with long sleeves that he was constantly pulling up as well as a pair of gray trousers. He wore an old pair of dress shoes, and his messy black hair seemed to constantly be getting into his gray eyes, covering them up, though an attempt had been made to comb it for the occasion. It'd likely been ruined trying to help his friend out. A box with several ofuda in it rested on his hip. The box had a gray gemstone embedded into it.
The second person, a girl, had bright flaming red hair and blue eyes. She wore a red dress adorned with all kinds of gemstones as well as a pair of matching high-heeled shoes. The outfit was well made, and the bracelet she was wearing had an ocean blue gemstone embedded inside of a larger ruby. Even without the heels, she was tall, possibly as tall as Motoyasu. And she was beautiful too… though, she was lacking in certain places, similar to Kizuna. Which she made up for with extra frills on the front of her dress.
The third guy was instantly recognizable though. And Glass groaned beside the Bow Hero as they realized who they were looking at.
The guy had sandy brown hair as well as wide, green, almond-shaped eyes. His tan face would have looked kind of handsome if not for the acne, and the freckles. His body shape was not giving him any favors either, since he was super scrawny and as short as Itsuki with none of the Bow Hero's natural charm.
Oh, and there were bits of earth clinging to his hair from his encounter with Glass earlier.
Strapped to his back was a large mace- wait. It wasn't strapped. It was stuck to his back. It had a green gemstone embedded in the center of the hand grip for it.
"Ah, Cardinal Heroes, I'm grateful that you could make it. It's an honor to have you here." Corrin spoke.
These… these three were the other Cardinal Heroes of Kizuna's world?
Hero Clips!
Gem People
"Wahhhh!" "Weh!" "Wehhhhhh!"
L'Arc and Therese were both holding two gem infants. At least half a dozen more were crying on the ground around them. They had been born from the accessories the Gem girl had been wearing on her arms.
She really had a lot of accessories.
"Th-Therese?! What the heck do we do?!" L'Arc screamed in terror.
"I'm sorry, I didn't think the gemstones I had on hand would finish their transformations outside of Lapis. Just grin and bear it until the golems get here, L'Arc." Therese said tiredly.
The redhead was trying. Honest to God, he was trying for Therese's sake. But he'd expected he'd be taking care of 'their' kids! Not a bunch of gems that turned into kids simultaneously!
L'Arc was being crushed by fatherhood and its inherent responsibilities. He was wishing Minister Stone would arrive with something for him to do! Where was that blasted old man?!
"Can I please go back to being King, please?" L'Arc begged the heavens.
"Wow, never thought I'd hear you say that, young master."
L'Arc turned his head. Naofumi and Raphtalia were standing in the doorway together. The girl was smiling in delight while Naofumi was smirking at his predicament. "Just how weak are you to be done in by ten kids?"
"Y-Yeah?! I'd like to see you take care of them!" L'Arc challenged the Shield Hero.
"Alright. Ready, Raphtalia?" Naofumi asked.
"I was born ready." The half-raccoon girl cracked her knuckles.
Within a couple of hours, all ten babies were fast asleep. Smiling happily in their cribs while the tired but smiling power couple looked over the brood.
Naofumi's hand was rocking a crib holding a girl who had likely been born from the accessory he'd crafted since she seemed particularly attached to the Shield Hero.
"Well done, honey," Naofumi said with satisfaction.
"You weren't so bad yourself, dear." Raphtalia smiled back.
L'Arc, on the other hand, was looking at them with eyes the size of dinner plates. "HOW!? JUST HOW!?"
"I've been a Father for Filo for how long now?" Naofumi replied blandly. "Compared to how difficult she was at the start, these babies were nothing."
"To think that Master Craftsman is not only an amazing cook, but an amazing Father too?!" Therese's eyes sparkled.
No!
NO!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
THAT STUPID *&%$ING KIDDO WAS GOING TO TAKE HIS GIRLFRIEND AWAY FROM HIM FOR SURE THIS TIME!
"Relax, L'Arc, it could always be worse." Therese patted him on the back.
"And just how would that be possible?" L'Arc asked through gritted teeth.
"Imagine if I still had the bag of gemstones I gave Wyndia back when we fought Kyo?" Therese asked.
…
They wouldn't have the same problem, right?
"WAHHHHHHH!"
"WEHHHHHH!"
The dog girl was holding four gem babies in her arms. All of whom were bawling louder than any monster her dragon father had ever sired.
'This is fine… this is fine…' It'd been her dream to become a mother. The dog girl was trying to convince herself that this was normal.
Her hair was a mess. Her clothes were thrown haphazardly onto her body. She looked like she'd hardly slept a wink in the last few days. But it was all fine. This was perfectly normal.
Having at least three dozen kids suddenly appear one night out of the blue was totally within reason.
But she'd expected to give birth to Ren's children! Not to have them pop out of the bag Therese had given her like popcorn! When her best friend had said her gems were alive, she'd never expected THIS!
The new teenage mother was completely overwhelmed. Even with Tersia, Farrie, and Eclair there to try and assist with the tide of babies in the Sword Hero's home, things had hardly improved for the new idiot mother!
"This one needs a diaper change!" Farrie yelled. "And this one needs to be fed!"
"I only have two hands here," Tersia called back where she was doing the two tasks for two other babies. Changing one's diaper while holding a bottle for the other to drink from.
"If you stop crying, I'll teach you how to hold a sword, little one," Eclair said, trying to gently pat the back of the single baby she was carrying.
"WAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Judging by how he started to cry louder, holding a sword probably wasn't what it wanted. Maybe it would have been better to ask someone besides the muscle-headed knight for help.
And to top off the craziness of it all…
"Ugh…" Ren's hand weakly reached out from the pile of ten babies covering him on the ground. He was literally drowning in the babies climbing and crying all over him.
The poor guy.
"Oh no... Ren…" Wyndia's head drooped forward as if she was about to fall asleep. Only for a fresh wave of crying from the bundles of joy she was holding to jerk her awake and get her to try to rock them to sleep again desperately.
It was a good thing this wouldn't actually happen. Since even the Author isn't sure about all the details behind this bit of lore. He didn't know the exact process for how this would work, but he did know that gemstones in Glass's world eventually transformed into people. Meaning yes, that was one thing from this chapter that he hadn't made up!
This also meant that since details on it were scant, he could make it work via plot relevancy!
Yeah, because nothing's better than having something happen for the sake of the plot!
Better watch out Itsuki, otherwise, you and Rishia might be taking care of a baby a lot sooner than you realize! Keheheheheh!
"I really hate it when Allen makes these kinds of comments to me in an omake," Itsuki said dryly. "It's almost like he's foreshadowing this actually happening to us in the story or something."
Rishia could only fueh nervously in response as the teenage parents behind them were buried in an avalanche of gem children.
It would be a long time before Naofumi and Raphtalia came back, allowing the pair of idiotic teenage parents to get a good night's sleep again.
Till Next Time
Allen
Notes:
As my proofreader said several times while reading this chapter over: The lore! THE LOREEEEEEEEEEE!
Just so you're aware upfront, there is literally no details given on the other three Heroes in Glass's world whatsoever. I'm not even sure if there are any details given of them in the Class-Up Volume or on Aneko's blog or not, so think of these three purely as OCs.
Also... yes, I am a big fan of the Fire Emblems series. I don't have a Switch so I haven't played the later games. But I love Fates, Conquest, and Birthright. I have been looking for a way to reference it for so long in a way that'd fit the story that it's not even funny.
I have already taken some liberties worldbuilding-wise in Glass's world based on what's known about it. I have taken them even further in this chapter. And I have thoroughly enjoyed it and will continue to enjoy it even if you all don't.
Chapter Text
- ENTRY #3 -
It took no more than two days for my life to come crashing down.
You'd think that my parents would ████████████ after my graduation from ████████████ with the highest ████████████ history, along with countless ████████████ of recognition to my name.
However, I never learned if that was the case. They'd ████████████ before I got home.
As shocking as that was, I didn't ████████████. I was just left with an empty feeling of ████████████ if I'd finally done something to ████████████ their ████████████ or not. A mere afterthought in the &^%$storm that occurred soon after.
████████████ needed to be arranged. And then came the other members of the family who I never saw growing up. Those who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, wanting ████████████ of what my parents had ████████████ as if they were entitled to it.
How funny it was when they learned that my parents had nothing to their names. Not even ████████████ was theirs anymore. Without my knowledge, they'd put themselves deeply into debt to fund ████████████. And they'd taken their loans ████████████ that were less than credible.
I still laugh when I remember the looks on my relative's faces when the ████████████ showed up, demanding payment. That got them out ████████████ real quick. None of them bothered to give me even a single ████████████ to help me out as they walked out the door, leaving me alone with those savages.
It was only because I was quick on my feet that they didn't ████████████ then. Instead, my parent's debt was thrust upon me. They were… generous, enough, to give me a couple of weeks to find a job before they'd start hiking up the already high interest rates for when I couldn't pay. That time was purchased by everything in ████████████ being taken. And finally, by me being thrown out of my home with nothing more than the shirt on my back and a ████████████, being forced to live in a ████████████.
Most people would find this situation sad, but it was the norm in ████████████. And to be honest, I just found their ████████████ while I was searching for a job annoying at best. I had to put my ████████████ to good use, after all. And I didn't have time to waste with these mud scrapers.
Only, as it turns out, it's much harder to find a job in ████████████ than one would realize when one has no ████████████ and only a few days to get the money flowing. That was how long it took for those sick &^%$s to get impatient, and to threaten me with death if I didn't pay them what they were owed.
With my education, I could have easily been ████████████ for a ████████████, or a ████████████ in a ████████████. I could have been ████████████ and ████████████ no one else had ever come up with. If I'd only been given the time to look. If I'd only been given the time to ████████████.
*There is a large blank space on the page here*
Heh. I ended up in mindless ████████████, just like many of my peers from school. All my ████████████ were for naught. From that point on, I was just another ████████████, struggling to make ends meet while paying off the debt I was saddled with by my parents.
Life was a ████████████ from that point on.
"S-Sorry we're late." The guy with the ofuda box spoke out awkwardly.
"You already apologized for that!" A voice yelled impatiently from amongst the delegates.
"Seriously, they're here too?" Another representative grumbled.
These three were the other Cardinal Heroes of this world. Before the meeting could even begin, they were already receiving annoyed and disappointed looks. Their reputation was not particularly positive outside of Lapis, it seemed.
"In my defense, I was here early, but then-" The guy with the mace began to say loudly.
"And then you hit on the wrong girl, and she buried your head into the ground, again." The girl with the jewel on her wrist rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Honestly, you are such a pig."
'That's happened to him before?' Itsuki couldn't help but wonder.
"Ah come on Akane! You weren't there!" The tan boy pouted. "If you'd seen the gracious form of the Hunting Tools Hero, you would have been overcome with lust too!"
"Really? You think I'm hot?!" Kizuna perked up excitedly as she stood up in her seat.
Other delegates stared distastefully at their group again. The fact that Kizuna didn't break character at all was rather impressive given the circumstances.
…
"... umm, who are you?" The guy asked confusedly.
"I'm the Hunting Tools Hero! Name's Kizuna! Nice to meet ya!" Kizuna held her hand out excitedly.
…
"But, you're a… a…" The guy's words died on his lips as he saw the looming figure behind Kizuna.
It was like staring into the abyss of death. And that abyss had red eyes.
It was also familiar. Had he seen her somewhere before?
Right, that was the hot Amazon-looking girl he'd tried to flirt with earlier, but if she wasn't the Hunting Tools Hero…
The guy's stupid brain finally seemed to remember something.
She was a hero alright. But she was the Hero of the Fans. He'd met her a long time ago and she hadn't grown any less attractive, or any less terrifying since then.
"What? I'm a kid. Is that what you're going to say?" Kizuna asked with an offended look on her face. "I'm 18 you know!"
"Uh… actually… that would make you a lolibaba then…" He whispered at the end.
The abyss of death deepened in color. The Hunting Tools Hero and the Fan Hero together looked like demons that sought to rend the flesh from his bones.
"C-Come on, D-Daitan. Let's go s-sit down already." The nervous guy suggested.
"R-Right, Hoshi," Daitan responded, forcing himself to look away from his impending doom.
"S-Sorry. S-So s-sorry."
As they moved to sit down, Glass calmed down enough to quietly explain to Itsuki which Hero was which. Itsuki also studied them while the delegates chatted amongst themselves while looking at the other Cardinal Heroes with either looks of surprise or dislike.
The nervous-looking guy who kept stuttering apologies was Hoshi Isao, the Ofuda Hero.
The scrawny wannabe ladies' man was Daitan Genki, the Blunt Weapons Hero.
And the tall beautiful girl was Akane Kaori, the Jewel Hero.
Based on what Itsuki could tell, Hoshi either didn't want to be there, or he didn't want to be around people in general. Antisocial would have been one word to describe him. Though this guy made Ren look like an extrovert in comparison.
He just kept hiding his face and apologizing for everything, looking like the last thing he wanted to be was the center of attention. The box on his side was his Cardinal Weapon. Which most likely made him a magic user.
Also, Itsuki couldn't help but notice the lack of color to him. His clothing, features, and weapon were either white, black or shades of grey. It was almost like looking at a character out of a manga.
Daitan reminded Itsuki of Motoyasu. Only he didn't have any of the same charm or charisma for women, which became apparent when he tried to flirt with a gem girl on the way to his seat only to get smacked across the face.
He also kept on flexing his arms and doing some other bizarre poses for some weird reason. He was a true weirdo. His title was Blunt Weapons Hero though. So that most likely meant that, like Kizuna, his weapon could turn into more than just a mace.
Itsuki guessed he could also change it to a warhammer or a kanabo if he wanted to since he'd also spotted these weapons at a weapon shop in this world.
As for Akane… Itsuki couldn't really tell. He wasn't the best with girls, to begin with. And Glass didn't have much to say about her either.
She reminded him a lot of Bitch though. From the red hair to her confident walk. She walked like she owned the room and dressed like it too. The confidence in her posture made it look like she was walking down a model's walkway instead of a delegation of countries.
Naofumi and her definitely shouldn't meet anytime soon.
The Jewel Accessory on her wrist was the most likely to be her Cardinal Weapon. But Itsuki could only speculate about what kind of combat abilities it gave her. It could be defensive in nature like Naofumi's or it could also be focused in magic.
He didn't know what to expect from her if it came down to a brawl. Though, if what the others said was true, these three were pathetically weak to the point of being nearly useless.
What Itsuki did notice though was that despite her walk, Akane's eyes kept on darting around, landing on him, Glass, and especially Kizuna repeatedly. As if she was wary of their group and wanted to study them without letting them know that she was singling them out.
Her eyes finally met Itsuki's directly, but the Bow Hero didn't break the eye contact.
It lasted for a few seconds, and the Jewel Heroine eventually shifted uncomfortably while finally taking her seat by the other Heroes.
Had that been the right thing to do? Itsuki wasn't sure. Either way, he knew no more about the heroine than before, and soon, the chatter amongst the delegates died down.
Corrin stood up again to address the assembly.
"My fellow leaders and representatives. I thank you for being able to gather on such short notice. I'd also like to express my gratitude to the Cardinal Heroes for coming here…"
"Yeah, about that. Is there a reason why you invited us today specifically, Your Majesty?" The girl, Akane, rudely interrupted the king, causing some whispers and bouts of quiet sneering laughter to emerge throughout the room.
"All in due time," Corrin replied with a frown at the show of disrespect. "Do trust me, this meeting will prove to be relevant for you three as well."
The red-haired girl frowned and crossed her arms as she sat back down in her chair. Her eyes fell on Kizuna and their group again, and a small scowl appeared on her face when she saw that Kizuna sat perfectly still, smiling at Corrin like they were old friends.
Itsuki stopped focusing on the redhead after that and instead looked back at the King of Lapis.
There were some formalities in the beginning. Corrin addressed the delegates from various nations. Welcomed the other Heroes in attendance, including the Harpoon and Musical Instruments Heroes who were sitting near the front. There was some opening discussion going on.
Itsuki should have done a better job paying attention like Glass was, but his focus kept on moving to the other Cardinal Heroes. They were shifting in their seats impatiently as if they wanted to get things moving so they could finish up and go back to their daily lives. Or, in the case of Hoshi, so he could escape from everyone there.
Unfortunately, or maybe, fortunately, many of the other delegates there were just as impatient. It didn't take long before somebody voiced their complaint. "Can we just skip the formalities and get to the reason you gathered us today, Emperor Corrin?"
"Yes, I'd also like to know why Lapis called our enemies from Sickle here."
A few more people spoke up. Several were looking at them, or rather, at Kizuna specifically.
And the way that they were looking was anything but pleasant.
No wonder Naofumi didn't want to be here. It was just like how everyone used to look at him in the beginning. But at least the animosity against him was limited to Melromarc.
When they'd met all those other country representatives when fighting the Spirit Tortoise, they treated Naofumi with far more respect, especially after he almost sacrificed himself to save their lives.
But more than half of the people here looked like they couldn't stand the sight of Kizuna and were on the verge of leaving their chairs. The remaining leaders also seemed to dislike her, they were at least willing to be diplomatic enough to hear her out.
And to think she'd already saved their whole world once before. Everyone wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Kizuna.
She was even less liked than the other three Cardinal Heroes, who had done literally nothing to help out with the Waves.
"Seriously, who rubbed them the wrong way," Itsuki muttered to himself quietly in disbelief. "Was there a Hunting Tools Demon in the past or something?"
Nobody else heard him but Glass. The Spirit woman responded back to him in a tone just as quiet. "She can't beat another person on her own. Because of this, she would never be able to be a soldier in their army. So to them, the Hunting Tools Hero is a weakling who can't further their own agenda.
"Thus, they consider Kizuna to be useless."
"... even though she's unstoppable against monsters? Even though they owe her their lives for killing the Demon Dragon?" Itsuki asked.
"When you're at war. It's rare to fight a monster instead of a person." Glass shrugged. However, the next part came out bitterly. "And if you have not been able to tell at this point, the memories of the people of this world are quite short."
"Tell that to the soldiers that died to those White Tiger Clones," Itsuki said back just as bitterly.
That was so stupid in so many ways. With that kind of logic, Naofumi would be considered useless too. Even though he'd be capable of defending entire armies with his array of skills and powering them up with his spells.
Plus, even if it was rare, what would the other countries do if their armies suddenly had to face off against those White Tiger Clones they fought against in Label? Or another kind of monster the enemy country had utilized? The fact that they'd be willing to throw a supreme monster specialist under the bus just because she couldn't be used against other humans was the epitome of idiocy. And anyone who shared that line of thought deserved a harsh reality check.
As Itsuki stewed over this, Corrin finally managed to get the others reigned in. It had taken the King several minutes to accomplish this without anyone leaving the meeting.
That should have been the first warning sign Itsuki had about the kind of uphill battle they were going to be facing here.
"Alright. Hunting Tools Hero, if you would." Corrin gave a short nod of his head to their table.
…
Kizuna stood up at his cue, and the other delegates looked at her, this time, in surprise. Her playful demeanor was gone. The discomfort from her attire disappeared, and she now wore the kimono as a symbol of pride and power. "Thank you, Your Majesty. I'm grateful that you were able to gather the other nations at my request."
"Wait, she was the one who suggested this?! We came here because you said-" A female delegate at the front began to point at Lapis's King as she interrupted the Hero.
Kizuna drove her hand against the table in front of her with a slam. "I will address you later, Mikikage. Sit down and wait your turn."
"You have no right to tell me what to do you little-"
"Or, would you rather I formally declare war against you now? I haven't forgotten or forgiven you for imprisoning me illegally in the Infinite Labyrinth." Kizuna raised her voice slightly. "Do know that with the Katana Hero on our side, as well as some extra help from some new allies, you would be dooming your country if you refuse to shut up."
…
The woman shrunk in her seat as the others in the room stared at her. Itsuki looked at Kizuna in surprise.
It was like Naofumi had been sitting next to him. Way to speak some common sense there!
Kizuna coughed into her hand again before speaking in a clear voice. "As I was saying. I requested King Corrin to gather everyone here. There are several reasons for that. The one I'd like to start out with is one that's important to me, and one that I think the other Cardinal Heroes will find important to them in particular: revealing who really murdered the previous Katana Hero, Kenshiro."
A wave of murmurs erupted from the crowd at that.
"What is this?"
"We were brought here for some sham trial or something?"
"This is a waste of time."
"Who does she think she is by bringing that up again? Hasn't Sickle tried to deny it enough?"
The other three Cardinal Heroes had stirred in their seats though. For once, their faces didn't look quite so disinterested.
"The Hunting Tools Hero mentioned the Katana Hero was now allied with Sickle, did she not?" A delegate in the back finally asked. "Does that mean a new Hero was chosen?"
"... Yes. That is true. Though, I don't know all the details myself." The man sitting at Label's table answered. His vest was decorated with war medals, and he only had one woman sitting next to him. The minister himself had come with his ambassador.
The general admittance helped quiet down everyone there.
"Speak your case, Hero Kizuna." Corrin opened the floor for the girl.
Kizuna walked down, leaving Itsuki and Glass sitting at Sickle's desk. Despite her small stature, she stood as tall as anyone else.
She told all of the delegates there of the events that'd transpired in Label. About how Sickle's King had ended up there after traveling between worlds. How he and Glass had been trying to return to their country. How Label had captured them and wanted to kill them for their weapons.
How they'd escaped the prison, which was the cause for Label's regression prison being destroyed. How they'd fled to the Capital to use the Hourglass to escape. How the Katana had chosen its new wielder, a girl from another world traveling with the King, and how the country's genius had branded them as thieves, only to later confess that he had killed his father and Kenshiro to try and acquire the Katana for himself.
"What sort of bull &^%$ is this?" A man near the front asked arrogantly at that. Unlike other delegates, he had a Harpoon attached to his back, and he wasn't dressed formally. It looked like he was wearing an admiral's uniform over a kimono. He was likely the Harpoon Hero. "Everyone knows you can't just wield a Vassal Weapon. It has to choose you."
It wasn't the first time someone had spoken up to refute Kizuna. But it was the first time that Corrin contemplated on what was said. "A fair point, Harpoon Hero." King Corrin said to him. "Hero Kizuna, do you have evidence to back up your claims?"
The audience expected there to be no evidence. But Kizuna smiled as she nodded.
"I do, indeed, Your Majesty. Itsuki, if you would?" Kizuna asked him politely.
Itsuki stood up at last and walked down the steps next to Kizuna.
Another wave of murmurs went through the room. And they only became louder when he pulled a crystal ball from the gemstone of his Bow.
"Who is this person you've brought with you, Hunting Tools Hero?" A dwarf near the front asked. He at least looked like one of the polite delegates.
"This is one of my new friends and allies, Itsuki Kawasumi. He is the Bow Hero of another world." Kizuna introduced Itsuki to the crowd.
The reaction to that reveal was immediate and volatile. However, it quickly became one of doubt.
"Ha! Bold claim! That's probably one of the experimental weapons we've heard about that can replicate the Hero's drop and inventory functions-" Another dwarf began to say haughtily.
Itsuki promptly raised his Bow and changed its weapon form in a flash of light.
It was almost funny how quickly the crowd was silenced as the rest of the man's refutation died on his lips.
Thank you Naofumi for establishing this as a clear and easy way to blow away any doubt that you were actually a Hero.
"Are there any other feats that my Hero friend needs to perform to convince you?" Kizuna asked.
…
There was silence at that. Up until the same guy at the front chortled to himself while crossing his arms. "And are we supposed to just trust a Hero that comes from another world as well as you?" The Harpoon Hero asked back.
"You don't have to." Itsuki shrugged as he spoke. "However, if you didn't notice, Label has been oddly silent about what Kizuna has said. If she were lying, then surely they would have said something already."
The Bow Hero gestured toward the front row of desks. The one that had a katana inscribed on it in particular.
The minister and ambassador sitting there had lowered their heads in response, unable to face the sudden attention directed at them.
The Harpoon Hero scoffed and crossed his arms. But he didn't say anything else.
Itsuki frowned. For some reason, this guy was giving him the same vibes that Kyo and Trash had.
Then again, he was getting that same kind of attitude from a lot of the other delegates there. So he shrugged it off and proceeded to give a basic explanation of how the crystal ball worked, before activating it.
Trash's entire confession was played out for the crowd of people. To mixed reactions.
Many flat-out couldn't believe it. Their retorts ranged from distrust of technology from another world to distrust of Kizuna and Itsuki. The former for being the useless Hero, and the other for Itsuki being from another world and possibly wanting to sabotage the local balance of power in his favor.
It wasn't until the witness was also brought out under Corrin's orders that a lot of those arguments were thrown out. The soldier verified that the recording was authentic, and answered all the questions thrown at him by the crowd.
Some of the questions were honest. Some were obviously loaded and designed to check if he'd really seen or heard what happened. Individuals asking such questions tried to throw in extra details that weren't shown in the recording. But the former guard surprisingly shut all of them down. Even going as far as to correct them whenever they tried to add something to what'd happened.
The constant questions and how they tore at every little thing from Itsuki to the crystal ball to Kizuna to the guard's own testimony dragged the meeting out for longer and longer.
Eventually, when he realized how stiff his legs were, Itsuki looked out the windows to see that it was darkening outside. And they still didn't look even close to finished yet.
"Oh come on! Do you really think the genius wizard of Label found a way to steal the Katana weapon for himself?!" One of these delegates asked the soldier. Though he tried to hide it, there was fear Itsuki could detect in his voice.
Out of everything, it was the response Itsuki had expected the least. But then, given how important these weapons were to the countries of their world, it made sense in hindsight.
"If he did, then Sickle did us a great service ridding us of him." The former guard answered.
"... soldier. Did all of this really happen?" The elderly Label minister finally spoke. "If you are being threatened or if it's some sort of trick, just say so. Sickle won't dare to do anything to you here with so many witnesses, and if they have your loved ones held hostage-"
"No sir."
The guard almost whimpered. He just wanted to be out of the room already. And not just because of everyone there staring at him.
There was the one he feared above all. The figure that haunted his dreams. The one and only ruby-eyed demon staring blankly at him.
"It's all true. I was a coward and fled before the battle. But I still saw and heard it when our country's genius admitted to being Kenshiro's murderer. And I saw it when he, he… he ordered those mutts to slay my fellow soldiers. Some of whom had escaped the Regression Prison alongside me."
The man shuddered tearfully. "Even if it is treasonous for me to say it, I'm grateful that Sickle took care of that bastard. For what he did to my friends there, he deserved a far worse death than what he got! I cannot forgive him for that! Nor can I forgive him for murdering Lord Kenshiro!
"Back in the days of the Demon Dragon, when I wasn't old enough to serve, he saved my life when those monsters attacked our home village! I have looked up to him ever since! And to know that sick &^%$ was responsible for orchestrating even that attack!
"THAT BASTARD KILLED LORD KENSHIRO FOR HIS WEAPON! THAT BASTARD KILLED MY FRIENDS! AND THAT BASTARD WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR GETTING MY FAMILY KILLED! I HOPE THAT HE IS ROTTING HELL RIGHT NOW FOR ALL OF THOSE CRIMES! WHETHER OR NOT HE COULD STEAL A HERO'S WEAPON, I KNOW HE WAS THE ONE THAT KILLED LORD KENSHIRO, NOT SICKLE OR ANYONE ELSE!"
…
Looking around, Itsuki didn't see any noticeable change in the room right away. However, it appeared many of the delegates were finally in agreement on one thing.
"... then perhaps we were too quick to judge Sickle for the death of our Katana Hero before." The Label minister finally spoke somberly. "I'd like to express my humblest apologies to the Scythe King on behalf of my nation for our actions."
"I shall carry them to him upon our return," Glass promised.
"Thank you… Fan Hero." The man dipped his head to the spirit woman.
"You traitor! You're supposed to be allied with us!" The Mikikage delegate yelled. "Sickle is our enemy!"
The Label delegate and minister didn't speak in response. Instead, they looked at the Book Country's desk, which was still empty.
They'd not only lost their weapon, a decent chunk of their military, or even their allies in Mikikage and possibly Luvar. But their dignity and their honor as a nation.
Itsuki looked at the other three heroes at last. He'd been so focused on the delegates that he'd almost forgotten they were there.
He was surprised they were still there, actually. Hoshi was still staring at where the recording had been playing. As for Daitan, he was sitting next to Akane, looking like he'd just swallowed poison while the Jewel Hero dabbed a handkerchief under her eyes.
None of them really knew how close they'd been to the former Katana Hero. He must have bonded with the three of them on some level to warrant this kind of reaction though. Even the Ofuda Hero's nervous demeanor had disappeared.
"I put forward that Sickle be absolved of all guilt for Kenshiro's murder, and that all sanctions put against them for it be lifted," Kizuna said, bringing Itsuki back to what was going on.
This would make it easier for L'Arc to trade with the other nations again. And, perhaps, to have their cooperation with future Waves down the road.
There were still some weak protests against such an action. Itsuki almost wanted to groan. Even after all of this, some people still didn't want to agree to something so simple?!
"Lapis agrees," Corrin interjected, cutting off those weak protests. "The evidence provided is sufficient, and it makes no sense to further punish a nation nor its Heroes when it has been proven beyond a doubt that they didn't commit the crime in the first place," Corrin spoke.
"Heh. What do we know? They could have orchestrated all of this with the poor bastard." The Harpoon Hero spoke haughtily. But he didn't say anything more to further his point.
"All in favor of agreeing to the Hunting Hero's request?" Corrin asked, raising his right hand to the square.
Many hands went up, but not all. The Harpoon Hero was one of those who didn't raise his hand.
"Any objections?" Corrin asked with a frown.
…
None of those who hadn't raised their hand moved to do so. They abstained from the vote.
"So be it." Corrin nodded. "As it is late, we shall resume this Conference tomorrow."
"Thank you for your time today, Your Majesty." Feeling lighter after clearing her friends of murder, Kizuna smiled brightly and bowed to the King.
Corrin, though he tried to continue to look neutral, gave a small smile back to the small girl.
As the other delegates began to file out of the room, Itsuki found himself crowded with Gem People. All of whom wanted to look at the crystal ball that he was still holding.
"What is it made of?"
"How was this developed in your world?"
"What other functions does it have?"
They bombarded him with questions. They also felt the surface of the ball with wide-eyed wonder as Itsuki tried his best to explain what he knew.
He realized that he didn't really know about how they were made or anything. He almost felt embarrassed at that, but the fact that these people were treating it like some sort of national treasure made him smile after how hostile the meeting had been. And while he didn't know how it was made, he at least knew what it was made from.
"It's made from magic crystals in our world. It can also broadcast to other orbs like it and can even be used to instantly teach a person a new spell, though they do break in the process." Itsuki explained it to them.
They inquired about the magic crystals and, fortunately, Itsuki did have several in his inventory that he'd gotten as monster drops. When they looked them over, they turned out to be vastly different from the Earth Crystals they used to replenish their magic power, or even the gemstones placed all around the city.
By the end of it, they were thinking of ways they could try to use them to replicate the crystal ball. Or to see if they could find a spot in the castle to plant the magic ore and see if the effects of the land could cause more to grow or not.
They didn't have these magic crystals in their world. So the best they could hope for was to either grow more with what Itsuki had given them, replicate the same technology with a different material, or trade with their world for more of the ore.
If anything, when Corrin came up to talk with him, this came up, and discussing such a possibility made more progress towards an alliance than anything else that'd been said before.
"It'd be dangerous trying to trade using the Waves. But perhaps if the Boat Hero could be used as an intermediary, it would be possible." The young King suggested.
"Why would you need Ethnobalt?" Itsuki asked.
"Oh? That's because his weapon is capable of traveling between worlds outside of the Waves." Corrin answered. "It'd be much safer exchanging materials with his help rather than using a Wave for it."
"..." That felt like it should have been mentioned earlier. Itsuki was about to comment on this. However, another figure had approached the Bow Hero. He held his hands together nervously. And Corrin walked off after a servant whispered something into his ear.
It was about Hinoka requesting for him to come to dinner. She'd been patiently waiting for the last two hours for the Conference to finish. Her patience was starting to thin, however.
It was never a good thing when that happened. He'd most likely be fulfilling diaper duty for the next month if he didn't get there as soon as possible.
"I-I'm sorry, B-Bow Hero, right? That recording, t-the confession. Is that all true then? Was that really how Ken-sensei died?"
Itsuki turned around. It was the Ofuda Hero, Hoshi. His compatriots were talking to Kizuna and Glass. It looked like Daitan was apologizing for his behavior earlier.
"Yes. It's true, all of it," Itsuki said.
"..." The Ofuda Hero looked down at the ground, his hands trembling at his sides. "T-that b-black-haired person with the scary face. W-what h-h-happened to him?"
"He was cut in half vertically by the new Katana Hero," Itsuki answered. "He didn't realize he was dead till he tried to take a step forward."
"I… I see. That's… that's good." Hoshi finally managed to look up. There was a hint of a small smile on his face. "T-Tell her… tell her that we say, thank you."
"I'd be happy to do that." Itsuki proceeded to send Naofumi a message via his communication ofuda.
The Shield Hero was obviously confused when he responded with a ?. So Itsuki supplied him with some context in his next message and received a thumbs up in return. "Alright, that should do it." Itsuki put the communication ofuda away.
"I-I'm Hoshi, by the way. Isao Hoshi."
"Kawasumi Itsuki." Itsuki introduced himself with a smile.
…
"Um… since the meeting is over… would… would you and your friends mind… coming with Akane and me and Daitan? We… really appreciate what you did for Ken-sensei.
"Even… even if one of us… is hiding it."
Akane had her arms folded over her chest now. There was no hint that she'd been crying before. Instead, she was staring down at Kizuna in challenge. But the young girl was grinning back as she tried to converse with the Jewel Hero. "T-Trust me. She… she really does appreciate Kenshiro's murderer being revealed."
"Sure. I won't mind spending time with you. The conference isn't resuming till tomorrow anyway." Itsuki smiled back as he put a hand forward.
Hoshi tentatively shook the Bow Hero's hand. A look of relief on his face.
Itsuki asked Glass and Kizuna if they were okay with this, and they agreed to come along. It appeared Corrin saying that their rooms were going to be left unused earlier would be prophetic.
The group of Heroes left the Conference room and soon left the castle behind altogether to enter the city proper.
If there was anything Itsuki could say that he hadn't said before, it was this: Lazuli was just as beautiful at night as it was during the day.
Gemstones set in lampposts on the streets activated with the coming of night. Their light mixed with the natural glow of magic power coming from gemstones embedded everywhere else in view.
It appeared that Lazuli had an active nightlife too. There were still plenty of people on the streets. Doing everything from hitting up bars to theatres where plays were performed.
The Bow Hero's advanced hearing even heard a loud YOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! followed by some shamisen and drum music coming from a place far down the street. He recognized it as a Kabuki theatre. Though, he had the feeling it wasn't the first one he'd come across in this world.
How strange?
There was even a place that sounded like a karaoke spot, as people were singing offkey on a stage inside for others' entertainment.
Man… he really wished he could bring Rishia there. It'd be so much fun between him playing an awesome song and having her beautiful voice accompany him…
"Oh! Let's go there, everyone! There are so many beautiful women to flirt with in there!" Daitan then proceeded to point at the karaoke bar with a bright smile on his face.
"N-No way. Too m-many people f-for my liking." The Ofuda Hero stuttered.
"It isn't as interesting as you'd think anyway." Akane rolled her eyes. "Both the staff and the customers frequenting it are a bunch of boors."
"Just because they don't wear your outfits doesn't make them boars." Daitan rolled his eyes. "But, speaking of boars, how about we go somewhere to eat then? I'm hungry enough to eat a whole boar!" He complained.
"C-Can't we show them around the city f-first?" Hoshi asked.
The three other Cardinal Heroes were walking with Glass, Kizuna, and Itsuki. And… they were pretty annoying, to be honest.
Well, Hoshi wasn't really that annoying. Itsuki could get along with him far better than the other two. Daitan though was just way too much like Discount Motoyasu or L'Arc with his fake macho attitude and way of talking. And Akane…
He just couldn't get a read on her at all. She seemed to be deliberately avoiding any of his attempts to interact with her and even made a point to avoid looking at him directly, which was odd, after how long she had stared at him when they first met. So he could only observe her interactions with others, like how she was talking with Kizuna right now.
"What is with that drab outfit anyway? You look hideous."
"Oh, this is just something formal that I needed for the conference!" Kizuna shrugged happily.
She then threw the kimono off, much to everyone's shock and surprise.
However, much to their relief, she'd been wearing her normal gothic dress underneath the outfit.
Well, maybe Glass looked a little disappointed instead of relieved.
"Ah, much better." Kizuna took the wood sandals off and pulled her normal boots from her weapon's gemstone, putting them back on.
"Why were you wearing that under that?" Akane asked in disbelief.
"Because this is my signature outfit. And I wasn't going to leave it behind even if I had to leave the haori in Sickle." Kizuna rolled her eyes.
"This dress is even worse than the kimono. At least the wave pattern on that one looked somewhat interesting. And it's supposed to be everyday clothes? You'd be better off updating that drab dishrag with something that looks a lot better like my outfit."
Wow, the way she said that, Itsuki almost wanted to punch her in the face.
She sounded almost as haughty as Bitch.
Glass also looked angry and hurt over the outfit she'd made for Kizuna being dismissed so hard. Kizuna noticed the look on her best friend's face and anger rose in her chest.
"Oh, is it because it doesn't have enough frills to hide my lack of chest like yours?" Kizuna countered.
…
Oof.
Ooooooooooooooooof.
Akane opened and closed her mouth. She looked shocked and angry at Kizuna's retort. It'd definitely been a critical hit on her ego. "At least my lack of chest matches my youthful, girlish look. What's your excuse, Granny?" Kizuna pressed further.
Glass couldn't have looked more proud of her best friend than she did at that moment. However, Itsuki could tell that any further words from both sides would ignite a catfight between the two. And Kizuna's disadvantage against people would make it unfavorable towards her.
"Ladies, ladies, please, there's no need to fight." Daitan suddenly interjected, an oddly nervous look on his face.
"I like all breasts equally."
…
Akane promptly buried his head through a wall. Itsuki grimaced at the sight of Daitan struggling to free himself.
Well, this showed that the Jewel Hero had some offensive capabilities at least. However, the Blunt Weapons Hero did manage to pull himself out quickly, unlike when Glass did it. "Ahaha! I love feisty women! I'll make you mine yet, Akane! Mark my words!"
"Not even in your dreams." The redhead scoffed in disgust before glancing at Itsuki. "I would rather date this outsider, than spend even a minute alone with you. He may be a manlet too, but at least he's got a handsome face."
…
The Bow Hero had no idea how to respond to that while Daitan laughed nervously again. "Him...? Hah! If you say so! But seriously though, let's go find someplace to eat already, I really am hungry. "
Akane crossed her arms and didn't say anything. She still looked angry about the earlier comment, though Dai's interjection had gotten them past that without a fight breaking out.
"Sure! Got any good recommendations?!" Kizuna asked happily.
"Um… I have a place nearby…" Hoshi mentioned nervously. "We could eat there for free if you wouldn't mind?"
"Oh, good idea! It's been a while since I went to your maid cafe, Hoshi!" Daitan said happily.
"Maid cafe?" Glass asked confusedly.
Kizuna and Itsuki understood immediately though. And they explained what it was to the Fans Hero as they walked through the streets of the city.
At one point, they walked by a large building. Itsuki couldn't read the sign, but Glass pointed out that this was where the child he saw earlier had likely been taken.
It was sort of like a nursery.
According to her and Kizuna, foundlings from the streets in this section of the city would be taken here, where they'd be cared for until they were ready to be adopted.
Gem People could have kids the normal way too. But traditionally, most gem families living in Lazuli got their children here as a way to pay respect to the land that had birthed them. So it was rare for a foundling to be in one of these nurseries for more than a year.
It also made the Queen and King's natural birth with their daughter Kana all the more impressive. Actually, it'd been centuries since royalty had taken the natural route to produce a heir.
Eventually, the group arrived at Hoshi's maid cafe. Itsuki recognized it as the same one he'd seen from the air.
It actually looked a lot like the ones Itsuki would see in his world. There looked to be some customers eating on the outdoor patio with waitresses in traditional French maid clothes serving them. But there was nobody eating inside.
The other odd thing about it was the presence of multiple gem cats.
Itsuki had noticed them from the sky earlier, but there were more of them here, lounging inside and outside the cafe. On tables. In chairs. One was even resting on the lap of one of the customers while he ate.
"Kuro-chan!" Hoshi called out excitedly. The sudden lack of nervousness from him surprised Itsuki. "I have some friends who are hungry!"
A black cat with a short sleek coat and an amber jewel embedded in its forehead slowly prowled from the doorway at his voice. Itsuki raised an eyebrow in confusion, only to almost reel back when the cat transformed in a flash of light into the form of a short black-haired catgirl dressed in a maid's outfit. Her slanted eyes held a bored expression. "Master Hoshi brought friends with him?"
"Um… yeah. The meeting was pretty wild. Heheh." Hoshi chuckled nervously while rubbing the back of his neck.
"Hmmm." The cat gem girl looked everyone over with mild disinterest. "This is new. It's not often Master Hoshi makes friends with people. I shall get to making a celebratory meal at once."
"Hey, I make friends every now and then…" Hoshi weakly protested.
"Whatever you say." Kuro's ear flicked on her head.
"Oh, and can I, you know…" Hoshi began to ask.
"Absolutely not," Kuro said back.
"Please! I did really good today!" Hoshi fell to his knees and began to beg with his hands clasped above his head. "Besides, I know you love it!"
Itsuki raised an eyebrow. The gem cat looked back at him. Her golden eyes seemed to briefly flash in embarrassment. "I don't love it… but fine. You did better today than normal. So we can do it after the meal is done."
"YAY! You're the best Kuro-chan!"
The girl rolled her eyes as she walked back inside.
"Well, grab a seat wherever you like!" Hoshi said excitedly. He almost looked to be on cloud nine.
Itsuki was so confused. But, for once, he didn't feel like asking.
There was no reason to ask what the Ofuda Hero was going to do after dinner… no need to ask something that'd just bring Naofumi and his activities up in his mind again.
That wasn't what was going to happen, right? Itsuki got along with Hoshi better than the others. He'd rather he didn't do anything to ruin that.
Wait, Naofumi had only reacted with symbols and emojis earlier. Was it... was it possible he'd sent so short of a response because-!
"Oh, crap, I should probably let Medina and Vel know I'm going to be late." Daitan suddenly facepalmed.
You know what, maybe there was a positive aspect to that guy after all. Itsuki made use of Daitan's interruption to immediately throw the thought he'd been pondering at the bottom of his brain and bury it so it'd never pop out again.
"Friends of yours?" Kizuna asked casually.
"What? Ohohoho! Oh no, they're just two pretty redheads who help me run my gymnasium." Daitan answered smoothly.
"And by that, he means they had nowhere else to work," Akane said in a bored voice.
"Hey! They love working there more than they did with you since I bring them out to grind with me every now and then, unlike you!" Daitan scowled as he pulled an ofuda from his weapon. "I'll be back in a second!" He rushed away to a secluded part of the patio where he could talk in peace.
…
"So… what do you people do for a living?" Itsuki decided to break the ice in a safe way.
"Oh? Well, Daitan there runs a gym." The monochrome hero perked up. "He really likes to work out. Akane is a fashion designer and model. She designs all of her outfits and makes them herself.
"As for me, I help with running this place… you know, when I'm not busy with other things, haha."
"Oh, like hunting monsters?" Itsuki asked hopefully. Daitan mentioned grinding, so maybe they were trying to get stronger after all!
"No, fighting's not really my thing… it doesn't help that this kusoge's balance is trash," Hoshi complained. "Are the monsters in your game so overpowered too? It's like we're playing on the Asian setting."
...
Itsuki's smile fell a little. "No. The monsters in my world aren't nearly as strong. Though, we haven't been fighting the Waves for as long. And we've helped each other grow a lot more powerful than we were individually…" Hoshi gave no response to that, so Itsuki felt pressed to continue. "So what do you do when you're not running this place?"
"Well, um… it's kind of embarrassing…" Hoshi said nervously.
"Oh, for the love of God, is it really that hard to admit you draw manga in your spare time?" Akane rudely asked from her table.
"Akane!" Hoshi said angrily.
However, before he could say anything more, Itsuki suddenly pulled his copy of "How a Lone Nerd Saved The World He Was Summoned To" from his weapon and looked at the cover. "Wait, so YOU made this?!"
"Uh… H-Heh. Yeah. You… you like it?" The boy asked nervously.
"Dude! There isn't any manga in the world I was summoned to! This was a godsend!" Itsuki exclaimed. "Plus, your art is freaking incredible! It's almost like the characters themselves will jump off the page at any moment!"
"Y-You think so?" Hoshi asked in surprise, though he looked happy at the compliment.
The two fell into a conversation where Itsuki talked about what he'd read. About what he'd liked. About what Hoshi could possibly improve on.
If anything, the Ofuda Hero seemed to come alive again discussing it. There were even a few times he had to correct Itsuki on what he'd thought had happened, as Itsuki couldn't read this world's language without Rishia's help.
"You know, I have the original Japanese draft of it upstairs from when I first drew it. Do you want me to grab it for you?" Hoshi asked excitedly. "I could also grab the next three volumes too."
"You'd do that?!" Itsuki shared the enthusiasm.
"Yeah, I kind of made some copies for the others since they didn't bother to learn the written language here. I couldn't exactly pull off the manga route using just the Japanese language here. But, Akane isn't really interested in manga, and Dai-Tan, well… he preferred other genres when he wasn't working out. I still made the copies for them though, just in case."
"Hey, I'll take a copy too if you wouldn't mind," Kizuna spoke then with a smile. "I'm not very proficient with the written languages in this world either. And me and my sisters loved reading manga to each other! It could give me and Glass something to do in our free time!"
Glass nearly fell out of her seat at that. "Yes! Please get some copies for Kizuna too!" She demanded forcefully.
Hoshi sweated nervously but ran off just as Daitan came back from his call.
"So, you're also a Hero, huh?" The blonde man smirked as he finally sized Itsuki up. "You don't look like anything special to me."
…
Itsuki had to refrain from saying how he could easily destroy Daitan with little to no effort. "For someone that runs a gym, you seem to be lacking in the muscle department." He chose to say instead.
"Hey, um, it's not like you have any muscles either!" Daitan complained. "You have no idea just how much I've trained up my strength! Looks aren't everything!"
"Then why did you start out by saying I don't look like anything special?" Itsuki asked confusedly.
"Because I can definitely tell that I'm the strongest one here!" Daitan gloated. "Well, besides maybe the Fan Hero… but I not only train daily, but I've won several strength competitions here in Lapis! Not even the local monsters stand a chance against me!"
"The local monsters here aren't really that strong though. The ones in the mountains are much tougher." Akane pointed out. "When will you go there to really prove your strength?
"I-I'll be doing that as soon as Vel and Medina are ready!" Daitan responded heatedly. "It's not like you fight many monsters these days!"
"Only when I need high-quality drops and materials for my dresses that adventurers and stores can't provide." Akane rolled her eyes.
"A-Anyway, if you really doubt my power then I can prove that I'm stronger than you with a feat of strength!" Daitan said to Itsuki.
"You sure you want to do that? You don't know how high my stats are." Itsuki warned with a quirked eyebrow.
However, Daitan didn't back down. And after a few seconds, Itsuki found himself sitting across from him. Setting his arm up for an 'arm wrestling' match.
"Ha, I hope you're ready to get destroyed!" The blonde scrawny hero said.
"Hmmm." Itsuki didn't favor him with a response as he grasped his hand. The Blunt Weapons Hero did have a strong grip. He'd give him that.
However, when the match started, Itsuki brought his arm down in less than a second. Slamming it forcefully against the table.
It was pathetic. He'd barely given it any of his strength, and he hardly felt any resistance from the other Hero too. How could he be so weak?
"H-Hey! I wasn't ready!" Daitan complained.
"Alright, we can try again." Itsuki drawled.
They set up and started again. Only, this time, Itsuki gave the other Hero a minute where he did nothing but sit there and watch.
His hand didn't even move. Even though the other Hero strained and grunted as he gave it his all.
Daitan's stats were nowhere near Itsuki's.
The Blunt Weapons Hero had probably won all those competitions despite his lack of muscle because of his stats. They'd already be higher than a normal person's since he was a Hero. And if he really trained daily like he said then they'd be even higher thanks to that.
But Motoyasu had already learned the hard way how nothing could compare to a Hero who was wielding multiple strengthening methods and using every avenue possible to grow stronger.
Itsuki reinforced this lesson in Daitan when he finally brought his hand down so hard that it cracked the table and flipped the other Hero over onto the ground.
"Urgh!" The Blunt Weapons Hero landed with a crash, making Itsuki worry for a second that he went overboard, but the tan young man immediately bounced back up, none the worse for the wear.
"Haha! Not bad! You might just make me use two percent of my power!" He proclaimed proudly before returning to his spot opposite Itsuki.
"What?" The Bow Hero blinked. "What are you doing, I already won."
"No, you didn't! It's a best two out of three!" The scrawny blonde protested.
"But I beat you twice already."
"The first time didn't count!"
Itsuki sighed and, against his better judgment, humored him once more.
It went about as well as you'd expect.
"Nghh! You just got lucky! Best out of five!"
"Daitan, give up already and stop embarrassing yourself." Akane sighed while sipping on some water from a glass.
"No! I refuse! Now come on!" The boy pointed at Itsuki while returning to his seat.
"Guh! Best out of seven!"
"Ack! Best out of nine!"
"Hygah! Best out of eleven!"
"Thirteen!"
"Fifteen!"
"Seventeen!"
"NINETEEN!"
"That's enough! This is getting ridiculous!" Itsuki shook his head and leaned back in his chair while closing his eyes after losing track of just how many times he'd flipped the other Hero at this time.
"Agreed," Glass spoke out with similar annoyance. "Blunt Weapons Hero, you need to learn to accept-"
"Haha! That means I win!" Daitan threw one of his hands up in triumph.
…
"I-..." Itsuki was at a loss for words.
"You refused my challenge. That means you gave up and that means I won!" The boy crossed his hands on his chest smugly.
"...dude, are you five?" Kizuna asked in a bleak tone.
"Five feet and three inches, thank you very much!" Daitan harumphed.
"I was talking about your age-ah forget it." Kizuna sighed.
Itsuki hoped that this would be it, but Daitan continued to speak. "Geeze, how high is your level anyway? 150? 200?"
"Right now? I'm level 70." Itsuki answered honestly.
…
"I don't believe you," Daitan frowned.
Itsuki sent him a party invite, and the Blunt Weapon Hero accepted it so he'd be able to see.
His jaw dropped when he saw that Itsuki wasn't lying.
Itsuki's eyebrow also quirked up when he saw Daitan was level 85.
"No way… there's seriously no way…"
"There is a way. I doubt you've tried to utilize it though." Itsuki shrugged.
"You mean, you met the god of muscles?" Daitan's eyes widened.
...
The Bow Hero blinked once. Then twice.
"I'm sorry, what?" He eventually managed to respond.
"You met the god of muscles in your game world and he blessed you with this absurd strength! That has to be the reason why you're so strong, you cheat!" Daitan explained heatedly.
...
It was a good thing that you could not, in fact, 'die of cringe', as many people used to joke about back in Itsuki's old world. Because, if that was true, then the Bow Hero was certain that he would have imploded into a singularity in that moment that would then create a black hole that would suck in all life on the planet into it.
He was unintentionally looking into a mirror of what he'd been like before. And it was awful. How had Naofumi and the others not punched him in the face for his stupidity back then?
"I didn't meet any god." Itsuki used all of his willpower to not scream. "I just shared my weapon's strengthening methods with my fellow Heroes, and that made us all a lot stronger than we were before. That's almost the entire reason why my stats are so high."
"Hmph. What a neat mechanic to have in your world then." Daitan crossed his arms and looked away, clearly not believing it.
Itsuki wanted to scream at him again and tell him that the same crap existed here and that if he had even a single brain cell to his name he'd be able to try it out too for the same results. But he was too pissed off with the guy to say such a thing.
Daitan began a quiet conversation with Akane after that. He didn't try to talk to the Bow Hero anymore.
"What are your opinions on them so far?" Itsuki asked Glass and Kizuna quietly. "Good. Bad?"
"Hopeless," Glass said back dryly.
"Yeah. The Blunt Weapons Hero is definitely hopeless." Itsuki agreed.
"Oh come on, you two. Hoshi seems to be a little reasonable at least." Kizuna offered.
"Yes, and he also seems to be the least likely to want to get back into fighting again," Glass responded. "Plus, Itsuki here has seen for himself how weak they are."
"And that's because they haven't shared their methods with one another as you have," Itsuki told Glass.
"Well, we need to at least try," Kizuna said with a pout. "Just because they've given up doesn't mean that we should give up on them."
"Kizuna… if you could get them to want to fight, that'd be a miracle," Glass said seriously. "I appreciate your optimism. But we need to remember why we came here."
They would have talked some more, but then, Hoshi arrived back with the requested volumes for Kizuna and Itsuki. He looked very happy and eager to continue discussing things with them when they read them.
"Hey, um, just out of curiosity." Itsuki began before Hoshi could sit next to his hero comrades. "What's keeping you all here instead of going out to fight the Waves? Don't you know you can use the weapon forms from them to grow stronger?"
"Oh? That's because we're waiting for the devs to fix the OP monster bug." Hoshi shrugged.
"We aren't exactly strong enough to fight the Waves as they are now. If we went, we'd all die in the first minute. And waiting to respawn after that would be… unpleasant."
…
It was definitely a disheartening response. It was almost exactly what Itsuki would have said if he'd still believed that he was in a game.
Kizuna still tried to open her mouth to ask the question L'Arc had recommended her to do, but before she could, Kuro came back with dinner for everyone.
Her hands fell into her lap as she looked down sadly. "Hey, don't sweat it. We can try again later after the Conference is over." Itsuki encouraged.
Glass also rested a hand on her best friend's shoulder. It wasn't long before the Hunting Tools Hero perked up. "Okay."
It ended up being a pretty good meal overall. Not Naofumi tier, and definitely not Rishia's Napolitan tier, but still good nonetheless. He'd give it 3 stars, maybe 4 stars.
There wasn't really much to be said after that. It was late, and they all needed to go their separate ways.
The other Cardinal Heroes did thank Kizuna for bringing justice to Kenshiro though. And they said they'd be at the Conference tomorrow as well to see what'd happen… and that was perhaps, the only time where Akane did look grateful.
Or maybe it was just Itsuki's imagination.
Whatever the case, they parted ways after that. And the group returned to the castle, where they rested for the night and prepared for the Conference to resume tomorrow.
Needless to say, the next part of the Conference didn't go smoothly.
At all.
The events of the previous day hadn't prepared them at all for the &^%$storm that they would wade into as soon as Kizuna had started speaking.
"You want to ally with Heroes from another world to stop the Waves?!"
"You naive girl! Trusting people from other worlds will bring ruin to us!"
Kizuna had just explained what she wanted to do going forward to help unite their world, and she was frantically doing her best to keep up with everything. Trying to address everyone's fears and concerns.
However, some of what people were saying was… not good. Not good at all.
"Why should we bother with stopping the Waves anyway?" The Harpoon Hero asked arrogantly. "Do you have any idea how reliant we are on them? They give us a limitless source of monster materials, experience, and drops in exchange for a mild inconvenience happening every couple of weeks."
"I-Inconvenience? Are you insane?!" Glass spoke angrily. "More and more people die with each Wave! You are a Hero! You are supposed to defend our world from being destroyed! That is your duty!"
"Who says I'm not?" The guy shrugged mockingly. "I've had no trouble with protecting my country so far and the losses that we'd suffered are incomparable to the sheer amount of power and wealth that the waves have provided us with. Who cares about duty? Only a fool would reject such a boon."
"That's fine for you to say but not every country has the power and capacity to fight them!" Kizuna protested. "And they grow stronger each time they hit!" While the Wave in Sickle had felt easy to her, the Wave at Lapis had been more difficult. And, even at the Sickle Wave, she'd still been taking small amounts of damage from the monsters that hit her.
They'd also had the help of Otherworld Heroes with both Waves. Who knew how much worse things could have been without them around? "At some point, it will escalate to where we won't be able to stop them by fighting individually! We need to unite just like we did against the Demon Dragon to stop them!"
But Kizuna's words fell on deaf ears. The other delegates spoke in agreement with the Harpoon Hero's words. Sharing his point of view.
Itsuki was beyond astounded. And he was even more astounded when they blew off concerns of famines, earthquakes, and other natural disasters that came from the reality of their world being damaged by the Waves.
"Don't the legends say that as long as the Cardinal Heroes are alive, our world won't be destroyed? Why bother then? The Waves will end by themselves eventually." A snide-looking kid asked from another table up front. He had a violin in his hands, and the same thing was engraved on his desk. "You can't just barge in and order us to give up on such a massive source of income for our countries."
The Otherworld Cardinal heroes looked at him in surprise at his words. Something Itsuki barely noticed as some of the delegates at other tables began to yell in agreement. Booing Kizuna and the others for daring to do something that'd make them worse off.
Glass and Kizuna both tried to yell some common sense into the room. Corrin also tried to bring order. However, the majority of people weren't budging on this whatsoever.
They not only found the idea of allying with another world to stop the Waves stupid. They were threatening to go to war with Sickle if they did anything to end them prematurely.
This went on for several minutes. Itsuki stared around the room at the scene of chaos.
The other Heroes sitting in their seats looked uncomfortable. This definitely was nothing like yesterday.
At some point, Itsuki finally snapped.
"WHAT THE &^%$ IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!?" Itsuki yelled into his Voice Gengar Bow, silencing everyone as his voice was projected throughout the dome room.
"Not even the countries of my world are this divided! Everyone should know that one Wave anywhere in the world is responsible for the famines and other natural disasters hitting the surrounding areas outside of it! Yet you'd rather keep them open and have the majority of people the world over suffer from your complete %$$ stupidity to make a few extra coins! What kind of bat &^%$ insane asylum did you crawl out of to-"
The Harpoon Guy spoke several words, inaudible from Itsuki's voice. But a glowing harpoon came from his hand and shot out towards the Bow Hero.
It was only thanks to Glass's reflexes that Itsuki wasn't impaled by the sudden attack. She expertly knocked the skill away with one of her fans before Itsuki could even blink and realize what had almost happened.
"Know your place, outsider." The Harpoon Guy spoke venomously. "This is our world, not yours. You have no right to speak down on us."
Far from being intimidated though, the aura around Itsuki visibly darkened.
"You want to try that again, dip&^%$," Itsuki spoke in an ominous voice.
The Bow in his hands began to leech in color, and the Harpoon Hero visibly took a step back. "Just try that again. I &^%$ing dare you.
"I will make everything the Demon Dragon did to the people of your world look like a joke after I'm done with you. I will ensure that fighting me is the last mistake you ever make, you &^%$&^% piece of-"
"Itsuki! Enough!" Kizuna gripped his wrist, shaking the Bow Hero.
The action shook the Bow Hero from his stupor. Itsuki reeled back as the Cursed Bow faded from existence.
People were still staring at him though. And a scowl worked its way across the Harpoon Hero's face.
"Even if Itsuki's an outsider, that doesn't mean he isn't right!" Kizuna then shouted to the room.
Itsuki nearly fell back into his chair. Crap, had he really almost allowed that jerk to get him to equip his Cursed Series?
He didn't hear anything else that was said from Kizuna until the end. He couldn't believe that he'd almost done something so incredibly stupid.
Had he just ruined any possible chances of anything happening with his outburst?
"Do you really care for your people so little that you would subject them to the Waves longer than necessary?" Kizuna pleaded with all her heart in her voice.
…
"Mine, no. But for others, I couldn't care less." The Harpoon Hero admitted almost too casually. "In all honesty, I only came here because Lapis's Emperor asked me to. Had it been anyone else, I would have said no." He glared at Kizuna, not Itsuki, as he spoke next.
"I believe I have wasted enough of my precious time here. I will abide by the agreement that we made yesterday but that's it. And before I leave, know this, everyone, I will go to war with you and anyone else here that tries to stop the Waves in my lands."
Other delegates began to say the same thing. Or something along those lines.
Some said they'd go to war if anyone made any effort to stop the Waves the world over.
Those were the truly stupid ones.
Corrin tried to restore peace again but to no avail.
Kizuna looked around the room desperately. "Damn it, this isn't what we need! We need to be united, not divided!"
"We have not even asked them for help with Luvar yet." Glass pointed out.
Itsuki looked around in disbelief.
How?
Just… how?
Corrin tried to raise his voice again, but he couldn't be heard over the din of everyone's voices.
There was no Naofumi there. More importantly, there was no Mirellia.
The politics of this world were at least ten times worse than in their own. Lapis had the influence and the neutrality to bring many different countries together. But in the end, their leader just didn't have the voice or the authority to bring many different minds together the way Naofumi and Mirellia or Werner could.
Though, in his defense, that wasn't the only problem going on here.
Itsuki clenched his fists to the point of them turning white. He suddenly felt very tempted to pull out his Cursed Bow again. Only, he'd use its ability to brainwash everyone there so they'd actually be smart.
Even if he'd promised Naofumi and Rishia he wouldn't. Even if he'd feel more terrible than he already did.
The situation was too far gone for normal measures to be considered.
Not to mention… he really did not like that Harpoon Guy whatsoever.
But before he could think on it more, or even ponder on the consequences that his actions would most certainly bring, the Label minister, who'd been silent so far, stood up with a communication ofuda active in his hand. "L-LABEL IS UNDER ATTACK!"
The arguments going on all over the room were instantly silenced.
The Mirror Country, or Mikikage's minister suddenly pointed at Kizuna and her group. "It's them! It has to be! This was all a ruse to-"
However, a communication ofuda went off on her belt. She grumbled and pulled it out. "What the hell is it?!"
"..."
"..."
The delegate's face drained of all color. "What?"
…
…
After a moment, she sat, the ofuda suddenly turning off. "What's wrong!? What happened!?" Corrin asked.
…
"Mikikage's Capital… is under attack…"
"What?! By whom!?" The King of Lapis pressed.
"... by the Book Hero and his forces." The woman spoke out shakily.
"Greetings, Mirror Hero."
"Who the f- oh, it's you."
The Book Hero stood in the doorway of the Mirror Hero's room. His weapon was clutched in the grip of his freshly-made right hand.
It shook and trembled every so often, so he kept it pressed close against the side of his body to make it less obvious.
Even though he'd managed to make a perfect replacement for his body using the homunculi technology, it still had issues cooperating with the rest of his body. It made no sense, and the Book Hero was still trying to figure out the cause for his arm's flaws in responding to his commands.
His most prevailing theory was that it was because of his soul. Which, while doing some experiments, he'd found that the right arm of it was missing too. Apparently, that sword bastard hadn't only cut off part of his physical body. That blade was capable of cutting through souls too.
Had the Sword Hero hit him somewhere like the neck… reincarnator powers or not, there was no way he would have come back from that. Kyo would have been permadead.
Thoughts for later. He supposed. There was something more important that he was here for.
...
The man standing opposite Kyo narrowed his eyes in confusion before running his hand through his long flocks of ebony hair in annoyance.
"Are you going to just stand there? Get on with it. What do you want from me? I was about to go to sleep." The mirror hero scoffed in annoyance before turning away from Kyo to glance at his bed.
"Oh, don't worry. I won't stick around for long. I have important things to attend to as well." Kyo spoke quietly, his spectacles reflecting the light from a magic lamp that was set on a nearby table. "I just dropped by to get something cleared up."
"Speak then. Your presence here is annoying. You know we aren't supposed to interact with each other." The mirror hero sighed before facing the Book Hero again.
"I heard an interesting rumor recently." Kyo continued. "That Kiz-, that the Hunting Tools hero is back. And that she had been trapped in The Infinite Labyrinth, ever since she had disappeared. And..."
There was a quiet sound of straining flesh as Kyo's grip on his book tightened. "...that it was you who put her there all those years ago."
"..."
The Mirror Hero didn't react at first. But soon, his gaunt face slowly widened into a smug smirk and he crossed his arms on his chest. "Jealous?"
Kyo didn't respond to that. His face remained oddly expressionless as the Mirror Hero continued speaking. "Are you mad that I stole your kill? Is that what this is about? Save your bitching, I know you said that she was yours to take care of, but it was too perfect of an opportunity to pass up. The little bitch had shipwrecked into our country without any of her allies to help her out. It was almost too easy for me to capture her."
"I was actually planning to kill her outright at first, but one of the bosses stepped in and ordered me to imprison her instead. They said that the waves would be starting soon and that they wanted to try out some new experimental shows for their audience, or some %^&*.
"Like, having only three heroes available to fight the waves would shake things up a bit. Would make the world subjugation go by faster too. My guess is that whoever they're making this circus for has gotten a shorter attention span. Or maybe they just want some insurance this time, in case the local hicks decide to reroll their $%^&ty hero gacha again after the other three get killed. Can't do that if one of the heroes is still alive."
"I tried to argue against it at first, because, god damn, that little bitch was so annoying. But you know what our bosses are like. Oh well, seeing the look of despair on her face when I threw her in that Labyrinth was pretty satisfying too. And in hindsight, it turned out to be the right call, since the other three Heroes are so pathetically weak. Had that bitch not been missing, I have no doubt that the locals would have killed them themselves and tried to summon a new batch again.
"Too bad she managed to escape though. I still can't believe that idiot Kazuki allowed her to get away. Then again, he's somehow an even bigger loser than you are, so it really shouldn't be surprising."
"Yes...how...unfortunate…" Kyo replied, a small scowl forming on his face.
The Book Hero slowly reached out behind him with his hand and closed the door to the room that they were in. Outside, the two guards who'd stood at the door earlier lay dead in growing pools of their own blood.
"No worries. We'll recapture her soon enough." The Mirror Hero waved his hand dismissively. "I already have a few ideas actually. But this time, I'll make sure to imprison her somewhere else. A place that she'll never be able to escape from this time." Albert continued to rant with a wicked smirk.
"And to make it extra foolproof, I'll be sure to cut off her arms and legs this time. Maybe even that nasty tongue of hers too so she can't yell and cuss at me when I put her in her place on all fours. At least then she'll have had some use, and I bet the bosses would be quite pleased with me breaking her like that. Maybe I'll even get a new cheat skill as a reward and-"
Albert, the Hero of the Vassal Mirror, was so engrossed in his daydream that he never noticed Kyo slowly walking up to him. The Book Hero's new hand suddenly shot out and wrapped around his throat, cutting him off.
"Hurk- what- are you-"
The Vassal Book was driven into the gaunt man's face like a mace with more force than it had any right to have. Several of his teeth flew out of his mouth and fell on the floor with a clatter before Kyo let go of the Mirror Hero's throat. The ebony-haired man collapsed on the floor with a wheeze, desperately trying to pull out his own weapon in a daze. But Kyo stomped on his hand hard, gluing it to the floor and pulverizing his fingers.
Albert screamed out in agony but it was immediately cut short as Kyo drove his book into his face again. And again.
And again.
The Mirror Hero tried to resist, then protested, then demanded answers as to why Kyo was doing this to him.
But eventually, he started to cry and begged for him to stop.
But the Book Hero didn't stop. Without letting out so much as a single grunt, he continued to smash his Vassal Book into Albert's body over and over and over like a hammer.
Finally, he stopped. Kyo's clothing, weapon, and even glasses were completely drenched in blood. Beneath him laid the broken and battered body of his associate letting out weak gurgling noises and wheezing breaths.
Albert tried to speak again but only a pathetic weak gasp came out of his crushed throat. He had no way to form words anymore as his jaw had been shattered.
Kyo reached toward one of the bottles on his belt, raised it to his lips, and bit down on its cork. He pulled it free and spat it out before spilling the contents of the potion vial down on the brutalized mess of flesh and bones on the floor.
Albert hissed as the potion poured on his wounds. He saw his health bar rapidly going back up but something felt wrong. Even though his health was recovering, the way that his body was healing was all wrong. His ruptured organs either stayed outside his body, attaching themselves to his skin like leeches, or fused together into an incomprehensible new form that brought him even more agony than what the brutal beating by Kyo's hands had.
His crushed bones pulled themselves together, piercing and tearing through his own flesh as they rearranged themselves in ways that were unnatural, with many of them jutting out of his body like spikes.
He screamed and screamed but could do nothing but convulse on the floor in agony until his health bar finally topped up.
And then, Kyo struck him again. The beating resumed with the same intensity as before.
Just as Albert was about to die again, Kyo fed him another one of his mystery potions and healed him before continuing the beating.
The cycle continued seemingly endlessly. With Albert's body growing more and more mutilated with each beating, to the point where he no longer resembled anything resembling a human being.
The Mirror Hero did not fear death. For people like them, it was only a minor setback. But Kyo knew this since he was one of them too. And now, Albert did not fear death so much as he yearned for it. To escape the hell that his own body was putting him through.
Bzzz! Bzzz!
The endless cycle only came to a stop when a buzzing noise came from Kyo's jacket.
Blood dripped from the Vassal Book as it stopped midswing. Whatever expression that Kyo held at that moment was a mystery as his glasses and face were completely drenched in blood along with the rest of his body.
He let out a deep shuddering breath as his grip on his book weakened a little. He began to rapidly snap his fingers with his free hand while muttering to himself.
"...nine...eight...seven..."
He slowly, stiffly turned around, pulled out a handkerchief from his weapon's gem, and spent a minute cleaning his gloves and glasses. All the while the annoying buzz continued to ring from his jacket.
Bzzz! Bzzz!
Bzzz! Bzzz!
Finally, he threw the handkerchief on the floor and pulled out a small wooden box from his jacket that was the source of the noise. He flipped it open, revealing a communication Ofuda stored within before raising it up to the side of his face like a phone.
Bzz- "Yes, Yomogi, what is it?"
"Kyo? Are you okay? You took so long to answer."
"I'm alright. Just a little busy. What'd you need?"
"Mikikage's forces are crumbling. And Label's Capital is putting up very little resistance. We should have complete control of both cities soon." The female voice spoke from the ofuda again. "What's the next step?"
"... proceed as planned. Burn Mikikage's Capital to the ground. And then rally our forces to the Hourglass at Label to subjugate the rest of the country, I'll be there soon to direct things myself after that. I just have one last loose end to take care of."
"Understood… but… Kyo, are you really alright? You sound… tense." The girl on the other end asked again.
"...Yomogi, you're nagging again," Kyo answered evasively.
"Ah! You're right, sorry." The girl on the other side of the Ofuda sounded embarrassed.
The Book Hero sighed. "Stop being such a worrywart and focus on the mission instead. I'll join you in a bit."
"... alright. Just… please take care of yourself, Kyo. I know your arm still hurts, even though you say it doesn't." The ofuda shut off after that.
...
...how annoying. His wound was nothing. Compared to the state of the man beneath him that is.
The potion he'd developed while torturing Kazuki had worked surprisingly well. It not only healed a person's health but mutated the victim's body in ways that kept them alive while torturing them at the same time. The magic he'd learned from that Otherworld was truly amazing.
"...w…h…y…" Albert, despite the horrifying state that he was in, spoke out again. His lone remaining eye rolled over with tremendous effort to look at his supposed comrade.
"Why am I doing this, you mean?" Kyo's tone turned dry and professional. Oddly lacking the pride and arrogance he'd come to be known for. "Well, I've been thinking that it's about time one of us took control of this world directly instead of relying on all this cloak-and-dagger nonsense. And I'm not really one for sharing the spotlight with a 'loser' such as yourself." The Book Hero dryly chuckled as he moved towards the door with the Mirror Hero in tow, who was now wrapped painfully in a cluster of pages.
"That's what I'll be telling the bosses anyway. But if you really want to know why…" Kyo leaned down and whispered something into what was probably once Albert's ear in a deadly quiet tone.
The Mirror Hero's remaining eye widened, and his thrashing began anew. However, he wasn't strong enough to break his bindings.
"Oh, don't worry. It won't be so bad. You won't be alone at least. You'll be joining our good friend Kazuki. Though, don't expect him to be much of a conversationalist. Getting your soul shredded and put back together again and again tends to do that to people as I've come to find out." Kyo grinned.
After all, there was only one thing reincarnators like them truly feared more than damage to their body.
"ah...hah...ahhhh" Albert breathed in as much as he could into his ruined lungs.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
Hero Clips!
Best out of ???
"Best out of Two-Hundred and Twenty-One!"
"Best out of Two-Hundred and Twenty-Three!"
"Best out of Two-Hundred and Twenty-Five!"
The scene playing out before everyone was… something, to say the least.
"Daitan, please, stop this nonsense. I just want to eat." Akane groaned as she put her hands to her face.
"Itsuki, please, you don't have to keep humoring him." Kizuna tried to get her friend to stop.
"I'll stop when he stops," Itsuki said through gritted teeth.
"Ditto to you, cheater!" Daitan loudly proclaimed.
Itsuki flipped him so hard for that comment that he not only smashed his fist through the table but also partially buried the other hero in a sizable indent in the cafe's floor.
"Noooooooooooo!" Hoshi cried at the property damage he'd now have to pay to fix.
However, Daitan was back up again within seconds, grinning like a madman. Since the table was destroyed, they had to continue their game on the ground.
"Best out of Two-Hundred and Twenty-Seven!"
"Best out of Two-Hundred and Twenty-Nine!"
…
The group eventually fell asleep watching, and the next morning they awoke for the Conference. Only…
"Best out of 9023!"
"Best out of 9025!"
"Best out of 9027!"
"They're… still… going…" Kizuna groaned.
"Well, only one of them really is." Glass observed.
Itsuki let out a light snore in his sleep. One hand was holding his head up while the other stayed up in position in front of him. He had grown so bored and used to the movement that he was beating the Blunt Weapons Hero even in his sleep.
It was really sad, and probably really uncomfortable too. But Daitan hadn't given up yet!
"Best out of 9035!"
"Best out of 9037!"
"Best out of 9039!"
"I'm surprised he's able to count so high." Akane eventually admitted at the sight. At least the manlet wasn't a total dumbo.
And thus the cycle repeated till the end of time… or at least until Daitan passed out from exhaustion too.
Though, seeing what Itsuki was doing, it was probable it would have gone on even after they were both asleep.
Both Heroes were truly that stubborn.
Till Next Time
Allen
Notes:
Yeah. I think I'll end the chapter there. It almost kills me how I can't flat-out say everything that's happening or mention details only those who've read the LNs will know. However, with the things introduced and changed, even some of them might not be recognizable to later readers.
One thing that's unchanged though, is how crappy the political situation in Kizuna's world is compared to Naofumi's world. This is because of a multitude of factors. One main reason is that there's no Mirellia figure here to be a voice of reason to get nations to come together and work together. Another is that, yeah, people really don't like Kizuna. And it's for the stupid reason of being 'useless' against stupid people. Which is so stupid and yet those people exist in real life so it's actually pretty realistic. When Heroes are prized for their strength as tools instead of as religious figures, that tends to bring about a different mindset.
The last reason will be more than obvious to those who've read the second Otherworld Arc from the Light Novels and recognize who else was at the Conference besides the Cardinal Heroes.
Here's a hint: Kyo, Albert, and Trash aren't the only reincarnators in prominent positions of power in Kizuna's world.
Chapter Text
- ENTRY #4 -
As I have grown older, the words of my mother have continued to ring true: Everywhere I went, I was faced with nothing but████████████. Every person, no matter how kind they had initially appeared to be, always████████████ to████████████ in one way or another.
I was met with it even at ████████████. I struggled day to day with the monotony of being put on worthless ████████████ designed to waste ████████████ and to fish for more ████████████. I sat through endless ████████████ where nothing was accomplished. I got to see the credit for ████████████ going to someone else ████████████ far less deserving of it, only because they were ████████████.
I couldn't even play the ████████████ like I initially wanted. It would have required me to possess some serious ████████████ to try that option in the first place. And besides the randomness and 'predictability' of ████████████, the ones who truly ████████████ were the ones already ████████████ in whatever direction gave them the ████████████. Not to mention, every spare ████████████ I got from my measly ████████████ that wasn't used to pay ████████████ was going towards those ████████████, with the debt increasing despite my continued payments.
Within a couple of years, I knew I'd need to take drastic measures. Even someone like me couldn't continue living like this. I needed to make more money, and fast. Else I would never escape from this poverty hole that ████████████ had dragged me into.
The main problem though wasn't just the ████████████ me. It was also my fellow ████████████. Some laughed at me for trying to ████████████. Others not only mocked me but actively tried ████████████ when they realized that what I was doing could ████████████ in terms of ████████████.
If anything, they taught me to keep my plans secret. To wait until they were finished before I made my great reveal.
And thanks to all those years that I spent learning to expand my knowledge as ████████████, my work finally paid off as I developed a new type of ████████████ that was far more ████████████ than any of the ████████████. And I did this in a way that would keep the ████████████ low too. It could be used in both ████████████. Everything about it was a net gain. Any fool that had eyes and a single brain cell to spare would be able see it for what it was.
And so, with my magnum opus in hand, I cornered my ████████████ at the bar that he and the other ████████████ would usually hang out at during the weekend. I presented them with my new and amazing creation. I painstakingly explained how it'd not only ████████████ but make our ████████████ far more desirable to ████████████ as it'd help them to save money too. This would be a boon for ████████████! A golden goose that'd lay golden eggs for as long as it took for the competition to catch up to it!
It could make ████████████. And it would, just not for me…
When I presented it to that group of fat, greedy blobs, they laughed at me. They told me that my ████████████ was worthless. That I was worthless.
They ordered me to stop wasting their time and to go back to ████████████ and put in more ████████████ on ████████████ that'd ultimately make me only ████████████ more than I made an hour. If I was even rewarded for them in the first place.
I… struck the CEO with my ████████████. The lessons that I'd had with my anger-management counselor in ████████████ were forgotten at that moment. I was angry. And as I viciously beat him, I yelled about how I knew that they were ████████████ out of the ████████████. How they were ████████████ it with fellows I knew ████████████. How only half of their ████████████ ever got completed due to either ████████████ and that it was only because of ████████████ that we hadn't gone bankrupt.
I beat that man within an inch of his life in my fury. I had never been one to possess a predisposition towards violence. But I was too angry to care then… up until the others, after they'd recovered from their shock, managed to drag me off him and throw me out of the bar.
I was ████████████.
And by the next year, I saw ████████████ with 'my' ████████████ in them.
They'd made ████████████, just like I'd promised. And my hard work put them at the forefront of the industry for years. But I wasn't given a single ounce of credit.
My attempts to ████████████ them for stealing my ████████████ were only met with me getting ████████████. The corrupt ████████████ sided with my former employers time and time again, until I had run out of appeal opportunities.
All my hard work had been for naught.
To say that things have turned chaotic in the Conference room since the news of Luvar's dual invasion of two powerful nations would have been an understatement.
"Luvar is attacking!?"
"This was all a trap!"
"We have to get back to our countries!"
"Why is the Hourglass so far away!?"
"Sickle planned all of this! I'm sure of it!"
Kizuna, Glass, and Itsuki had moved from their desk. They'd had to move behind where Corrin was as he tried desperately to get everyone to calm down.
He had about as much success as he had before.
Everyone was too busy arguing, panicking, or shouting things into communication ofudas in their hands to pay attention to much else. Kizuna and Glass would have defended Sickle from the accusations, but there wasn't much point to doing so right now, since no one would have heard them anyway.
"They're acting as if it's the end of the world." Kizuna idly commented to herself while tugging on the sleeve of her kimono.
"Indeed." Glass crossed her arms while watching the chaos unfold.
Itsuki stayed silent. His eyes were downcast and disappointed. And not only because they'd failed to gather any help for fighting Kyo.
Itsuki had possibly made the political situation in this world even worse. Even though he'd only wanted to help. To get these idiots to open their eyes to the truth of what was happening.
It was just like when he spoke up at that conference before Naofumi arrived and bailed him and Ren out. Only, this time, his failure had been allowed to play out.
He should have just kept his mouth shut. He wasn't just an outsider, he was a freaking teenager! Hell, he shouldn't have been the one to come here! The older and wiser Naofumi would have handled this scenario far better than he had!
Itsuki kept beating himself up over it while Corrin tried desperately to get everyone to calm down.
"Please, my fellow leaders, we must first address Luvar's actions-"
The doors to the room slammed open. The gem golems who'd been standing guard in front of it were sent flying. Almost squashing several delegates underneath their massive bulk.
…
All attention in the room was drawn to the doors. A lone figure casually strolled in, a familiar-looking book was attached to his side. He chuckled darkly as he spread his arms out.
"Greetings, worms! How's that meeting of yours going?" Kyo addressed the assembly, his eyes shining with a mad glint while slowly scanning over everyone present.
"I would worry that I'd missed out on something important, but, knowing you, the last two days were probably spent on pointless grandstanding and petty infighting like usual. To think that you useless sacks of ^&* are supposed to be the leaders of the free world, responsible for the safety and well-being of your people. It's truly astounding!"
Corrin took a step back, a look of shock painted on his face. "H-How are you here?! I wasn't told of your arrival! It should be impossible to infiltrate this city's defenses!"
"Oh, me? I just walked in through the front door." Kyo drawled lazily. His gaze then moved behind the King to where Kizuna, Glass, and Itsuki were standing.
Kizuna's face held a look of shock, while Glass and Itsuki could barely contain their rage.
In fact, the Bow Hero already had a skill at the ready and launched it from his bow at the Book Hero. "Erst Arrow!"
"Itsuki, no! Stop!" Kizuna instinctively tried to grab Itsuki's arm to stop him, but she couldn't force him off-target since he was a person and not a monster.
The single energy arrow sailed through the air, piercing Kyo's head right through the eye socket. Everyone gasped at the sight, but the Book Hero didn't even flinch.
Itsuki's eyes narrowed in confusion.
…
"Hmhmhmhm, oh? Don't tell me, did you actually think that I'd come here in person?" Kyo's nasally voice chuckled darkly. Unperturbed by the grotesque wound that he was sporting.
The hole in his head didn't bleed. And flesh quickly filled it in like putty. Within a few seconds, it was sealed completely and a new eye grew in place of the missing one.
A name popped up over the creature's head.
Spirit Tortoise Familiar (mimic-type)
"Spirit… Tortoise Familiar?" Kizuna asked hesitantly.
"What the hell!? How!? We killed the Spirit Tortoise!" Itsuki asked in disbelief.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" The Book Hero chortled to himself.
"This is the same kind of creature that Kyo used against me and L'Arc in the Spirit Tortoise," Glass answered Kizuna grimly. When everyone looked more closely at its 'book', it turned out to be made of the Spirit Tortoise's shell, just like the weapons of the mimics from before. "He is not actually here. But he is communicating to us now through that monster."
"Surprised?" Kyo smirked. "My pet might be dead, but I carved out and stored enough of its flesh for my purposes." The man continued with all the eyes in the room glued to him.
His gaze then turned to Itsuki again and his smug look soured. "You sure don't waste time, do you Bow 'Hero'? Shooting unarmed, innocent people in the head without any provocation before they can even state their business? How heartless of you."
"Innoce-" Itsuki sputtered but Kyo cut him off.
"How the hell did you get out of the ancient library without Ethnobalt bailing you out anyway? That's really annoying. You really are a cockroach. No matter how many times I smack you, you just keep crawling back out of the woodworks to annoy me."
"A monster…" Corrin's eyes narrowed. "Golems! Attack that fiend!"
However, even though the gem golems had stood back up, they continued to be inactive against the threat. "Golems! What are you doing?! Attack him!" Corrin demanded again, slightly fearful this time.
…
But the stone constructs remained inert.
Kyo began to chuckle even more insidiously compared to before. "You know, Your Majesty, I have to give you credit where it's due. The other nations frequently mock you behind your back with the moniker of the 'cowardly king', thanks to all the funds and attention you dedicate to keeping your nation safe and secure against both inside and outside threats. But that very same well-placed paranoia that caused you to waste thousands of kinhans worth of your people's money to move your Hourglass in the middle of nowhere is the sole reason why your country won't fall today. Unlike Label and Mikikage."
"B-But how…" The King said, his face pale with fear.
"The gem golems of Lazuli are a formidable threat, but the form that you see before you is neither monster nor man. It is essentially just a blob of nonliving goo. The principles that your constructs work on, which this world's original Jewel Hero first established, are horribly outdated.
"Essentially, because your golems scan the souls of targets to confirm if they are enemies or not, your golems can't detect these mimics with their magic sense. They are just seen as another part of the floor."
Kyo chuckled as a helpless expression settled on Corrin's face. "You really should have looked into that flaw in their design sooner, Your Majesty. Such a hole in your defenses will cost you dearly."
"Kyo… Why…?"
The Book Hero briefly froze at hearing the familiar voice and slowly turned to face its source.
Kizuna stepped forward in front of Itsuki. A look of betrayal on her face, and tears in her eyes. "Why? Why are you doing this?!"
…
"Hello to you too, Kizuna. It's been a while, hasn't it?" Kyo smiled faintly. "But to answer your question..."
Suddenly, he turned away from her to face the assembly again.
"I am just doing what any good demon lord should do before his plans for world conquest can begin! Attacking his enemies preemptively, before they can muster any defenses! Spreading fear and chaos throughout the land! Declaring their intentions to make the world their own, while those who thought them to be weak and insignificant before cover in fear in the face of their certain doom!"
"Demon lord...?" Kizuna whispered in horror. "Kyo! What are you talking about!? You're not a demon! You're my friend! I could hardly believe it when I learned about what you did while you were in another world, and now this...?! I don't understand! What are you doing this for!?"
"Hahaha..." Kyo looked up, causing the lenses in his glasses to flare up from the reflecting light. "Isn't it obvious, Kizuna? How did the Hero of the Fans put it earlier..? It is our... 'duty', was it? To protect the world from the waves?
"Well, guess what? That is precisely what I am doing."
"... What...?" The hunting tool hero's face paled. "Ho-how would this-"
"Tch. Tch. Tch." Kyo clicked his tongue while waving his finger at her. "Kizuna, don't go scatterbrained on me now. What did you say it was that this world needs most right now to fight back against the waves?"
"To be united-" She replied instantly only for the last word to get caught in her throat. Her hands began to shake as she looked up at the book hero again. "No, that's...Kyo, that's wrong! That's not the way to unify our world!"
"BUT IT IS!" The book hero roared, making the girl shrink back in instinct. "Look at it! Look at this bottomless mire around you! The endless greed! The insatiable gluttony! The unyielding pride of every single worthless insect in this room!
"Even as their death literally looms over their heads, the only thing that they can think about is how to profit off of it! These...these... animals! The language they speak! The only thing that can bring order to this disgusting cancerous mass is power!
"Power to crush them beneath your heel! Power to force them to obey your command! Power to really change the world!"
Kyo took a few deep breaths before balling up his fist and holding it in front of him.
"And I... I finally have that power now. Thanks to an infusion of souls of the Guardian Beast from another world, I shall become more powerful than any Hero! I will grind the people of this world beneath my boot until all of them submit to me!
"And then, once all the discord that is plaguing our world is dealt with, I will direct my attention to stopping these Waves once and for all! So that no otherworldly threat shall ever bother us again!"
Kizuna breathed in and out deeply at the sight. She looked both angry and betrayed.
She knew about what Kyo had done. L'Arc, Glass, Naofumi, everyone had already filled her in on the Book Hero's dark deeds.
But being told about it was one thing.
Seeing it for herself, seeing what her friend had become, was something else entirely.
"What the hell are you doing!? That's not what we're- not what heroes like us should be doing!" The Harpoon Hero yelled at the Book Hero furiously.
"What? You mean 'winning'?" Kyo glanced down at him while putting on his biggest &^%$-eating grin yet.
"What are you-" The Harpoon Hero looked briefly confused but then his eyes widened as his face twisted in rage. "You...! YOU UPSTART LITTLE BITCH! WHO THE %^&* DO YOU THINK AR-"
However, before he could continue his tirade, he felt someone touching his shoulder. It turned out to be the Musical instruments Hero tapping him with the bow of his violin. A meaningful look was held in his eyes.
The Harpoon Hero backed off, not saying anything else.
"Kyo... that's... that's too much!" Kizuna shakily spoke again while struggling to hold back her tears. "It may be true. Maybe some of the people here hate me and refuse to help, but it's only because they're ignorant! They simply don't understand the danger that they're in or they do and are allowing their fear of the Waves to lead them astray!"
"Bah." Kyo waved his hand dismissively. "What sweet, intoxicating innocence! Save your speeches Kizuna, we both know they'll only fall on deaf ears.
"These men and women are supposed to be the best of the best, the representatives of their respective nations sent to broadcast their excellence and wisdom to all. And if that's the best they've got then the world at large has no hope."
He faced the girl again with pity in his eyes. "It is simply something that you will have to understand. Your way doesn't always work. I humored your fancies during your youth. But now, you have to grow up and realize what world it is that we live in."
"It's an awful one. It was awful long before you got here. And it'll stay awful long after you're gone! Nothing you do will change that! Nothing! Look at how grateful these people are towards you for saving their lives from the Demon Dragon! Witness how short their memories are! How willing they are to chew you up and then spit you out as soon as they no longer need you!
"Even if you save them again the Waves will come back eventually! And the people of the future will be even more incompetent and complacent than the ones surrounding you now! All of your hard work, in the end, will amount to a net sum of ZERO! AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO CHANGE THAT!"
Kizuna continued to tremble. Her entire form was shaking.
"Now, back to the topic at hand." Kyo turned away from the trembling girl to address the deathly silent assembly again with another smirk. "Just so all of you insects know, my mimics have already infiltrated your countries around the world. In fact..."
He mockingly pulled a round golden pocket watch out of his coat and checked the time. "...you should be getting news about it right about... now!"
Communication ofudas went off left and right. Delivering news of low-ranking nobles and government officials being assassinated in their offices. Of attacks in the streets that were suddenly happening.
"I do hope you enjoy this small sneak peek into what's to come. Because, believe me, things will only get worse from here on out." The Book Hero announced and threw his head back in laughter.
Fear, deep primal fear, began to fill the eyes of many of those there. Kyo continued to laugh as everyone began to see just how large of a threat he'd become.
"You… you won't get away with this," Corrin said, his face set in a scowl.
"Oh, you'll be surprised by how much I've gotten away with after this." Kyo finally stopped laughing and replied snidely. "Now, for the last reason why I'm here."
The Kyo mimic turned towards the other Cardinal Heroes, who'd begun backing away in terror.
The mimic's mouth opened wide, exposing sharp teeth. "As unlikely as it is for these three idiots to become a threat to me, I would still rather limit the amount of heroes that I will have to face in my world conquest to single digits at least. And since you've done me the pleasure of gathering the three other Cardinal Heroes in one spot, I'll do us all a favor by disposing of them here and now while they're weak and defenseless!"
And like that, the familiar bolted towards the other Cardinal Heroes at a speed most people there couldn't track.
"Soldiers!" Corrin desperately cried out. But none of them would be able to reach the Heroes in time.
"It's just a game it's just a game it's just a-"
"We'll just respawn we'll just respawn we'll just resp-"
"Instant Blade: Sunflower Strike!"
Just before the Mimic tore into the helpless Cardinal Heroes, two of whom were repeating the same phrase again and again while the last one, Hoshi, was paralyzed by sheer terror; Kizuna's blade exited out the other end of the mimic.
She landed on the floor on one knee, sheathing her large tuna knife at her side. Her kimono, which got torn up from the sudden movement, settled on the ground next to Glass where Kizuna had been standing just a second before, leaving the Hunting Tools Hero in her signature outfit.
The Kyo mimic behind the girl burst into a dozen different pieces. All of which began to melt away.
"Ahaha..." Kyo's head laughed softly on the floor. "...marvelous. You haven't lost your touch in the slightest."
…
Kizuna turned around, looking down at him with such incredible sadness in her eyes, even though the rest of her face was blank. "I'll stop you." She whispered, her voice shaking.
"Will you now...?" Kyo's face scrunched up in thought before he smiled faintly. "Sure. Why not? It wouldn't be fun to be a demon lord without a hero standing forth to oppose you, after all."
His light-blue eyes turned to look up at Kizuna. "Listen well, Hunting Tools Hero! If you would stand against me, then take up arms and come to the capital of Luvar! I shall eagerly await you and your allies there!
"But don't keep me waiting for too long! Or I just might get bored and come knocking on your front door first! Hmhmhmhmhm..."
Kyo's head melted away completely. The mimic was completely dead, leaving only a glowing sunflower hovering over its body.
…
Kizuna's small body shook again. But as she turned towards all the delegates in the room, her gaze passed over the windows, seeing smoke rising from the outside of the castle.
"Corrin." Kizuna stopped trembling and pointed it out.
The King looked up as well, and his eyes widened when he realized where the smoke was coming from.
"THE AIRFIELDS! GET MY SOLDIERS TO THE AIRFIELDS AT ONCE!" The King of Lapis demanded.
Some of the Gem soldiers who'd been in the room rushed to fulfill his orders since the Gem Golems still couldn't identify the threat attacking the heart of their kingdom. Itsuki and Glass also rushed out to deal with the immediate threat.
As the Emperor was about to give further orders, a sense of dread suddenly settled in his gut.
If the mimics had reached even here, then…
"Hinoka…"
"Such a hole in your defenses will cost you dearly." Kyo's mocking laughter echoed in Corrin's head.
…
The man rushed up the steps three at a time. Leaving the room and everyone else in it behind. "HINOKAAAAAA!"
…
Everyone present wanted to say something, anything, to break the silence of what'd just happened. But so much had happened all at once. And no one knew what to say.
…
…
Kizuna was the one who finally spoke first.
"How about instead of arguing like a bunch of idiots... We agree to deal with the threat of the Book Hero in our world."
Her voice sounded almost dead as she spoke her next sentence. "After all, that was the last reason why I'd wanted everyone to gather here. But as you can see, he beat me to the punch regarding it."
Did the threat of the Book Hero actively taking over two other countries while sowing chaos in other countries across the world immediately and simultaneously bring everyone together in the face of a common enemy?
Nope.
It did not.
"Forget this. I'm out of here." The Harpoon Hero was noted to say as he left the Conference.
The Musical Instruments Hero followed right behind him. Not saying a word to Kizuna or anyone else as he left to return to his own country.
The Mikikage delegates left too. They had to figure out the state of things going on back home since communication from their ofudas had suddenly cut off.
They wouldn't be seen again.
The Label delegates agreed to go back to Sickle. But…with Kyo's forces already in the heart of their country via the Hourglass, there wasn't much the country could do to fight them off.
The fortress Capital had already fallen, and the surrounding outposts and forts would fall soon after without supplies or leadership from the headquarters.
Those were the noteworthy things that happened in there, as everyone else was in such a panic that it was as if the room was full of chickens with their heads cut off instead of the 'best and brightest' the other nations had to offer. They couldn't be talked to. Some others fled while fist fights broke out amongst the rest and any sense of direction fled before the face of deep, primal fear Kyo had instilled in them.
Kizuna tried her best. She honestly did, but she couldn't make a dent in the crowd of noise.
Eventually, she and the other Cardinal Heroes were escorted from the room by a group of Corrin's most loyal soldiers.
And then there was the issue with the airfields by the castle.
Itsuki and Glass had reached the airfield shortly after Kizuna's proclamation. And what they saw had almost made them stop.
There were golems rumbling around in confusion. Trying to put out the fires on the massive airships, but they could not direct any attention to the mimics spreading the fires.
These mimics also tore gemstones from the hulls as well as toppled masts with their bulk.
Those few soldiers who'd been in the area and tried to put up a fight had been slain.
Their blood mixed with the torn gemstones on the ground. Making for an eerie sight when the duo arrived with reinforcements to exterminate the threat.
There wasn't much to note with that. The duo of heroes easily exterminated every last mimic familiar they could find over the span of minutes, and as soon as they were done with that, they helped put out the fires.
The insides of the ships were thankfully untouched. Each one carried enough explosives in their cargo bays that, had they exploded, it would have caused a chain reaction with nearby ships that would have destroyed not only the airfield but a good portion of the castle and walls surrounding it.
Still, even with that bit of good news, the mimics had managed to sabotage almost every single ship resting in the royal airfield in various ways. It'd be a while before they could be repaired and used in combat again.
While Glass stayed behind to make sure there were no more familiars hiding amongst Lapis's air navy, Itsuki reentered the castle to meet up with Kizuna… however, soon after going through the entrance, he was sidetracked as he learned the airships hadn't been the only target in the attack.
"Urgh… ugh…" Hinoka, the Queen of Lapis, lay on a stretcher as she was rushed past Itsuki. "K-Kana…"
"The Princess is okay, Your Majesty. The King and the Hunting Tools Hero are with her right now." The lead soldier with her said. "Please stay still while we get you to some healing mages."
The Warrior Queen had a large bleeding gash on her forehead as well as a stab wound in her side. Apparently, as Itsuki found out, several of Kyo's mimics had also attacked the Queen's quarters shortly after the attack on the delegates. However, unlike the soldiers guarding the airfield and the doors to her quarters, the Warrior Queen had been able to kill all the monsters by herself. Protecting her daughter Kana in the process.
Since that was where Kizuna was at, he got directions to her quarters from another soldier and soon arrived there.
"Wah! Wahhhhh!" The baby princess was currently crying in the arms of one of her nannies. The older woman desperately tried to calm the baby princess and herself down from the scary experience that they'd just witnessed but without much success.
"Corrin!" Kizuna yelled at the King. It looked like she'd been trying to grab his attention for a while now.
"I almost lost them… I almost lost another member of my family again…" Corrin's voice was a distant whisper. With the man himself stuck in another memory from another time.
"Corrin!" Kizuna shook the King by the shoulders but it didn't bring him out of his reverie. She then tried to slap him and only got an ineffectual Clang! "Urgh! I hate this!"
She turned to the doorway to see Itsuki standing there. "Itsuki, thank the Gods you're here. Slap this idiot for me!"
"W-Wha-" The Bow Hero spoke to protest, but Kizuna glared at him, and the small girl looked surprisingly scary when she was angry.
"Do it." She commanded.
Itsuki complied, slapping the King with enough force that he was almost thrown off the bed.
"Ack! Who dares to strike me-" Corrin began to yell, only for his eyes to focus on Kizuna as the girl got into his face again.
"Corrin! I get it! This is all a big shock for you! And I'm sorry that I have to tell you this, but if you don't go out there and do something right now, then everything is going to fall apart!" Kizuna yelled angrily.
"B-But I- wha-"
Kizuna grabbed him by the pauldrons of his uniform. "The others left at the Conference are panicking Corrin! Fights are breaking out among them! Fights that I can do nothing to stop! If you don't do something, then I'll have no support from anyone against Kyo! And our main reason for coming here will have been for NOTHING!" Kizuna screamed at the end.
"So, please! MOVE! And calm everyone left in that room down so we can at least get some sort of united front set up to face Luvar and have some chance of saving our world from KYO!"
…
The King said nothing to her words at first. However, he did nod and stood back up. His face took on a stony expression.
"Stay here. Make sure my daughter isn't harmed. Or else." He said in a deadpan.
"Of course. You have my word." Kizuna promised.
"And mine," Itsuki added.
The two Heroes stayed there as the Emperor ran from the room.
Kizuna took the baby Kana from her nannies. None of them were able to get her to calm down. However, thanks to the Hunting Tools Hero's inability to harm another person no matter what she tried, she was successful in doing so. And she was even able to rock the baby in her arms to sleep.
She'd never thought that this would be how she'd meet Corrin's daughter. Nor how she'd get the time to do so. But she couldn't appreciate it like this. Especially since the baby's mother wasn't around to awe over the sight of her precious child being held in the arms of her friend.
Itsuki said nothing. He took in the details of the room and sometimes spoke with the nannies when spoken to. But otherwise, he felt numb.
What Kyo had just done… was unlike anything they'd seen in their world. It was one thing for him to take over the Spirit Tortoise. But to simultaneously invade two countries, cause attacks like this one all over the world, and do this much damage in just the span of several hours?
They'd thought that Kyo was a short-sighted idiot with delusions of grandeur. And his actions in their world had initially confirmed that to be the case.
But no, the Book Hero was actually far smarter, and far more competent than he'd let on. They were facing him on his home turf. They were seeing the brilliant strategist who'd led the armies from the back against the Demon Dragon. And everything he'd done thus far to the timing of that one statement of his near the end spoke of him having meticulously planned for this.
It was downright terrifying. And Itsuki's worry eventually drove him to message Rishia to make sure everything was alright.
Rishia: Yeah, we're all fine here.
Itsuki: Where are you?
Rishia: In the mountains, training. Though Ethnobalt just had to run off for some reason. Is something going on?
Itsuki grimaced. But continued typing on the ofuda regardless.
Itsuki: Kyo launched an attack here. As well as in some other countries around the world. L'Arc is locking down the Hourglass so no one can use it for teleports or anything.
…
…
It was a while before Rishia's response finally came back.
Rishia: I just told everyone else. We'll be moving our training back to Kizuna's house, in case we're needed to defend the castle. Also, Naofumi wants me to tell you that he 'fricking called it' and is asking if you at least got a good hit on that smug piece of crap.
Itsuki: I did hit him but it was just a mimic disguised as him. The coward wouldn't dare to show his face in a place where someone could punch it.
Itsuki: Are you sure that it's wise to leave the mountains? Wouldn't it be better for Naofumi to train in a place where he can connect with the energy of the world?
Rishia: Naofumi is still struggling with redirecting every attack with his ki. But he has become attuned enough to recognize his own vitality outside of the mountains.
Rishia: Whether we trained here or back home wouldn't matter. But if our friends are attacked, it'd be better if we were there to assist in the defense than out here.
Itsuki: I…
Itsuki's message trailed off. He felt like a stone had lodged itself in his throat as he tried to figure out what he wanted to say.
…
He eventually typed out the rest of his statement on the ofuda's paper.
Itsuki: I just don't want you to get hurt.
…
Rishia: I don't want you to get hurt either.
Rishia: Please, come back as soon as you're able to.
Rishia: I really need you, Itsuki.
Itsuki felt tears sting the edges of his eyes.
Itsuki: Once the chaos here settles down. I'll come back as soon as I can.
Itsuki thought about it some more. He couldn't just let the conversation end on a bleak note.
Itsuki: Before this, I managed to meet the writer of that manga we've been reading together. He gave me the next couple of volumes for it, in Japanese and in this world's language. So we'll both be able to read them together.
Rishia: Really?! I'd love that a lot!
Itsuki: I thought you'd like that. :)
…
Rishia: Take care, Itsuki.
…
Itsuki: You too, Rishia.
Itsuki put the ofuda at his side. He continued to stare down with a dead-eyed expression. Even though he knew she was more than capable, he still couldn't help but worry…
"Hey, don't worry about Squishy. She's more than capable by herself." Kizuna said what he was thinking, smiling a little now that Kana was asleep and cuddled into the Hunting Tools Hero.
"I wasn't messaging Rishia because I was worried about her!" Itsuki rebuked.
"Oh, so you were talking to her just now and not Naofumi?" Kizuna asked curiously.
…
"How can you be positive enough to tease me right now?" Itsuki grumbled as he crossed his arms around his stomach.
"Oh, I'm not positive at all," Kizuna replied wistfully. "I'm angry at our situation. I'm frustrated with the other nations in my world. I was just betrayed by one of my good friends. He said all of my efforts up to this point to try and make this world a better place have been for nothing. And the scary thing is: he almost convinced me that he was right in that regard.
"To top it off, I'm having to sit here babysitting while everyone else is trying to clean up this &%$#%$# mess. I desperately want to just curl into a ball and cry right now. But if there's anything I've learned in my life, it's that stewing on these emotions won't do me or anyone else any good.
"So if I can't do anything else, at least I can make sure my closest friends are able to feel somewhat normal while others are trying to make things a little bit better."
After saying that, she focused her attention on little Kana again. Rocking her back and forth in her lap.
...
Itsuki, whose mind was so full of anger towards himself and everything else at that moment, focused on the little princess.
Kana was dressed in a little red onesie. A plate of red hair just like her mother's adorned her head. A red gemstone was embedded in her forehead, and the little girl was smiling in her sleep. She really seemed to enjoy nestling herself into the Hunting Hero's embrace.
She really was a little bundle of joy. And it helped Itsuki to smile if only a little.
"Can I hold her?" Itsuki eventually asked.
"Is it alright if my friend holds Kana?" Kizuna asked the group of nannies standing nearby.
"If… as long as he's gentle with her." The lead one eventually said.
Kizuna handed Kana off to Itsuki, and he held the little girl in his arms.
She felt incredibly warm. She shifted in her sleep and began to suck on her thumb.
Itsuki's heart melted in his chest at the sight. And the smile on his face grew just a little bigger.
"I wonder if I'll be a mother one day." Kizuna suddenly said.
"Oh? Is there… anyone you're interested in?" Itsuki asked, choosing to engage in the small talk.
"Not in particular. It's just a thought I've had from time to time." Kizuna admitted. "Though, I'm thinking that I enjoy being the cool Auntie too right now."
"Yeah, you and Glass." Itsuki chuckled to himself.
"What was that?" Kizuna asked.
"Nothing," Itsuki replied.
Kizuna began to pout. But Itsuki didn't elaborate on what he'd said. Which made it more amusing when the girl continued to pout at him, driving away some of the darkness of their situation.
Maybe she was right. This felt a lot better than stewing over the negatives.
"I've never really thought about it before… but I wonder if I'd be the cool uncle or not." Itsuki eventually replied. "I can't really see myself being a father like Naofumi or Corrin."
"You're still young. Give it a couple of years before you think about things like that." Kizuna replied with a smile.
"Aren't you only 18? That'd make you one year older than me." Itsuki frowned.
"I also spent several years in prison by myself," Kizuna replied. "When you spend that much time alone, you tend to think about things you wouldn't think about otherwise."
…
The two continued talking about random things. Eventually, Corrin came back. Glass was with him too.
Though both were grim-faced, it wasn't all bad news.
"Those who were still at the Conference and weren't busy fighting with one another have agreed to form a coalition against Kyo and Luvar," Corrin stated. "They sent word back to their nations to get their armies mobilized to deal with the mimics and that afterward they were to march to assist Lapis and Sickle as soon as possible."
"Lapis? Does that mean…" Kizuna trailed off, but her eyes were hopeful.
"Yes. The Book Hero attacked our country. He spilled the blood of our soldiers on our soil… and, more than that, he tried to assassinate my family…" The man's gauntleted fist clenched as a dark look entered his eyes.
"I believe that my people will tolerate it if I disregard our country's long-standing neutral stance to go to war with our enemy. And if they won't… I am still Emperor. Even if I don't like to throw it around unnecessarily, my authority on military matters is still absolute. I shall make that villain regret the day he labeled me as a 'cowardly king'."
"... thank you. I know how much it means for Lapis to ally with someone for a war." Kizuna said gratefully. However, her face became sad after that. "Is Hinoka going to be alright?"
"She'll live. She's… always been a tough one. The healing mages have told me that they had to knock her out so they could heal her injuries without her trying to get out of bed. She should be back before dinner if she isn't awake sooner than that." Corrin chuckled a little at that. Though it didn't improve his mood much.
"As for when we will be able to expect Lapis's assistance, that is to be determined," Glass stated next. "Most of the airships here at the castle were damaged in one way or another by Kyo's mimics. It will be some time before they're airworthy again. Corrin does have other airships stored away though that can be brought out to help."
"My thanks again for dealing with that, Fan Hero," Corrin told her. Glass nodded in response.
"What can we do in the meantime?" Kizuna asked.
…
"... if it isn't too much to ask, I'd like for some of you to stay here, to help protect the other Cardinal Heroes," Corrin said after a moment of contemplation.
…
"Kyo included them in the attack. And if they'd died… it would have made things grave for our world." Corrin proceeded in response to everyone's silence. "Me, and many others in the world, would feel better if they remained safe."
"But… Your Majesty? We could be needed in Sickle at any moment." Glass argued. "Label shares a border with us. Kyo's armies will surely be attacking from there next with our Hourglass locked down!"
"And besides, Kyo invited us to stop him in Luvar! If we don't make a move soon, he'll attack us first!" Itsuki argued.
"I know. And I understand." Corrin said with such seriousness that Glass and Itsuki couldn't refute it. "But as much as people might not like them, our world can't afford the deaths of any of the Cardinal Heroes. Especially now, with the Waves being as powerful as they are.
"And Bow Hero, do you really think it'd be that simple? After everything that Kyo just did, do you really think that rushing off to face him wouldn't be playing right into his hands?" Corrin asked Itsuki next.
The blonde hero opened his mouth to refute it… only to be unable to come up with a counterargument. "I don't understand though." He said instead. "If Kyo was really doing all this to unite people against the Waves. Why the hell did he try to kill the other Cardinal Heroes?"
"Perhaps Corrin is right, and Kyo was lying. Hiding his true agenda from us," Glass muttered. "You heard how he dismissed our world before. Could you truly think he was doing all of this to 'protect' it?"
Kizuna's fists clenched at her side. But she couldn't say anything to refute her best friend.
…
"Well… what if we convinced the other Heroes to come to Sickle with us?" Kizuna offered. "Even if Kyo is attacking there next, Sickle has many strong allies there right now. Some of them would be capable of leveling the trio up on their own if they had to. And besides that, it'd be far better for me to be somewhere where I know everyone likes me, no offense to your people or anything Corrin."
"..." Corrin crossed his arms as he silently pondered it for a moment.
...
...
"If I could order them to go with you, I would." The Emperor finally answered. "I care about your safety too, Kizuna. And I agree that some of my people... do not like you as much as I do. As it stands, however, the other Heroes are here in Lapis by their own choice. You'd have to convince them to leave. If you can manage to do that, I won't bar them or you from leaving. So long as they'd be kept safe."
It was then that Kana began to squirm in Itsuki's grip and softly cry as she woke up. Corrin moved to take his daughter from the Bow Hero and began to pat her softly on the back.
"Thank you for watching over my daughter." He suddenly said sincerely. There was such a look of love and care in his eyes that Itsuki had to turn away. "I promise, your kindness will not go unrewarded."
"Now go, there's much that remains to be done."
Because of Kyo's attack, and his somehow managing to get all these mimics past all of Lapis's defenses, Corrin had more than enough reason to declare war on Luvar. And to stand side by side with Sickle in warring against their enemy without much, or any backlash from the other nations in the world.
True to his word, some of the smaller nations chose to side with Corrin's decision too. Meaning that L'Arc's army would soon receive reinforcements making it almost four times its original size. With Lapis's airfleet to boot once it was repaired.
However, it would take time for this all to happen. And Glass had to immediately leave with the Label delegates in tow. There wasn't much they could do with their country being taken over. But at the very least, they could still give out orders to their troops closest to the borders and tell them to escape to Sickle with whatever resources and assets they could get their hands on before Kyo's army besieged their positions with Label's captured airfleet.
L'Arc had already sent orders to his troops there to allow all of Label's soldiers and refugees to cross the border. And Ethnobalt was on his way to pick the spirit woman and the Label delegates up with his Boat.
"You don't have to go back, Glassy. You already warned L'Arc to lock the Hourglass so nobody could use it over ofuda." Kizuna pleaded. "Itsuki could go back instead."
"I know. I want to stay here with you if at all possible, but Kyo's plans are greater than we realized. And Hero Itsuki, for all his strength, is not in a position to lead Sickle's troops. I need to get our troops ready to defend Sickle as soon as possible. And I trust Itsuki enough to protect you should you need it."
"T-Then you could have Itsuki teleport you back! I'll be fine staying with the Cardinal Heroes here by myself!" Kizuna added to her plea.
"Kizuna… Corrin asked for two of us to defend them… and it was bad enough that a monster infiltrated the defenses of this place. What if Kyo had people infiltrate it too? And what of those here that already hate you?" Glass asked worriedly, resting a hand on her best friend's shoulder. "What if Itsuki did teleport me back, only to find that Kyo or someone else had somehow put up an anti-teleportation barrier around Lazuli? Preventing him from returning and protecting you."
"Even if it only took Itsuki two hours to bring me home and come back… what if two hours was all that was needed to make you disappear again?"
…
Kizuna's voice began to choke up as tears filled her eyes. "This… is all happening so fast. K-Kyo…"
Glass gave her best friend a hug. The Spirit Woman was holding back tears of her own. "If only I'd been here…" Kizuna weakly muttered. "If only I hadn't been captured…"
"Do not blame yourself for what has become of our former friend," Glass said sincerely. "He has chosen this path for himself, just like I did once.
"I am sorry if you hate it when I say this. But he has become a threat to our world. We must stop him before he destroys it and everything we love.
"Kyo infiltrated this place. And not only that, he tried to kill the other three Cardinal Heroes. As much as I hate them for their complacency with the Waves, we cannot afford to have them killed. We cannot afford for the Waves to become even more powerful all over the world. I can agree with King Corrin on that much."
"Is… is there really nothing we can do?" Kizuna asked helplessly.
…
Glass embraced her best friend in a comforting hug again. Kizuna took the time to break down on her best friend's shoulder. Sobbing out some of her frustration and self-loathing for their situation.
"I-I'm sorry for ruining the pretty kimono that you made for me." The shorter girl hiccuped.
"It's okay. I'll make you a new one. And It'll be even better than the last one, I promise."
Glass rubbed the back of Kizuna's head. Letting out some tears of her own.
…
It was a few moments before the two separated and Kizuna was able to speak. "A-Alright. I'll try to convince the Heroes to come with us as soon as possible. B-But don't think I'm not going to try and think of a way to convince Kyo in the meantime."
"Of course. I shall look forward to it," Glass said with a soft smile.
They held onto each other again up until the moment Ethnobalt arrived in his large boat to take Glass and the Label delegates back to Sickle. Kizuna put on a smile as she let go of Glass and hugged the large rabbit man.
"To attack so openly and boldly... Kyo must be fully confident in his success." The Boat Hero noted somberly. "Whatever injuries and humiliation that he'd suffered over in Naofumi's and Itsuki's world, he must have fully recovered from it. I trust that I don't need to point out that his challenge for you that he put forward is a trap?"
Kizuna shook her head sadly. "Don't worry Ethnobalt, I'm not going to rush into danger blindly. We'll figure out where to go from here when I get back. Together."
"Of course." The rabbit man gently patted the girl on the head. "Still, if that's truly the best solution that Kyo had come up with to save our world, I am severely disappointed. Absolute control through fear and force might be quick and easy to acquire with proper resources, but it's just as easy to lose at any given moment. History teaches us that much. No tyrant ever lasts for long.
"It almost makes me wonder if that's truly the extent of his plan or if it's just a cover for something even more sinister..."
The Boat Hero blinked and shook his head when he noticed Kizuna squirming in place uncomfortably. "Ah, pardon me, I allowed my mind to wander again. Needless to say, we'll get through this one way or another. So have faith, Kizuna. A new dawn will come, that much is certain."
The girl nodded and hugged the Boat Hero again. But eventually, she had to let go and it wasn't long before Ethnobalt left on his boat together with Glass and the Katana country's Minister.
Kizuna stood on the ground for a moment. Staring up as Ethnobalt flew out of the city towards the direction of Lazuli's hourglass. He'd use it to get as close to Sickle's capital as possible before flying manually the rest of the way.
When his ship grew distant enough that it disappeared over the high walls, Itsuki walked up next to the Hunting Tools Hero. His Bow gripped tightly in his hands.
"I guess we better get to convincing the other Heroes to evacuate as soon as possible." The Bow Hero spoke up tensely.
"... yeah, let's do that." The Hunting Tools Hero agreed.
It was back to business as usual. With no time to dwell on what had happened once again.
The two Cardinal Heroes left the airfield behind and returned to the castle. To begin what they hoped would be the easy task of convincing the other Cardinal Heroes to come with them to Sickle.
Three days passed since the attack on Lazuli.
Three, &^%$&^%, days.
Itsuki thought it would have been simple. "Hey, you guys were attacked and all, so this place isn't really safe anymore. We've been assigned to be your bodyguards, so how about you come with us to Sickle? We're strong, and we can keep you safe so we can also deal with Kyo without standing around here twiddling our thumbs. We even have allies who could level you all up and help you acquire new weapon forms so you'd be better able to protect yourselves. What do you say?"
…
Yeah, he was an idiot for being so optimistic.
They hadn't found the three Heroes in the Conference Room. Eventually, thanks to the help of a soldier, they found them in the rooms Corrin had given to them whenever they wanted to stay in the castle. And while they were there…
"Oh, it's just a seasonal event. Nothing to really worry about." Daitan had responded. Not even looking up from the bench presses he was currently doing in the room's own mini gymnasium.
Daitan was clearly as idiotic as before. And Akane… wasn't much better in hindsight.
"I have more important things to worry about than some idiot NPC who attacked the Conference introducing himself as the Demon Lord. Thank you, but I wasn't really into that trope in the games I played. As long as no one triggers the next event flag, he won't attack again." Akane said with a roll of her eyes.
Her room had half-made clothes strewn all over it. They turned out to be different things she was designing for a new fashion line. It was chaos, but organized chaos for the girl, who seemed perfectly content with waiting out the storm where she was.
Maybe… Hoshi would respond better to their suggestion. Since he was already such a natural coward.
But…
"I… I have a deadline to meet for my next manga. Sorry, but I really need to get to work on that. I don't have time to focus on this seasonal event." Hoshi responded before closing the door to his room.
Well, at least he'd been more polite.
And at least they were all staying at the castle, so it wasn't like it was that hard to find them and protect them.
…
…
"This is going to be hard, isn't it?" Itsuki asked his fellow Hero at the end of the day.
"Yeah. But maybe tomorrow will be a better day?" Kizuna offered.
The next day wasn't much better. Though it wasn't from a lack of effort.
They'd tried a more friendly approach. Itsuki went first to Daitan's room after breakfast to try working out with the sandy-haired Hero. He didn't try to ask him to leave or to believe him about the strengthening methods. Instead, he showed Daitan how much he could bench press thanks to his stats, and showed off his archery skills on a range near the castle's gem garden.
Daitan had been impressed, on both accounts. And the archery thing had even gotten him to try and compete against Itsuki to see who was more accurate.
While he couldn't wield a bow, Daitan could use ranged Hero skills from his weapon. He was surprisingly accurate with them, but it was incomparable to Itsuki.
"Does your Bow boost your accuracy or something?" Daitan asked when Itsuki won the fifth competition in a row. Daitan would have gone for best out of thirteen but had run out of soul power for his skills. And the cooldown for using them had gotten annoying even for him.
"It's actually an ability from my world. The one I lived in before I was summoned as a Hero." Itsuki answered, explaining the details of Aim Correction to the Blunt Weapons Hero.
He'd seemed to understand at the very least. Though some parts of Itsuki's explanation drew a blank look. Shortly after that, Daitan returned to his room, forcing Itsuki to go to Hoshi next.
He talked with Hoshi about what he'd read from the first volume the previous night before bed. And he genuinely was more interested in the story now since he could read and understand it.
"I couldn't help but notice, but one of the girls seems to look very similar to Akane," Itsuki noted in one of the conversations.
"Oh, that's because she is based on her," Hoshi admitted with a shy smile. "Akane asked me to include her in some capacity because my manga could be used as a way for her to show off some of the outfits she'd designed. Kind of like free advertising."
They talked some more. But Itsuki didn't glean that much more about him, or Akane, or Daitan in general. But at least Hoshi agreed that since Itsuki had been assigned to him as a bodyguard he'd join his party. Doing so added his stats and information below Daitan's in the party HUD.
Itsuki's stomach fell, seeing the Ofuda Hero was only Level 60.
During that day, Kizuna had managed to get Akane to join the party too. The Jewel Hero was in a better spot, with her level being 75. Still, all their stats looked pretty much like what Itsuki had before he incorporated the other's strengthening methods.
They were certainly higher than a normal person's. But not nearly as high as they could have been if they'd shared their methods with one another.
Not to mention, despite Itsuki's and Kizuna's work and effort to get to know the other Heroes… they still remained very much closed off about their past lives before being summoned.
That night, Itsuki had talked with Kizuna, asking how her day with Akane had gone.
"It was so weird. We ended up going to all these stores all over Lazuli but she didn't buy anything." Kizuna grumbled. "When I asked what she was doing, all she said was 'scouting out the competition'.
"I didn't even get to fish today because she had no interest in doing that! The nerve!"
And thus, they'd come to their third day in Lazuli. With the both of them trying yet again to grow closer to the Heroes so they could convince them to leave.
It was, as expected, no more successful than their efforts from the previous two days.
They went out as a group into Lazuli so that Kizuna and Itsuki could be shown everything the other Heroes had become familiar with over the previous couple of years. But by this point, the beauty of the city was starting to wear off on the Bow Hero.
Call it travel weariness. Call it getting used to seeing the gemstones everywhere. Or, what was the most likely reason, his mounting frustration at not being able to return to Rishia and his friends.
He wanted nothing more than to freaking GET OUT OF THERE!
Itsuki was currently out in a forest by the lake surrounding Lazuli, actually. He took his frustration of that day out on every monster he came across.
It might have been risky, but Kizuna and the others were in the castle, which was filled with Corrin's most loyal soldiers at the moment. So he'd managed to get permission from the Emperor to leave the city and vent his frustrations out on the local monster population.
'This is &^%$&^% ridiculous! Why did I have to be the one given this task!?
The memory of dinner earlier that day with all three still haunted his mind.
"So how many siblings did you have again, Kizuna?" Itsuki asked.
"Two. One older, and one younger. Both sisters." Kizuna smiled. "How about you?"
"I was an only child," Itsuki replied. "I think my parents talked about wanting to have another kid when I was ten. But they never had the time off work to consider it."
"Yeah. It was the same case for my parents." Kizuna looked at the other three Heroes at the table. "What about you three? What are your families like?"
"Um…"
"Ehh…"
"Nothing special…"
Their answers varied. But their answers were all vague and dodged the question in one form or another.
"Come on, we're all friends here. We can talk about these things, right?" Kizuna asked with her signature smile that no one could say no to.
Only, they shuffled some more in their seats, and then they focused on eating their food again.
...
...
They said no to the smile no one could say no to. It was such a blow to Kizuna that it took her several moments to recover and think of something to say next. "Itsuki, you've had some pretty awesome fights back in your world! Mind telling me about them?!"
"Um… sure, but what brought this on?" Itsuki said confusedly.
"Well, Naofumi never told me much about the fights that you all participated in! And I've only heard brief snippets about the Spirit Tortoise from Glassy!" Kizuna continued excitedly.
Itsuki looked uncertain. But he delved into it after a bit more prodding from Kizuna.
He didn't talk about the first month after his summoning, since there hadn't been much to say. That had been a moment in time he'd rather forget due to how stupid he was back then. But he did tell Kizuna about the first Wave he fought in alongside Ren and Motoyasu. How they took down a large Chimera Beast without Naofumi's help.
He then talked about how Naofumi had not only faced off against Motoyasu in a duel right after but how he'd managed to win the duel too. It was only when he was describing an underdog moment for the Shield Hero that the other Heroes finally looked up from their meals, taking an interest in Itsuki's story.
"What were the two of them dueling over?" Hoshi asked curiously.
"Naofumi had a friend in his party who was a slave. He'd been so jaded by events in our world that he couldn't trust anyone else to work with him back then." Itsuki answered.
"A slave? That exists in your game too?" Akane asked.
"It's not a- yes, it does exist in our world," Itsuki answered, forcing himself to not grit his teeth. "Anyway, after that duel…" Itsuki continued his story. Detailing to the other three how Naofumi had 'lost' according to the Princess and the King, how Raphtalia was freed, how she stood up to their unfairness, and how it inspired him and Ren to stand up for Naofumi as well.
He continued from there, saying how he'd gone on the path to ending slavery in that country. How it landed him in trouble with the country's Church. How he had to escape a trap and work alongside Ren to save Naofumi after he was captured.
He continued speaking. Omitting personal details about his Cursed Series and the things they all went through mentally and emotionally. By the time he got to describing the fight with Balamus, it really looked like he had the other three's attention.
"How did you guys defeat someone as powerful as him?" Daitan asked in disbelief.
"We were stronger because me and Ren had shared our strengthening methods with each other and Naofumi…" Itsuki paused, waiting to see if it'd sink in for them or not. When it didn't, he continued, hiding just a bit more frustration behind his voice. "More than that though, Naofumi didn't give up even after the rest of us were taken out of the fight. And thanks to a woman sacrificing her life to cut off the Pope's dominant hand, Naofumi was given the time to seal him away with a hero skill. And that's how we won." Itsuki answered.
…
"You mean… you didn't defeat him with overwhelming power?" Daitan asked, almost as if he was disappointed.
"I mean… we could have if he hadn't taken us by surprise at the end when he deflected all of our attacks back at us…" Itsuki trailed off but eventually went back to tell the tale.
They were still paying attention. But not as much as before. Itsuki eventually trailed off around the war that almost happened between Siltvelt and Melromarc, because he really didn't know what to say after that.
Their first fight with Glass hadn't ended well. And even though the second fight with her had been a curb stomp in their favor, the ending to that fight had been… very much more emotional than anything physical. And then with the Spirit Tortoise…
Itsuki shuddered. There'd been so much with that Guardian Beast. So much that they simply wouldn't be able to believe unless they'd been there to see it for themselves. And he just didn't know what to say next to them or…
"Hey, guys, I have a question I want to ask you." Kizuna suddenly said, making Itsuki feel relieved that his part of the conversation was over.
"What is it, Kizuna?" Akane spoke promptly.
"I… I was told by a good friend we all know that while you guys have no reason to fight. You all have a reason to keep on living in this world.
"He told me to ask you what that reason was. So I want the truth. Why are you still living in this world and pretending everything is still a game? What is your reason for needing to live?" Kizuna said, looking at them seriously.
…
…
Itsuki stared at Kizuna. Hadn't… hadn't that been something he'd overheard from her and L'Arc's conversation before they left?
…
The Heroes didn't answer. They seemed to look at each other with unreadable expressions on their faces. Then they looked at Kizuna again with forced smiles.
"I'm sorry. I think I'm tired from everything today." Akane said.
"Same, I think I could sleep for a couple of moons," Daitan said unsurely.
"I guess we'll see you two tomorrow? If this seasonal event isn't over by then?" Hoshi asked hopefully.
…
Both Cardinal Heroes sagged in their chairs. "Yeah… I guess we'll see you later." Kizuna said without any emotion in her voice.
The three thanked them for having dinner with them, and then rushed back into the castle to go back to their rooms.
…
Kizuna and Itsuki both shared a glance before sighing once more.
It had been yet another day wasted trying to convince the other Heroes to leave.
Itsuki held his head in his hands. Frustrated beyond belief.
Kizuna had gone with them afterward, saying she wanted to try a slumber party since that sometimes got people to open up. But Itsuki couldn't take it anymore.
Here he was, outside of the beautiful gem city, sniping every monster he came across and absorbing them into his Bow without so much as glancing at them, seeing what Weapon Forms he was unlocking, or examining what drop items he was getting by doing this.
'What will it take to get them to leave?! I can't go back since me and Kizuna were assigned to protect them!
'URGH! WHY ME!?'
As he stewed over his situation and killed a few more monsters, he wondered what Naofumi would do to fix things. Since he almost always seemed to know what to do nowadays and…
'Wait… Naofumi!'
Itsuki found a spot devoid of monsters and took out the communication ofuda he had to contact Naofumi. Instead of sending a message as he would with Rishia, he instead called the Shield Hero and waited for him to answer.
Because of the time difference, he realized quickly that Naofumi might be asleep. Or… not. But before Itsuki could cringe at the thought, the Shield Hero answered within a few seconds of him making the call.
"What is it, Itsuki? Is Kyo attacking again?" The Shield Hero asked with urgency.
"Ah, no. It's been quiet so far… You weren't trying to sleep right now or anything?" Itsuki asked in surprise.
"... no. I'm trying to get everyone's accessories done in time for when we make the assault on the Book country's capital." Naofumi responded with a sigh.
"Watching Master Craftsman working so diligently is such a delight!" A female voice said in the background.
"Oi! Get back to your projects Romina! We'll need that equipment too for what's ahead of us!" Naofumi yelled.
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan made her presence known on the other end as well. Knowing the shikigami, she was likely nestled on Naofumi's shoulder as he worked.
It took a minute, with Itsuki hearing what he guessed to be the sounds of Naofumi pushing the gem blacksmith out the door before making a deep sigh. "Anyway, you were saying?" Naofumi asked.
"Well, it just seemed like since we reunited with Raphtalia and everyone…" Itsuki trailed off.
"Oh, that," Naofumi said dryly. "Yeah, well you don't have to cry about not getting some anymore. Us couples have really toned it down since we got the news about Label and Mikikage. Dealing with the mimic monsters Kyo sent our way also helped with that."
"I wasn't crying about it! I was disgusted!" Itsuki shouted angrily, and he could hear Naofumi chuckling in response.
"Whatever! I called you because I need your help, you jerk!" Itsuki said next.
"Right, right, sorry. I just couldn't help myself. It's been pretty tense these last few days. I haven't had the chance to really laugh." Naofumi chuckled again before continuing in a serious tone. "What do you need help with, Itsuki?"
Itsuki explained the situation with the other three Cardinal Heroes. He explained how he and Kizuna had tried several methods to try and befriend them so they could convince them to go to Sickle with them. And he also explained how nothing seemed to be working. The three idiots were still treating this world like it was a game.
"It's so goddamn frustrating!" Itsuki shouted at the end. "I swear, I have no idea why you didn't punch me and the others that first day when we were summoned! They're so stupid Naofumi, it's ridiculous!"
"Not really," Naofumi replied somberly, to the Bow Hero's surprise. "I'd say their reactions are actually pretty normal for people like us."
"And what makes you say that?" Itsuki asked sarcastically.
"Because before the betrayal, I had the same mindset that you guys had," Naofumi replied.
…
…
"What?" Itsuki finally responded.
"Before… well, that whole fiasco with Bitch. I thought the same as you three, more or less. Sure, it might not have been like any game I played. But it definitely seemed like one at first glance. More than that Itsuki, we were in another world! And everything seemed fantastic and amazing even if everyone didn't like me and the King didn't show me as much respect as he did for the rest of you. It was every trope I'd read about come to life! It was a dream come true for me!
"I guess you could say that I was being naively optimistic, but it didn't really bother me back then," Naofumi continued to explain. "It was a new world for me to explore. And the events of those first two days really made me begin to think that I was in a video game. Had things continued as they had, I would have dug myself even deeper into that mindset just like you guys did."
"But… but you were the one that told us this wasn't a game. That it was all real." Itsuki said in disbelief.
"... Yes, I did. And who do you think was responsible for me realizing that?" Naofumi replied with a certain rigidity in his tone.
…
"Bitch." Itsuki said in realization.
"I'd had plenty of hints that I was unliked before then. But when I overheard her conversation. When I realized just how deep in the &^%$ I actually was. That was when I knew it, Itsuki. That was when I knew this was no longer a game." The Shield Hero said seriously. "That was when I woke up to the reality of the world we were in. And I haven't thought of it as I did those first two days ever since.
"The same thing happened to you, Ren, and Motoyasu too, right? The circumstances and the context might have been different, but the general gist of it was that we all were forced to swallow a big, hard, and bitter reality pill to awaken to the situation we were in."
"Yeah, but…" Itsuki trailed off.
Naofumi was right.
Their situations were definitely different from one another's. But it'd taken them a nasty confrontation with reality to make them realize that they weren't in a game. Whether it was getting tricked into killing a peace-loving dragon and orphaning his dog girl daughter, realizing that the person who they trusted most hated them and was only using them to further their own goals, or witnessing a little girl being murdered in cold blood by someone for no other reason besides spite.
In a way, it'd been the same thing for all of them. An event traumatic to each of them specifically which pushed them over the edge and forced them to take up the mantle that came with their titles for real.
"If you want to get through to them as quickly as possible, you have to show them undeniable proof that they're not in a game," Naofumi said seriously. "And I suggest you do it fast. L'Arc told us today he received a report stating that a group of elite warriors made it past the border wall. If that's true, we could be attacked within a few days at most. I'd rather us be the proactive ones, but if the Male Bitch wants to attack first, then we'll need to be ready. And I'd feel a hell of a lot more confident with you here to watch our backs."
Itsuki gulped. "I'll… I'll try my best, Naofumi."
"Good. Before you go, I'm about to enchant a new accessory meant for you. Are there any specific enchantments you want on it?" Naofumi asked.
"Um… defense, probably," Itsuki admitted.
"Oh? Is there a particular reason for that? I would have thought you'd want another magic one. Or an agility one. Or perhaps an attack one since that's your highest stat." Naofumi pondered out loud.
"Yeah, defense is my lowest stat… so I'd rather have something to buff that. I'm not really good at dodging like you or Ren are, so agility would be wasted on me. Seeing how our last fight against Kyo went… I'd prefer not to crumple like a paper cup immediately if any of our enemy's stray attacks manage to get past you."
"Hmmm… fair enough. Alright, let's see what we get here." Naofumi hummed to himself in thought.
…
"Oh, what do you know? Attack Up (Medium) and Defense Up (Large). Looks like it's your lucky day, assuming one or the other doesn't change when you equip this accessory to your weapon."
"Heh, the last one didn't really change though." Itsuki chuckled.
"Yeah, but it still had that hidden effect of changing your Wind Arrow to Tornado Arrow," Naofumi replied. "I speak from experience when I say that our weapons are capable of drawing out hidden powers from accessories, whether I make them or not."
"At the cost of the accessory's life, that is," Itsuki muttered. He looked down at the Bow keychain still hanging from his weapon.
It really did look scratched and beat up, now that he was taking a closer look. After what he'd learned about gems recently, he felt genuinely terrible about it.
"Well, I'll look forward to giving this to you when you get back," Naofumi stated. "I just have a couple more to work on here, and then I'm off to bed."
"Alright, I'll… hopefully be back soon," Itsuki replied.
They exchanged goodbyes and hung up.
…
Itsuki sat in his spot, pondering over Naofumi's advice.
He had to get the Heroes to realize that they weren't in a game… but if they believed that Kyo was just a seasonal NPC meant to terrorize the populace…
He thought about it… and continued through the forest as he did so. He came upon the base of the mountains in his pondering. The forest around him disappeared.
He found himself at the entrance of a ruined village. Likely destroyed by a previous Wave that'd hit the area based on what he could see. The wall around it had been breached from the inside out. And many of the buildings had holes in their roofs indicating monsters had fallen from the sky.
The dilapidated buildings weren't overgrown with nature, which might have indicated it was from a recent Wave. Only, there was no nature around the perimeter of the village either. The scent of death wafted from the inside, as well as the moans and groans of the undead.
…
…
Seeing it, Itsuki felt he should purge the area immediately. Only, an idea came to his mind. One that he began to think hard on.
If he wanted to make the other Heroes see that they weren't in a game, then…
…
'Alright.'
It would not be pretty. And there was no way in hell that Kizuna would ever approve of what he had in mind. But desperate times require desperate measures. And if it required him to get his hands dirty again in order to force the other Heroes to face reality…
Then so be it.
Hero Clips!
Head Shots
The single energy arrow sailed through the air, piercing Kyo's head right through the eye socket. Everyone gasped at the sight, but the Book Hero didn't even flinch.
Itsuki's eyes narrowed in confusion.
…
"Hmhmhmhm, oh? Don't tell me, did you actually think that I'd come here in per-?" Kyo's nasally voice chuckled darkly.
Another energy arrow pierced through his other eyesocket, cutting him off.
…
After a few seconds, both wounds regenerated. Kyo looked down at Itsuki boredly. "Yo, idiot, don't you realize that I'm not actually-"
A pair of arrows pierced his eyes simultaneously, and the wounds regenerated more quickly than before. "Hey-"
And then it happened again.
"Hey-"
And again.
"Hey-"
And again.
After his wounds regenerated again, Kyo began to screech in anger. "I'M NOT HERE YOU STUPID-" A pair of arrows went through his eyes while a third one went through his throat, severing his vocal cords.
As soon as they'd regenerated, Kyo began screaming in frustration. Only for Itsuki to cut it off as he continued his unrelenting barrage with a steel look on his face.
"Wow… these mimics really have a lot of health," Glass muttered as she watched it continue. "... and some impressive regeneration too."
Kizuna simply sat with her face held in her hands while sighing.
"I guess we'll be here for a while." Daitan shrugged helplessly while watching the Book Hero begin screaming obscenities at the Bow Hero, only to lose his voice again.
"Want a snack?" Hoshi asked.
"Yeah, sure." Daitan smiled.
"Get something for me too," Akane muttered while watching the show. "It's not often that you get to see an NPC bugged out like this."
The others in the room mumbled as the show didn't stop even as more and more minutes went by. It didn't appear that Itsuki was going to stop anytime soon.
"Hmmm, aren't we forgetting about someth-" Corrin began to ask.
KABOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The ships on the royal airfield exploded one after another in a chain reaction due to no one coming to stop the mimics from attacking them. The walls around the castle as well as most of the castle caved in under the series of explosions. Killing almost everybody inside the walls.
Everybody except the Bow Hero and the original Kyo mimic that is.
Itsuki was still shooting the monster through the head over and over again even as the dust and debris settled around them.
"REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-" Kyo's voice was cut off once more.
Itsuki would set a world record for the most consistent amount of headshots ever by the time it was over.
A record Daitan would undoubtedly try to break if not for his unfortunate death.
Till Next Time
Allen
Notes:
This is based on a review I got on fanfiction.net a while back. I felt I should make it clear that even Naofumi would have fallen for the game idea early on if not for being forced to swallow a hard reality pill courtesy of Bitch. In canon, that is what it takes for each hero to get to where Naofumi is.
Naofumi wasn't more special in regards to brains or common sense. He was only special in that the bitch treatment was given to him FAR sooner than the other three Heroes.
I have not changed that one bit for the other Heroes or their original personalities. I just gave the pill to them earlier on via a different source. That's it.
Next time, watch as Itsuki force-feeds the other three Heroes a reality pill of their own.
Chapter Text
- ENTRY #5 -
I still had my debt to pay. But instead of mindless ████████████, I ended up someplace even worse. Working a job that no person deserves to be forced into.
A ████████████.
I tried to find any other job I could at night. Literally, anything would have been better than that. But because I got blacklisted, nobody was willing to have me work for them. My talents as ████████████ were being squandered by a ████████████. No ████████████ would hire me, not even to ████████████.
On top of the debt that I owed those loan sharks, I was also fined heavily for almost ████████████. I guess I should have been grateful that they didn't ████████████. But then, at least that would have improved my situation. It would have made it impossible for those goons to demand money for a debt that kept growing bigger and bigger under their greedy influence.
I have no doubt that this was the exact reason why I wasn't ████████████. It'd make sense, with how corrupt ████████████ was.
As my debt grew, so did my apathy towards my situation. As my ████████████, I grew increasingly demoralized. I understood it then: nothing I could do would change or improve ████████████.
The only thing that I could still feel was my ████████████. For my fellow ████████████ who harassed me day in and day out. For every ounce of ████████████ that I was forced to endure in one form or another over the ████████████. For those who grouped together with ████████████ to push ████████████ like myself who ████████████, to the bottom heaps of society.
On my ████████████, only eight years after I'd graduated ████████████, I had been fired, or 'let go' as they liked to call it, again. The ████████████ was in bad shape, they said. It was not viable to keep ████████████ for such mundane tasks in the ████████████. A point of view that I would have normally shared, had I not been dependent on such jobs just to survive.
Regardless, those idiot loan sharks cornered me in an alleyway shortly after. Demanding that I pay them in full, or else.
I couldn't take their stupidity anymore. And I couldn't take being stepped on either. In my anger, I lashed out at the nearest one, trying to land a punch on his smug face.
I didn't even come close. Two more of their goons grabbed me from behind. They'd known I wouldn't be able to pay, and wanted me to sign an agreement to sell ████████████. And then, when I refused to comply, they proceeded to give me the beating of my life.
They laughed as they did so. They told me that if I pleaded for mercy, they'd let me live another day. I didn't give them the pleasure though. I continued to glare at them.
The look of glee in their eyes gradually disappeared, and they continued beating me until several of my bones had broken and I was covered in bruises.
They likely would have continued, killing me in the process, if not for the sound ████████████. They fled after that, and the ████████████ nearby.
Even after all that I'd been through, a small part of me thought that, maybe, I'd finally ████████████. That I'd be able to get ████████████. That I'd be able to escape my situation. That…
Well, the thought quickly died. The ████████████ didn't see me on the ground. Or maybe they saw me but didn't want to deal with me and ████████████. Leaving me there, broken, and ████████████.
I could not take the cruelty ████████████ anymore. I could not endure one more second of it. I tried to scream at the sky for every bad thing that'd ever happened to me, from the ████████████, to the people that stomped me down to the ground; only for it to hurt too much to take in that much air. I tried to cry in frustration and agony, only to find that hurt too.
I didn't move as the cold of the night came across ████████████. Those stupid loan sharks, while having done all that damage to my body, hadn't hurt me badly enough that I'd bleed out or anything before they fled. So I had to wait for the cold to do me in. Or for some thug to find me and finish the job they started.
Not like I cared. I was done with living. I didn't care about anything anymore.
And then…
… I met one of them.
I wish I could say more about that encounter. About the moment when ████████████ had been changed forever. About the ones who'd saved me that night. But I cannot. The contract that I signed with them back then, as part of our deal, included a nondisclosure agreement. And breaching it would spell total destruction of my soul on the spot.
I have seen the consequences of not respecting the contract firsthand when a fellow reincarnator who was a bit stupider than most, tried to talk about our employers while he was drunk. Something that I can only describe as a miniature black hole opened in the middle of his chest, where his heart was.
I saw every agonizing second of it.
I heard the poor bastard's screams as he was turned inside out before getting crushed, compressed, collapsed, and finally sucked into the black abyss with his body, soul, and everything. It was a type of destruction so complete that when it was all over, there was not even a sign left that he had ever existed.
Even if nobody else will see this, even if this is only meant for me to detail my life till now as a way of coming to terms with what happened to me, I'd rather be safe and sorry.
But what I can say is this: that night, 'they' gave me a choice. To either ████████████ in my ████████████ that did everything and anything to push me down. Or, I could wish for the power I most desired, and be reborn with it in another world. One where I'd be able to thrive, to do what I always wanted, and someday, even make it my own; as long as I would continue to fulfill my contractual obligations.
I'd already been abused by ████████████. I'd been surrounded by ████████████ for as long as I could remember. My ████████████ hadn't loved me. Nothing I ever did had garnered ████████████ from anyone. Not even my ████████████ wanted anything to do with me. My knowledge was wasted on the idiots ████████████.
In short, I had nothing left to live for.
Was it any wonder that I swallowed their bait hook, line, and sinker; and immediately agreed to the offer given to me?
By something that could only be described as a miracle, Kizuna did manage to get the other three Cardinal Heroes to agree to partake in a slumber party with her.
They were in her room since it was the cleanest and least cluttered. They were all dressed in their pajamas, but even though night had fallen, none of them felt tired enough to fall asleep yet.
But without Itsuki there… the Hunting Tools Hero almost felt awkward and out of place.
"So, does anyone else enjoy fishing?!"
Then again, this was Kizuna.
Being awkward and out of place was perfect for her.
"This again?" Akane rolled her eyes. "For the last time, no."
"Hmph. Well, your opinion doesn't matter." Kizuna pouted at the other heroine. "What about you, Hoshi?! Do you enjoy fishing?!"
"Um… I don't really know. I've never tried it." The mangaka Hero admitted.
"You should try it! It's really fun, and there are some really interesting fish you can pull from the water!" Kizuna said excitedly with stars sparkling in her eyes. "One time, I caught a fish that was as big as the boat I was on! It was able to feed all of my friends for a week!"
"Wait, that's it!" Daitan suddenly said excitedly before Hoshi could respond to Kizuna's comment. "If I pull out a bigger fish from the lake than that Bow Guy, that'd definitely prove that I'm the better man!"
"Dai, you're not going to beat him at anything," Akane spoke dryly. "That Bow Hero is way too Overpowered if his stats are anything to go by. It's frankly infuriating." She added under her breath at the end.
"Well, I can't just give up! This is a blow to my credibility as a man that I must overcome!" The Blunt Weapons Hero refuted.
"Now that's just funny. I'm pretty certain that you have no credibility and you're barely half of a man as it is." The redhead rolled her eyes.
The two dissolved into more bickering while Hoshi spared glances between them and Kizuna awkwardly.
The Hunting Tools Hero forced a smile even though her original topic had been thrown off.
At least they were talking a bit more than before. If only she could actually get them to take her more seriously.
"You know, Daitan, I'm somewhat of a master fisherwoman myself. If you want to try to challenge Itsuki in a contest like that, I could give you some really good advice," Kizuna tried to interrupt.
"One of these days, I'll get you to admit that I'm the epitome of manhood!" Daitan pointed a finger at Akane.
"Very unlikely, manlet." Akane crossed her arms in front of her.
The two continued arguing. Kizuna's gaze moved to Hoshi again. "If you want, maybe I could teach you how to fish instead? New experiences like that can be a good source of inspiration from what I heard. It could help with the manga you are drawing maybe?"
"I'm… I'm good. I'm not much of a fan of water anyway." The guy spoke awkwardly.
He wasn't much of a fan of anything from what Kizuna had seen.
...
The Hunting Hero's gaze briefly fell again while she blocked out what was going on around her.
This hardly made any sense. They weren't pushing her away. Hell, it'd been a surprise for even one to agree to a slumber party with her after the way dinner went. But for all three to agree?
In retrospect, it honestly hadn't been that hard. She hadn't even gotten to begging them or anything. So it seemed obvious even to her that they wanted her around. But then… why did they not want to open up to her?
"Do you want me to put you through a wall again?" Akane asked angrily.
"Ha! Me breaking the stone without a scratch on my body will just continue to prove how manly I am!" Daitan smirked victoriously.
"Or it'll show how much of a wimp you are that a 'girl' can beat you so easily," Akane said in a darker tone.
"Hey, um, maybe let's 'not' fight in my room, please." Kizuna suddenly interjected. "As much as Corrin likes me, I don't think he'd enjoy fixing any more property damage than he's already had to do these last few days."
…
"Right… I'm sorry." Akane's gaze turned away, but Kizuna and Daitan still heard the apology.
"Yeah, sorry about that." Daitan rubbed the back of his neck. "We didn't think about how we're not in our own homes right now."
"It does get annoying paying for the damage that you two cause to my cafe with every visit," Hoshi admitted awkwardly.
Kizuna took turns looking at every member of the trio. Her confusion was only growing. "So you do care that we're in Corrin's castle?" She asked.
…
Again, she saw their faces become uneasy. But then, the three began to force smiles once again. "Y-Yeah, messing around with the game environments and NPCs… that's a bad thing to do. R-Right guys?" Hoshi asked the other two.
"Of course."
"Yea, I don't want to get banned or anything."
…
Kizuna stared at the group of three.
The sinking feeling in her gut returned. The last few days and all of their interactions came to mind. It seemed too familiar to her to just be a coincidence.
But then, before she could piece any of it together, the door to her room flew open with a slam.
"Eep!" Hoshi jumped up in fright as everyone else quickly turned towards the doors. The sudden tension quickly disappeared though as they recognized who'd just walked in. "Oh, Itsuki. You're finally joining us?"
The Bow Hero stood in the doorway. He hastily walked in after closing the door behind him. But his hood was up, obscuring his face in shadow, and a pale-white cloak covered the rest of his body. The only reason Kizuna could tell it was Itsuki was because of the Bow on his back. Which was currently in its Demon Elephant Bow form.
"That's… that's Itsuki, right?" Hoshi asked Kizuna as the Bow Hero approached without saying a word.
"Yeah, it is," Kizuna said unsurely. Her hand rested on her weapon, just in case he revealed himself to be another mimic.
However, it didn't feel like that was the case. "Did your walk outside of the capital go well, Itsuki?" She chose to ask instead.
Itsuki paused next to Kizuna, looking down at the other three Heroes. They'd begun to shift around in their seats as they tried to decipher the look on the Bow Hero's obscured face. Itsuki completely ignored the question Kizuna had asked him.
…
"Do you think that this is a game?"
Itsuki's voice seemed to bring them out of their reverie. "What?" Daitan asked confusedly.
"Do you… think… that you're in a game?" Itsuki repeated in a slower and calmer tone.
"Yeah! Of course!" Daitan responded heatedly. "Right guys?!"
"Well, I wasn't really a gamer… but yeah, this looks a lot like one." Hoshi hesitantly agreed.
"We've already told you this before." Akane crossed her arms again with a bored look on her face. "Do you really think we'll just change our minds if you keep pressing us about it?"
…
"Perhaps not… but we'll see."
Kicked from Bow Hero's party!
Kizuna suddenly received a notification that she'd been kicked out of the party. "Wha- Itsuki-"
"Transport Bow!"
A bright light flashed off the Bow Hero, and Kizuna covered her eyes at the sudden use of the portal skill.
After a moment when the bright spots in her vision faded, the Hunting Hero was able to see again and looked around the room.
Itsuki and the other Cardinal heroes were gone.
"What the- WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?!"
The bright light that enveloped the group of three quickly faded, leaving them dazed and disoriented.
"What!?"
"Where are we?!"
"What did he just do?!"
The other three Cardinal heroes looked around in surprise and fear. They could see some tall trees in the distance, but the group was surrounded by several dilapidated buildings in an abandoned village. And the smell…
Hoshi put a hand to his mouth, trying to keep himself from vomiting. Akane and Daitan looked around, their eyes widening, but this time in anger.
"What the hell dude! Did you freaking teleport us here?!" Daitan asked.
"Yes, I did."
They looked up at the source of the voice.
Itsuki's outline was visible thanks to the light of the moon up above. He was kneeling on the roof of one of the buildings. He looked down at them with his hood still up.
"How?! You can't just teleport anywhere you want! You need an hourglass to travel!" Akane yelled up at him.
"Really?" Daitan asked confusedly.
"You- you don't even know that much, you numbskull?!" Akane yelled at her fellow Hero.
"Hey! It's been a while since I've done it, ok?! We unregistered ourselves from the Dragon Hourglasses after that one Wave so you can't expect me to remember all of Ken-sensei's lessons!" Daitan argued back.
"To answer your question." Itsuki interrupted in a cold voice. "In my world, we Heroes are able to teleport to saved locations. We don't need an hourglass to assist us with that.
"Also, my world is not a game." Itsuki's head turned to face Akane as he said that. "You would be wise not to call it such in the future."
...
"W-W-Why did you bring us here?" Akane managed to respond despite the fear in her voice making her stutter. "Aren't you supposed to keep us safe?"
"Yes, that is what I'm supposed to be doing," Itsuki answered grimly. "But now, I'm not so sure, and besides, I've gotten quite tired of protecting idiots who're too weak to stand up for themselves. And I'm especially tired of those who are quick to trivialize everything that is going on around them as some sort of event in a video game they played before coming to this world."
"HEY! SCREW YOU! I'M NOT AN IDIOT!" Daitan roared.
His loud voice carried over the whole village.
It was met with the groans of monsters.
The sounds made all three Heroes freeze.
"Shining Jewel!"
Akane threw a bright white gem from her hand into the air, it changed into a ball of light that shined a bright light over the area around them.
The light revealed the rotting wood of the nearby buildings. Shattered panes of glass on the ground. Destroyed wagons and barrels lined cratered streets and the clear scene of a losing battle.
And then there was the undead.
Lots and lots of undead coming from buildings all around them and creeping towards their position.
"No, you are," Itsuki spoke out quietly in response to Daitan's earlier outburst.
Zombie: Lv: 65
Skeleton Warrior: Lv: 75
"Oh… oh &^%$," Daitan muttered as he brandished his mace.
"Come on, Hoshi! Get that ofuda of yours ready!" Akane commanded.
"B-But why? W-we don't have to fight them! Itsuki could do it!" He pointed up at the Bow Hero. "Hell, he could get us out of here!"
The three looked up at him desperately. However, Itsuki continued to stare coldly down at them.
"P-Please! Teleport us back!" Akane pleaded.
"I can't use that skill for another hour." Itsuki deadpanned. "And even if I could, I won't.
"It's time for you all to face reality."
Hoshi opened his mouth to try and plead some more.
"First Strike!" An energy mace extended from Daitan as he swung, smashing into the skull of a zombie just before it could grip the Ofuda Hero. While it howled in pain, it hadn't died from the strike.
"Forget him! The three of us are more than strong enough to take on these trash mobs!" Daitan yelled. "Let's do this!"
"O-Okay!" Hoshi stuttered again but pulled an ofuda from the box on his side. "F-Formation One: Gale Tag!"
A large gust of wind came from the mangaka's ofuda, blowing away some of the zombies around him. However, they were hardly damaged and simply got back up to lumber towards him again.
"Sapphire's Fury!" Akane threw a blue gemstone that appeared in her hand, which unleashed a wave of ice that covered the zombies. Their health bars dropped and they froze in place, much to Hoshi's relief.
"Power Charge!" Daitan rushed forward, energy covering him as he swung his mace with all his strength.
The ice was torn asunder, and the undead trapped within were shattered to pieces as their health bars hit zero. The sandy brown-haired manlet let out a loud whoop of victory. "Ha! That was easy!"
"Those were only the weak ones." Akane pointed out grimly.
Indeed, behind the Zombies came the Skeleton Warriors. They were not only stronger than their counterparts, but they were also wearing armor. And wielding long, rusted, but deadly-looking swords.
With a grimace on his face, Daitan rushed the warriors while Akane and Hoshi did their best to back him up.
Itsuki continued to observe the battle from his perch. Despite these monsters still being considered a 'trash mob', the three Heroes struggled with taking them down. This was, thanks in part, due to the nature of monsters in their world being far stronger than normal monsters in Itsuki's world.
The other problem that quickly became apparent, besides their lower stats, was the group's inability to work together effectively.
"Ack! Akane, where's my supporting fire!" Daitan barely avoided being skewered by one of the skeleton's blades. Only to be backhanded by another one, causing him to stumble back.
"A little busy here." The Jewel Heroine had erected a barrier around herself and Hoshi. Several Skeleton Warriors were battering down on it. It cracked a little but held.
"C-Chain Lightning!" Hoshi's shaky voice called out.
Arcs of lightning came from another ofuda he'd pulled from his box, striking each skeleton around them. But their health bars didn't drop at all, and the monsters were only stunned for a few seconds.
"I-I'm too weak." The monochrome hero muttered helplessly.
The few seconds at least gave Akane an opening to use another skill that required her to throw another gem as it appeared from her Cardinal Weapon. "Emerald Force!"
The monsters all around were blown off their feet, taking a little bit of damage from the attack. While they struggled to get up, Daitan closed the distance and bellowed one skill after another.
"First Strike! Second Strike! Third Strike! Flurry of Blows! Lightning Strike!" The various attacks whittled down the group's health bars. Hoshi could only watch as none of his attacks would be useful here. Whereas Akane couldn't use an attack for fear of hitting her fellow Hero.
It'd been so long since she fought beside anyone else that she'd forgotten that her attacks were just like Jewel Magic. In that, they wouldn't harm her allies.
"Shooting Star Blow!" Daitan swung his mace forward one last time, and a flurry of stars came off it, striking all of the Skeleton Warriors repeatedly.
They finally fell to the ground in a clatter of bones and armor.
The three Cardinal Heroes were left breathing heavily. They'd won the battle, but they felt worn out.
It'd been a while since any of them had fought like this.
"Growwr." And the worst part was, they could tell it wasn't over yet.
Great Zombie Captain: Lv: 85
It was a hulking beast of a creature that lumbered onto the road from behind a house. It stood at least eight feet tall, with armor covering its torso and limbs. It held a greatsword in one hand and a large shield in the other. While its immense size made it move slower than its compatriots, it almost seemed to radiate power.
The three heroes trembled, seeing the creature coming towards them with a purple health bar over its head.
"D-Daitan, you're its level, right? Y-You can take it on." Hoshi said nervously.
"S-Sure thing." Daitan visibly sweatdropped. He'd used up almost all of his soul power taking down all the skeletons, but maybe he could whittle down its health in a war of attrition?
Akane got her Jewel ready for another skill.
At least it was only one. And Daitan was its level, so theoretically, he should have been able to face it…
But then, three more monsters stepped out from behind other buildings.
Death Knight Captain: LV: 93
Great Zombie General: LV: 95
Great Skeleton General: LV 97
The color drained from all of their faces.
"I-I don't think I can handle that kind of power!" Daitan yelled in terror.
They turned around to look for a path to flee. Only to see something far more terrifying.
Even more undead zombies and skeletons had moved behind the group. Cutting off any possible avenues for retreat. And among the regular undead, something else was creeping forward through the air.
Soul Eater: Lv: 85.
Soul Eater: Lv: 90.
And behind them was a monster that Itsuki recognized. Just without the Interdimensional title attached to it.
Soul Eater Boss: Lv: ???
The trio's eyes widened in terror, seeing the question marks in place of the level. Itsuki though could see that it was level 110.
"G-Guys! What do we do!?" Hoshi screamed in terror.
The monsters began to close in on them from all sides. Instead of fighting back, the three Heroes began to back themselves into the wall of the home the Bow Hero was still sitting on. Looking down at them with an unreadable expression on his features.
"I-Itsuki! Please, help us!" Akane pleaded.
"Why should I bother?" Itsuki asked. "You'll just respawn after this, right?"
The coldness in his voice hit them like a slap across the face. "This is all just a game to you, after all. The Waves. The fate of the world. It doesn't matter when entire villages like this one get wiped off the map and turned into a place of death and decay like this.
"We're only what, a few miles away from the lake surrounding Lazuli? I bet you were able to see the cracks in the sky from there. Yet you didn't come here to help. The people here died waiting for their 'Heroes' to come and rescue them. And this is what became of them."
The monsters moved closer. On closer inspection, some of the zombies had gems in their foreheads, while the skeletons had gems embedded in their sternums. Even the larger variants had gems embedded in their bodies.
The three Heroes pressed their backs against the wall, terror shining in their eyes.
The boss monsters were in the lead. Their weapons and armor reflected moonlight, making them appear even more ominous.
Itsuki kept on watching though. Waiting to see what they'd do. How they'd react.
If it'd be just like him, or Ren, or Motoyasu, or…
"It's just a game… it's just a game…"
Daitan's voice cut Itsuki's hopes short.
No…
"We'll just respawn… we'll just respawn…" Akane said next to her fellow Hero.
"It's not real… it's not real…" Hoshi began to say after her.
There… there was no way…
Even in the face of certain death. Even after he revealed to them what Itsuki had learned about this village. About how undead were formed in Glass's world…
THEY WERE STILL IN DENIAL!?
THEY WERE STILL WILLING TO TREAT ALL OF THIS AS A GAME!?
Before the monsters were able to get within range of the cowering Heroes, Itsuki finally acted.
"St. Arrow's Rain!"
A cascade of arrows fell in the area all around the Bow Hero. Small explosions tore open the ground. Zombies and skeletons were thrown everywhere. Fires began consuming all the surrounding buildings.
And all the monsters, every last one, except the Soul Eater Boss, were killed in the attack.
That monster, wounded as it was, turned around to flee. But Itsuki fired several arrows from his Demon Elephant Bow. They all turned into elephant tusks in midair, impaling the monster and nailing it to the ground as each one registered as a critical hit.
The monster perished then.
…
It took a moment, but the three Heroes eventually opened their eyes and looked around them.
Buildings had been destroyed or ripped open. All of them were on fire, causing smoke to fill the air. The pothole-filled roads were now littered with craters.
But all the monsters that'd been about to kill them were gone.
"He… he really killed all of them…" Hoshi said in disbelief.
…
Itsuki landed amidst the burning ground before them. The flames shrunk back and faltered as if in fear of the Bow Hero. His hood was still over his head, casting his face in shadow. But his intimidating presence wasn't enough to keep Daitan from yelling at him as he approached.
"What the hell was that for!? First, we fight for our lives! Then, you make us think we're going to be TPK'd before swooping in and destroying all those monsters with just one skill!?"
"Daitan." Akane suddenly said in a very nervous voice. "I don't think approaching him is a very good idea right now-"
"WHY!? THIS &^%$&^ LITERALLY JUST ACTED LIKE HE WAS GOING TO LET US DIE THERE! AND THEN HE SHOWS OFF EVEN MORE OF HIS CHEATING GOD-LIKE STRENGTH!? HA! I DOUBT HE WAS EVER GOING TO LET US DIE! HE KNOWS HOW MUCH IT'D TICK OFF THE NPCS AND-"
Itsuki's hand reached forward, cutting off the Blunt Weapons Hero as it wrapped around his throat.
Akane and Hoshi both cried out at that. And Daitan choked as he was lifted off the ground with one hand.
Itsuki looked up. The fire around him finally illuminated his face, which was contorted with several emotions. One of the most prevalent was rage.
The Bow at his side was slowly losing its color.
After the last few days. After the events of the Conference and almost using it again and again. Itsuki had finally gone over the edge.
"You're right… why would I allow some stupid 'trash mob' to kill you?" He growled out. "When I can easily do it myself."
"A… Ah…" Daitan tried to speak, but his windpipe was being crushed by the Bow Hero's hand.
"If not even these monsters will do the job… then allow me to be the one that force feeds you all your reality pill."
With one motion, Itsuki threw Daitan through the air, impacting the other two Heroes and sending them crashing back through the house behind them.
The shockwave from it brought the old rotting structure crashing down to the ground. Bringing a large cloud of dust and other debris into the air.
"*cough cough* Dai!" Hoshi yelled.
"Urgh…" The Blunt Weapons Hero groaned on the ground. There was a massive bruise forming around his throat, and his health bar had dropped to below half.
"B-Bandage Ofuda!" Hoshi stuttered out. Pressing an ofuda from his box to the Blunt Hero's throat like a bandaid.
"Ruby's Warmth!" Akane cried out immediately after as a ruby appeared in her hand.
Light from both skills covered the Blunt Weapons Hero. The bruise around his throat faded, but he was still coughing, and his voice was hoarse as he was helped up.
"What's… what's gotten into him…" Daitan muttered, his voice filled with fear.
The dust began to settle, revealing Itsuki slowly walking towards them out of the inferno.
His hood was thrown back. And the Bow at his side no longer had any color to speak of whatsoever. Slowly, but surely, symbols were beginning to appear on it.
His eyes glowed only a light violet. Signifying he was in control at the moment. But there was no doubt.
The Bow Hero had just equipped his Cursed Series.
"R̶̺̞̾̉͒̕͠u̷͉̗̦̤͒̆͜n̵̡͈͓̠̹̄͌."
The other three didn't need to be told twice.
Holding Daitan up, Hoshi and Akane ran with him out of the ruined gate of the village to the forest outskirts.
Itsuki allowed them to get a headstart on him.
It'd be easy. To easy, to track them down.
After giving them a minute, he blazed into the forest after them.
Kizuna dashed across the rooftops of Lazuli, unseen by the people below thanks to the hiding skill she was using to conceal herself.
'Damn it Itsuki! Why did you have to do this?!'
She'd run around the castle at first, trying to locate the Bow Hero and the others with no success.
At the very least, Kizuna did know where Itsuki wasn't.
His portal skill could only save up to three locations, just like Naofumi's. One location had been Sickle. Contacting Glass back home had revealed that Itsuki hadn't appeared there. Crossing that off the list.
The second location was the castle. Checking the area and talking with the soldiers there revealed that Itsuki hadn't appeared there either.
While she would have had to figure out the third location, one of the guards she questioned had talked to the Bow Hero earlier before his appearance in Kizuna's room. The Bow Hero had asked him all about a village deep in the forest that'd been destroyed by one of the previous waves.
This led Kizuna to theorize that this was where he'd saved his third spot. This would make sense, given that Itsuki had been outside of the Capital relieving his frustration of their situation.
But the really strange thing was that the soldiers in the halls hadn't spotted Itsuki after that. No one had seen him coming towards her room.
Meaning that he'd used a hiding skill to get past them.
'I… I really should have talked with Itsuki more. Made sure that he was doing ok and everything.'
She couldn't help but blame herself for Itsuki's actions. Only to shake her head and jump across a street onto another building. Her skill was hiding the sound of her footfalls from those below.
'Whether I could have done something or not, I need to make sure Itsuki and the other Cardinal Heroes remain ok!'
She eventually reached the main drawbridge that connected Lazuli to the mainland. The mile-long bridge was, fortunately, up to allow a caravan of merchants to enter the city.
It was an impressive feat of engineering. It used the power of jewels embedded all along its underside to raise and lower itself into the water.
But Kizuna did not have time to marvel at such wonders. And all she could do was be thankful that it was up at all.
It took a few minutes of running, but she eventually reached the mainland, with forests stretching out from the road on either side. Storm clouds were beginning to gather in the sky. She looked down at the ground before her and focused.
"Territory of the Predator."
Her senses became enhanced. She was suddenly able to make out the sets of many footprints going up and down the road. As well as the smells of pack animals and people of all kinds.
She looked around, and then her eyes narrowed on a set of bootprints heading into the forest. Mountains rose up in that direction at the foot of the gathering storm. And from them, she could see smoke rising up into the air.
It looked like she'd found her trail. But that smoke was giving her a very bad feeling. She pulled an ofuda from her side.
"Chris, come on out!"
"Pen!" The shikigami cheered at finally being called out after spending the last few days stored away.
"I'm tracking Itsuki. Something happened and he kicked me out of the party… I'm going to need your protection in case anything happens." Kizuna said seriously at the end.
"Pen!" Chris gave her a salute as a serious look plastered itself onto his face.
"Thanks!" Kizuna gave him a head pat for good measure, and then the duo ran into the forest. Following the tracks towards the burning village and what lay beyond.
The three Heroes were beginning to wonder if they had fallen asleep back in Kizuna's room.
Because that was the only thing they could think of to explain the nightmare they were experiencing.
"W-We need to get back to Lazuli!" Akane shouted nervously. She held a jewel in her hand lighting the way before them.
"Do we know how to get back from here?!" Hoshi asked fearfully.
They were surrounded by tall trees. Their branches overhead were so thick that the trio couldn't see the stars above. It was only thanks to Akane's light skill being used like a torch that they could see where they were going at all.
"That village was at the base of the mountains. Meaning we have to go southwest to get back to Lazuli." Daitan managed to say this despite his voice still being hoarse.
"How do you know that?" Akane asked in surprise.
"I said before that I was planning on facing the monsters there when I was strong enough, didn't I?" Daitan swallowed hard. He'd been shown today that he was clearly nowhere close to being strong enough to handle the monsters that'd been living there.
Before anything else could be said, an arrow sailed through the air, shattering their only light source and enveloping them in darkness.
"Ack-!" Hoshi suddenly cried out, only for his voice to disappear.
"Wha- Hos-" Akane began to speak, only for her voice to disappear too.
…
"Guys?" Daitan weakly croaked out.
…
A moment of silence passed. He didn't get a response. He reached out in the darkness, but his two friends were no longer standing there.
"... this is fine… this is totally fine… this is just a dream. I'll wake up in Kizuna's room in a moment, and-" Daitan tried to reassure himself.
Crack!
A twig snapped nearby, and an arrow grazed his cheek.
Daitan screamed like a baby as he ran into the dark forest.
Somewhere else, Hoshi was running through the forest too. And thanks to the flaming ofuda held in his hand like a makeshift torch, it was easy to see how terrified he looked.
"It's just a dream it's just a dream it's just a-"
He tripped over a tripwire trap, and several darts impaled his arm as he landed on the ground. His eyes widened not only at the pain but at the notification on his HUD that he'd just been poisoned.
"Are you sure that this is just a dream?" Itsuki's voice called out from the dark forest.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Hoshi got back up and ran screaming blindly into the forest as arrows hit the ground around him.
In another location, Akane finished climbing out of a hole she'd fallen into. The spikes at the bottom, while not having the stats to be fatal, had been tipped with paralytic venom. Her arm was held to her side, and her legs were barely functioning. Another Shining Jewel skill was gripped in her hand, desperately trying to light the way before her.
It was only thanks to pure fear and adrenaline that she hadn't folded and collapsed to the effects.
"R-Ruby's Warmth."
The damage she'd taken was healed, but the paralytic effect remained.
"Hoshi! D-Daitan!" She called out fearfully. "Where are you two?!"
She didn't get a response. She couldn't hear anything in the forest around her. It was so eerie.
She continued screaming for her two friends as she ran. Instead of them, however, she almost got impaled by several arrows that came from above. One went through her hand, shattering her only source of light once again.
"Ack-" She jumped to the side, only to barrel into a tree. She groaned as she gripped her head, only to feel blood running down her hand from the arrow that disappeared.
Fear gripped her, and she tried to use her healing skill again, only to find that she was out of soul power.
She couldn't heal the damage. And she couldn't summon another light source either. As she tried to pull out a healing crystal from her weapon's gemstone, another arrow shattered it before she could use it.
"Not on my watch." A voice seemed to whisper in her ear.
Her breaths quickened, and another arrow embedded itself into the trunk next to her head. Close enough that she could see it in the darkness.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Screaming in terror, Akane continued running blindly through the forest. Running into one tree after the other while bleeding from several wounds.
Hoshi wasn't doing much better in the portion of the forest he'd been dropped into.
The already cowardly boy was going through his worst nightmare. A sea of darkness surrounded him and it was so thick that he couldn't see the branches cutting at his arms or the trees he kept on running into.
The pain hardly registered for him though. His mind was utterly consumed with panic, and his flight response had been triggered to the max. He couldn't even focus enough to get another flame ofuda out to light his way.
He heard thunder from an approaching storm. And it only made the situation even worse.
Daitan wasn't doing well either. Unlike his compatriots, he had no skills that'd allow him to light his way. The monster he remembered from his game that gave the weapon form holding his flame skill lived in the mountains.
"H-Hoshi. Akane." He coughed out through his still sore throat while he ran.
He ran into another tree, and as he wavered, his foot caught onto a tripwire and he fell onto his back.
Arrows impaled the trees around him. With eyes wide with terror, he got up and continued running through the forest as best as he could.
Up above, observing it all and moving through the trees like a ninja amongst each target, Itsuki observed them.
He was still in control. But part of him couldn't deny how much he was enjoying this. He used his skill to silently move around them, setting up quick traps that they triggered in their fear of him. Aiming his arrows just close enough to either scare them or graze them and keep them running.
He was the predator here. And he was going to enjoy this until they finally broke. Until they admitted he was right. When they'd paid for all their years of inaction in this world and…
Itsuki briefly paused to shake his head. No, he had to remember why he was doing this. He was only doing this so they'd wake up and protect their world. So they'd come back with him and Kizuna to Sickle so he could help Naofumi again. So he could be there for his friends to protect them, and…
He pulled the Emerald Flower from his Bow, studying it intently.
No matter what, he had to remain focused. Not for himself, but for her sake. He couldn't lose control and become a monster. He didn't want a repeat of what happened when he lost control that first time.
He never wanted to hurt her again.
He put the gem flower away but carried the thought with him as he continued preying on the other three Heroes.
This went on for minutes. With the three Heroes running through darkness. Crying and screaming out for one another while at times having to avoid Itsuki when he paid attention to them.
The scrapes and injuries they garnered accumulated from each arrow. From each tree they ran into. For every trap that they set off.
Their voices grew hoarse from yelling. And the energy supplied by adrenaline gradually faded, leaving them tired, afraid, and afflicted with various status conditions. And yet, they continued fleeing. Trying to escape the nightmare they'd been thrust into.
Finally, they ran into each other. Quite literally.
All three heard the sound of a rushing river and ran towards it hoping for a place to hide from this insanity. Only to run into one another and fall to the ground in a pile of limbs.
Up above, thick storm clouds filled the sky. More thunder rumbled, but the rain wasn't falling yet.
"D-Don't hurt me! Please!" Hoshi cried out fearfully.
"Cough Cough, H-Hoshi? Is that you?" Daitan asked in a similar tone of voice.
"Hoshi, Dai!?" Akane shouted in a tone of barely contained joy and relief.
Their fear finally gave way to confusion, and then relief as Hoshi finally managed to summon a flame ofuda to light up the faces of his friends.
Seeing them, he almost began crying in relief.
"W-Why did you two leave me alone?" He tearfully asked.
"I-" Daitan began to respond.
A series of arrows came from above.
"Ah!" Daitan cried out as several of the arrows grazed his body in multiple places.
"Daitan!" Akane cried out.
Itsuki jumped from the branches onto the ground.
His eyes continued glowing a light violet. But he was still in control.
He was still in control…
Akane and Hoshi stared fearfully at him. But Itsuki paid them no mind.
With a rush of speed, he grabbed Daitan and threw him down facefirst into the river. As the Blunt Weapons Hero struggled to get up, Itsuki's foot pushed his head back down under the water.
"Blblblb!" Air bubbles came up from around the young Hero as he tried to get up. Only, he couldn't thanks to Itsuki's foot, which pressed down as if with the force of a mountain, sinking Daitan's head into the riverbed.
"Dai… Daitan…" Hoshi murmured in fear.
He wanted to run… he wanted to run so badly while Itsuki's attention was on his friend…
"Formation One: Gale Force!"
But, something in his brain kept him from running, and instead, he tried to save one of the only friends he'd made in this world.
The skill sputtered out of existence after hitting Itsuki. Akane would have assisted, if not for being out of soul power.
"Is that truly the best you can do?" Itsuki asked in a mocking tone.
The two Heroes tried to charge him, hoping to tackle them off of their friend. But Itsuki easily backhanded the pair away.
"Heh. You're so weak. If I wasn't holding back, you all would be dead ten times over." His eyes, unbeknownst to him, began glowing a deeper violet.
His foot finally moved off of Daitan's head, and the Hero desperately came up for air. As he was still coughing though, Itsuki forced him back under again.
"P-Please, let him go!" Akane screamed.
"Stop doing this!" Hoshi pleaded. "We have to live no matter what!"
...
"Oh? What happened to your respawn rhetoric from earlier?" Itsuki asked after a moment as he lifted Daitan's head out of the water.
The Hero barely looked conscious, and hardly had the time to breathe before Itsuki forced him down again.
"Why should you three idiots live when all you do is mooch off of Corrin's kindness and revel in your sloth? You haven't done a thing to help your world. And you act as if everything is a game when it's not."
"It's stupid and pathetic. None of you deserve to live." Itsuki's eyes fell into another layer of violet.
Yeah. He was beginning to lose control.
Hoshi and Akane both tried to charge and latch on to Itsuki again, to pull him away from the short Hero that he was drowning. But it was no use, it was like trying to physically move a mountain.
Daitan's limbs were barely flailing in the water at this point. Itsuki couldn't see that he was going too far. He was reveling in the sounds of their pained and agonized screams. Hoshi tried one skill after another, only for all of them to not even register on Itsuki's radar.
"Let him go! PLEASE! PLEASE DON'T KILL HIM!" Akane screamed desperately as she fell to her knees in the running water and pleaded for mercy for her friend.
He was already much stronger than them. But his Cursed Series put him in a tier above even that.
Their struggle was futile. Nothing could touch him. And making them pay for their mistakes would be the cherry on top when-
"Pen!"
Kapow!
A small flipper punched Itsuki in the face. Shocked, he was launched out of the river and through a tree. Sending the massive oak crashing down in splinters.
Daitan barely managed to pull his head out, breathing in deep gasps of air.
"Pen." Chris helped to keep his head up. And Daitan couldn't even weakly nod to the small monster or register it as he was so out of it.
"Daitan, are you okay!? Speak to us!" Akane pleaded frantically. She had tears running down the sides of her face.
"Wh-What is that?" Hoshi pointed at the little penguin in confusion.
"That's my shikigami! His name's Chris!" Kizuna answered as she burst out of the treeline. "Good job reaching them before me!"
"Pen!" The shikigami posed proudly for his Hero.
"K-Kizuna-" Hoshi began to say in both shock and relief.
"Urghhhhhhhhhhhh." The Bow Hero growled as he came out of the wreckage of the tree. The cuts he'd sustained were already healed. Kizuna's eyes widened, seeing the cloud of malice surrounding her friend as well as his glowing eyes.
It'd been much worse than she'd thought. And seeing the injuries covering the others, she immediately knew she had to act.
Itsuki pulled back his bowstring to launch a skill at Chris as he stood in front of the three cowering Heroes to protect them.
Fine. If the little monster wanted to get in his way. He'd just have to get rid of it too.
Before he could though, a blade dripping with miasma appeared at his throat.
Its sudden appearance made Itsuki look along its length at the Heroine wielding it.
"Stop it, Itsuki," Kizuna demanded in an apathetic tone. Her eyes were glowing a light orange color. "I have no idea why you're doing this. But you've gone far enough."
The Bow Hero growled again. His eyes shimmered a little brighter violet. "You can't hurt me, Kizuna. Your weapon prevents you from doing that."
"Maybe with my other weapon forms… but not with this." Kizuna lazily ran the tip of her blade across Itsuki's cheek, lightly cutting it.
Itsuki pulled back with a surprised hiss of pain. Not only was the wound slow to heal, but the miasma coming off of not only Kizuna's blade, but her whole body was lowering his stats. Making him feel more tired and more lethargic.
Ironically, it was this feeling instead of the surprise pain that finally seemed to pull him back from the brink. And his eyes began to glow less than before.
Rain lightly began to patter down around them. A streak of lightning moved across the sky, lighting the dark scene around them for a moment before consuming them in darkness. Leaving only the light of their cursed eyes to see by.
"Please… holding this blade really takes a lot out of me. I'd rather not do any more fighting tonight. Or ever…" Kizuna's head almost began to lull and the usual shine in her eyes faded, leaving them disturbingly empty, but at the soft crying of those behind her, her eyes refocused. "Unequip that series now before I'm consumed by mine trying to stop you."
…
The glow from Itsuki's eyes faded entirely. Yet, he still spoke in a pained voice. "They have to face reality, Kizuna… Naofumi said it best. They need to be convinced that they aren't in a game! That's the only way to get them to help! To come back with us so I can… can see Rishia... and... and... ..."
The glow faded from Kizuna's eyes as well and her cursed form began to disappear. "... was trauma really the only way that you could think of?" She sadly asked.
Itsuki sputtered, but his cursed bow was still fading. And Kizuna's lingering miasma caused him to stumble backward as he collapsed from the sudden loss of energy.
Kizuna's own Cursed Weapon fully disappeared, being replaced with her Beginner's Tuna Knife. Unlike Itsuki, she looked a little more energized. Though she still looked tired as well. The rain from the sky above began to pelt them all harder.
"But… but it was trauma that helped the four of us in our world." Itsuki finally said. "It was what helped me and the others to see that we weren't playing a game. That it was real. That our actions had consequences, and…"
"Yes, it might have helped you… but it wasn't what made me stop seeing this place as a game." Kizuna said empathetically.
"Wh… what…?" Itsuki looked so confused.
"Yeah, it took several months. During which I wasted a lot of my time. But it wasn't a traumatic experience that convinced me in the end. It wasn't the subtle differences this world had from the game I was going to play.
"It was thanks to traveling with my friends. Seeing how much they cared for me. Seeing how they were willing to support me in any way possible, no matter what. They were what convinced me that this was real… and that this world was something worth fighting for."
She rested a hand on his shoulder. Looking him in the eyes as he trembled.
"And besides, having said all that… I have a feeling that they already know that this isn't a game."
…
Itsuki was left speechless at that. But Kizuna walked past him, leaving Chris to stand next to the Bow Hero as she approached the other Three Heroes.
Daitan was still sitting on the ground, soaking wet from his experience in the river. But he thankfully looked more alert than he had before. Actually, all of them were soaked through by the rain at this point.
Lightning darted across the sky again, lighting their faces for a brief moment so they could see Kizuna's empathic look.
"Don't you?" Kizuna asked the three Heroes. "You've known that this is all real for a long time now."
"... I… we don't know what…" Hoshi began to mutter, only to pause.
There wasn't any anger or disappointment in Kizuna's gaze. Only a sense of warmth and empathy for them.
"Let me explain something. The friend who told me to ask you guys that question from before… that friend was Kenshiro."
The three gasped. And, steadily, tears began to fill their eyes. "H-How?" Akane asked. "He's... he's..."
"His spirit appeared before a friend of mine after we got back to Sickle shortly after we brought his murderer to justice. He spoke with his old friend, the Scythe King, L'Arc Berg. Kenshiro told him to ask you the question from before. About why you had to live… Sorry, I didn't lead with that before."
"He said there was more to why you weren't fighting. That there was a reason for why you had to keep on living. I didn't notice before, but I had a feeling… and I think you all are doing the same thing I did before when I was mentally trying to convince myself during my first few months that I was in a game. So I could live in this world without having to worry about my sisters and those I'd left behind.
"So please… tell me why… why were you pretending that this was a game when you know it's not?" Kizuna asked gently.
…
…
…
…
…
"Ken… Ken-sensei…" Tears fell from Daitan's eyes.
Hoshi didn't speak. He was softly crying as his body trembled. And Akane…
…
…
"It's the last order that he gave us… that we had to survive… no matter what." Akane finally answered.
"Now, listen up! From this day forward, I'll be in charge of training you three pathetic wastes of space, so you can properly learn how to defend our world from the Waves of Catastrophe! You will not laugh. You will not cry. And you will not do anything to detract from this task!" Kenshiro's voice boomed over the Heroes who'd only been summoned two days before.
"What do you mean we can't do anything else? That'd be boring-" Daitan tried to complain, only for Kenshiro to suddenly appear right in front of his face, startling him.
"Oh, already bored now, are we? Don't you worry, son, I'll be filling in your days with so many 'fun' activities that by nighttime, you'll barely have the energy left to crawl into your beds! Mark my words, I will make the three of you strong, no matter what I have to do to get you welps to get there!" He harshly rebuked the younger boy. His intimidating size caused Daitan to shrink in terror.
"U-Um, Kenshiro sir, i-if you d-don't mind me asking, w-w-why is it i-important f-for us to b-b-become strong?" Hoshi asked fearfully.
He expected another rebuttal from their new drill sergeant figure. Only, the Katana Hero gave him a straight face as he answered. "You have to become strong so you won't die. With… the Hunting Tools Hero, with Kizuna missing, if you were to die then there'd be no hope left for our world.
"We wouldn't be able to summon more Heroes. And the Waves would become so strong that none of us would be able to handle them, and we and our world would be destroyed.
"At least, those are the consequences according to the legends passed down from before."
The three new Heroes gulped at the bit of lore given to them. But Kenshiro's serious posture returned. "Now, let's get started."
Some time passed as they trained under Kenshiro and raised their levels.
"Hmph. You're not the welps you were when I first met you. But you still have a ways to go." The Katana Hero gave them begrudging encouragement.
"K-Ken-sensei?! Can I please go see my friend Kuro-chan!?" Hoshi pleaded.
"Y-Yeah. We could use a break with our party members." Daitan said limply in exhaustion.
He was all for working out. But even he was exhausted from all the training they'd been doing!
"Your friends are training with the Scythe and Fan Heroes today. And even if they were available, I'd still have to say no." The scarred Katana Hero said in his threatening drill sergeant voice.
"Please… can't we at least see it? The world that we're going to be fighting for?" Akane asked pleadingly.
…
"Train hard for me, and maybe I'll see about taking you brats on a field trip somewhere." Kenshiro relented.
"Whoa…" The other Heroes let out gasps of awe as they walked out of the castle into Lazuli proper for the first time.
"I… thought it was just the inside of the castle that had all the gemstones." Akane breathed out in awe.
The Katana Hero smirked at the looks on their faces. "Come on. There's plenty for you to see here."
The Heroes and their companions traveled together through the city. Seeing many of the wonders it was known for and meeting many different people, some of whom Kenshiro personally knew.
At one point, Hoshi, who'd been quiet the whole time, let out a scream of delight when his partner Kuro-Chan showed them her home. And greeted the rest of her cat family in her cat form.
"THEY'RE SO ADORABLE I'M GOING TO DIE!" Hoshi was literally crying. He suddenly looked to Kenshiro. "M-May I?" He meekly asked.
"Do whatever you want. You are on leave today." The grizzled samurai responded with a wave of his hand.
With a squeal of delight, Hoshi ran to the cat family and began petting as many of the cats as he could.
Lazuli wasn't the only place they visited.
They got to see Sickle's Capital. Mikikage's Capital. Label's Capital. And several other cities around the world. Each one was interesting or unique in its own way.
In them, they met lots of nice people. Struggling through their day-to-day lives, their eyes filled with hope whenever they saw the Heroes. And they went on with their business, just a little bit more of a skip in their step than there was before.
"You see, that is what you all are fighting for," Kenshiro said after visiting his country with them. "You three are the hope of our world.
"As long as you're alive, people will be able to sleep soundly with the certainty that they will get to live another day at least."
The other Heroes were left in awe by what their teacher had said. And, deep inside themselves, a spark they hadn't noticed before was finally lit under their souls.
Another month passed. The trio was standing in their newly minted armor and gear before their teacher.
"How will you act during the Wave?" Kenshiro asked.
"AS HEROES, SIR!" The three responded simultaneously.
"Where will you be during the Wave?"
"RIGHT NEXT TO YOU SIR!"
"And what will you do?"
"WE'LL STAY BACK AND ASSIST THE PEOPLE, SIR!"
"And why will you do that?"
"BECAUSE IF WE DIE THE WORLD WILL END SIR!" They answered confidently.
"That's right." Kenshiro gifted them with a small, but proud smile. "You're still too green to fight properly for my liking, but at least you three won't die instantly if something goes sour. So consider this your first proper field training exercise.
"You'll be seeing what the waves are like and how to act properly during them. You'll help to evacuate the civilians, learn which type of enemies to prioritize, and how to fight as a team. We won't engage the Wave Boss directly until L'Arc and Glass are there to assist for that reason."
"WE'LL FOLLOW YOUR ORDERS, SIR!" The three said with proud smiles on their faces.
"Heh, I know you will…"
The next day came, and it was terrifying.
It'd been a few Waves since the trio had been summoned. But they'd trained for all that time so they could help out at last.
Only, they were already in the fight of their lives.
"First Strike!" Daitan's skill slammed into the side of the giant Minotaur's face. Only for it to growl and swing a large blade at him.
It was only thanks to Kenshiro parrying the strike off his katana that the Blunt Weapons Hero wasn't eviscerated by the Wave Boss.
"Stand back! This thing is much too strong for any of you!" Kenshiro yelled back at the three of them.
"Isn't that the Wave Boss though?!" Hoshi asked fearfully. "Aren't we supposed to defeat it to end the Wave?!"
"Isn't it here a bit early!? I thought they only appeared after some time had passed! We only just finished evacuating the people in this area!" Akane yelled after that.
Kenshiro didn't answer as he not only shoved the beast back but used a skill to instantly slash into its gut. The minotaur let out a loud bellow but brought a fist down to smash Kenshiro into the ground. The Hero barely jumped back in time to avoid the attack.
He felt sluggish for some reason. He couldn't already be tired this early into the Wave, could he? The instant skill hadn't done much damage to the boss either, meaning he'd have to use more powerful skills to deal with it.
"Glass and L'Arc will be here soon! I'll just need to hold this thing's attention until then!" Kenshiro growled. "Deal with the fodder for now!"
He then proceeded to unleash an array of different skills on the large monster. The minotaur roared as it twisted this way and that, trying to land a strike. But Kenshiro always seemed to be one step ahead of it. Easily flowing around his attacks like a river stream.
The three Heroes dealt with the lesser monsters while the Boss and Katana Hero fought with one another. But it was clear to everyone who the stronger of the duo was.
When Kenshiro's blade disarmed the minotaur and sent its large blade flying away, the other three couldn't help but pause and stare in awe at the sight.
Akane, upon seeing that, started to cheer enthusiastically. "Woooo! Go Ken-sensei!"
"Yeah! Show that stupid bull who the real boss of this wave is!" Daitan began cheering as well. Even Hoshi was smiling widely seeing their sensei at work.
The cheers only annoyed Kenshiro, however. And it became more annoying when he slashed a shadow harpy that tried to attack him from the side. He angrily turned towards them. "Did you forget the part where I said to deal with the lesser monsters-"
Suddenly, the boss's large fist backhanded Kenshiro away.
The three Heroes' eyes widened in terror. "Ken-sensei!"
The Katana Hero groaned as he got up, but he still gripped his weapon tightly as the Minotaur lowered its head and charged toward him. Two smaller Greek monsters tried to jump Kenshiro at that moment, but his blade flashed through the air, cutting both of them in half.
This next part would be simple too. He just had to jump over the boss and then he would behead the creature in one fell swoop and-
As he moved to jump, his body seized up.
The Katana Hero's eyes widened, and he suddenly found himself unable to speak.
Why… why was he unable to move…?
The minotaur's single remaining horn impaled his chest, and then he was thrown off with a shake of its head at the feet of the three shocked Heroes.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" L' Arc's blood-curdling scream rang over the battlefield as he and Glass arrived just in time to see their friend get eviscerated.
The Minotaur was pushed back by the combined skills behind their attacks. And they pressed down on the Wave Boss as it stuttered back against their combined might.
However, the three other Heroes hardly acknowledged it. They were kneeling around Kenshiro, who was bleeding out from the giant gaping hole in his chest.
"B-Bandage Ofuda!" Hoshi cried out desperately.
"R-Ruby's Warmth."
Daitan pulled out a Healing Crystal from his weapon's gemstone. But nothing they did was working.
"P-Please! Why isn't anything working?!" Akane cried out in desperation.
"You three… urgh..."
"Ken-sensei! Please save your strength! We'll get you healed, I swear!" Hoshi cried as he gripped his hand tightly.
"Akane! Use that healing skill of yours again!" Daitan demanded.
"I-I'm trying!" Akane cried out as she tried using it again.
A glow covered the Katana Hero's scarred body, but the damage didn't heal. Tears began to fall rapidly from the Jewel Heroine's eyes. "Please, no, no no no no! You can't die! YOU CAN'T DIE!" She began to plead.
It was too much.
She was too weak.
They were all too weak.
…
"Run… you fools."
The three crying heroes looked down at their dying teacher. Even as his lifeblood flowed from the open wound, his eyes focused on them.
"No… no matter what… you must live." He managed to grunt out. Even as his damaged heart kept trying to beat.
"Ken-sensei! W-We'll figure out something!" Hoshi pleaded.
"Don't leave us, sir! Please!" Daitan begged.
"As long… as you're alive… our world… stands a chance…"
The Jewel Hero could only stare breathlessly. Kenshiro gritted his teeth and coughed up blood. The taste of sake filled his mouth, and it was only then that he realized what'd happened.
"No matter what… you have to… live…" His eyes lost all life, and his body slacked against the ground.
"Ken… KENSHIRO!" Akane cried out.
But the Katana Hero didn't move. His eyes stared lifelessly past her.
"A-Akane! We have to go!" Hoshi said fearfully, seeing the lesser Greek-inspired monsters beginning to surround them.
"N-No! We can't leave him here!" Akane gripped tightly to their teacher's body, refusing to let him go.
Daitan, however, grabbed the taller girl and forced her off with strength that surprised her. "You heard him… we have to live."
"Let me down! LET ME DOWN!" Akane screamed angrily while beating her fists uselessly against him.
Daitan flung her over his shoulder, and he and Hoshi fought through the lesser monsters in their way.
All the while, Akane continued to scream as Glass and L'Arc began closing in for the kill against the Wave Boss.
Only a few minutes later, the Heroes' first and only Wave came to an end.
Akane was crying into her hands as she finished the story.
Even though it was dark, Kizuna could see well enough to see the look of agony on her features.
"It was our fault… it was all our fault… if we hadn't distracted him with our cheering… if we'd only been stronger back then... he… he…"
Kizuna's arms wrapped around the taller heroine, making her pause in her speech.
"It wasn't your fault.
"You guys weren't the ones that slipped the paralytic into his sake."
…
"Wah... WAHHHHHHHH!" Akane began to bawl harder as she gripped tightly to the Hunting Tools Hero.
"Pen…" With a sad look on his face, Chris wobbled forward and wrapped his flippers around the redhead's leg in a comforting hug.
Of the three of them, the girl had taken the loss of their teacher the hardest. Not only because he'd been one of the first people to believe in her, but… because she might have genuinely liked him.
More than anyone else from her old world.
Even though he'd been so tough, and would have been considered ugly due to his scars… he'd truly cared for them. And had done everything he could to help them to be able to survive.
"So the reason why you guys weren't participating in the Waves… was because the past Katana Hero told you to survive no matter what," Itsuki said in realization.
"That… about sums it up," Daitan replied. His voice was still hoarse, but there was an odd lack of his usual faux-masculine tone behind it. "We tried to convince ourselves that it'd be for the best if we didn't fight any more Waves. Not only because we found that we were too weak to face the Boss… but because… we didn't want anyone else dying to save us."
"Others… around the world might have still died from our inaction…" Hoshi said somberly. "But if we'd died… how much worse off would the world have been? With the Waves becoming even stronger than they already were?"
The two male Heroes were looking at the ground defeatedly.
Itsuki had no idea what to say to that. And his sense of guilt only deepened over what he'd done.
They… really were just like him.
He had known it wasn't a game after that little girl's death… and yet, he'd still denied it up to a point. Refusing to acknowledge the game was real because doing so would be too painful to bear.
He was stupid… he was so stupid to have not seen it earlier…
...
It was a few minutes later when Akane finally cried herself out. She stayed kneeling on the ground in front of Kizuna, alongside her two friends, who stayed kneeling dejectedly as well.
…
"I'm sorry. I truly wish I had more time to help you three through this… but the threat of Kyo against our world is very real." Kizuna spoke out again after a pause. "There is no event flag or anything that'll keep him from acting against me or my friends. And this isn't a seasonal event that'll pass over in a week or a month."
"They're preparing to fight him in Sickle. And… me and Itsuki can't afford to be stuck here. When the people I care about are preparing to fight for their lives."
"I might not be useful in a fight against people. But I can still trip them up. I can still hit them with damage multipliers and assist my friends however I can, especially if Kyo sends monsters to attack us, and that isn't even comparable to what Itsuki can do… we really want to help them. But we can't if we're stuck here protecting the three of you.
"So please, if you come to Sickle, I can promise that you'll be kept safe. You'll have the best of the best to protect you just like they protect me… and… if you still think you're weak, they can help you to grow strong. Just like I did."
Kizuna gave them a soft, friendly smile. "I can even show you my favorite fishing spot. Next to the house I built for myself and my friends. You don't have to interact with anyone if you don't want to. Just… come with us so we can help our friends against Kyo…"
…
"Please."
…
…
…
The rain continued to fall around them. Filling the silence with the sound of drops hitting the river and the ground around them.
…
…
…
"Alright…"
Akane spoke for the three of them at last. As broken and sad as her voice sounded.
"We're sorry for the trouble we caused you… we will go with you to Sickle, Kizuna."
Till Next Time
Allen
Notes:
Ain't it funny how you think you can know everything about something, only to find you've barely scratched the surface of who they are?
Chapter Text
- ENTRY #6 -
After accepting the deal, I was ████████████ into a ████████████. I became the son of a somewhat well-off ████████████ in Luvar. They weren't rich enough to afford all the luxuries of life, but at least they weren't deep in debt like my ████████████ parents.
I will not bore myself writing down the details of my early years, as I was very much aware of what I was doing ████████████. Perhaps it would be considered a strange thing to have memories from ████████████. But for me, it just meant I could put my knowledge to good use all the sooner.
I could innovate so much in this ████████████. I already had my extensive knowledge ████████████. But with the power that I'd wished for, something I'll call ████████████ since it allowed me to ████████████, I was really able to do more than just develop ████████████. I just had to grow up ████████████ so my ████████████ parents would give me more leeway to do what I wanted.
It was a pleasant change, compared to my ████████████. My ████████████ parents did not seem to care or hold any strong expectations for me early on. I was fed, clothed and guaranteed to have a roof over my head with ████████████, for whatever reason.
They supported my pursuits to the best of their ability, but never got in my way, aside from some ████████████. I tolerated those for the sake of maintaining the favorable status quo that I was in. I might not have ████████████ for them due to my previous upbringing, but I can say I hold them in higher regard compared to ████████████ in my mind.
When I was around ten, making me forty in total, I met ████████████. She was an annoying brat back then. An orphan from some piss-ant village the name and location of which has long since been erased from history, after being torched by some bandits.
Ever since the day we met outside the town while I was doing some field work, she clung to me like a damn leech. Always following me around wherever I went and being annoying. I thought back then that it was because she wanted a handout or something.
The words of my ████████████ continued to echo in my head, warning me against associating with ████████████. That she had nothing to offer and only wanted to take things away from me. But, surprisingly, that hadn't been the case as I later found out.
One day, I was out on a stroll in the nearby woods collecting some potion ingredients. ████████████ was with me as usual, acting as a pack mule to carry my stuff. It was the only useful service that she was capable of. Or it would have been if she wasn't always clumsily stumbling everywhere on her stubby legs and spilling my precious ingredients all over the place. She managed to do it again, for the second time that day and I rolled my eyes at the noise before turning around. This time, however, she actually did have an excuse. A monster had ambushed us.
I'd known monsters sometimes prowled the area, and I had a couple of trinkets I'd developed to drive them away. Before I could use any of them though, ████████████ pushed me out of the way and tried to fight it with her own fists.
It went about as well as you'd expect
I was able to use the potions I had on hand to send the beast running. And then while I was healing the stupid girl since I still needed her to carry my stuff back, I asked her if she was an idiot. Seriously, what did she expect to do against that thing as a goddamn eight-year-old? And why had she pushed me out of the way anyway?
…
I can still remember her response, as she sniffled at my feet:
"Because you are smart."
...
When I asked her to elaborate after a moment, she told me a little bit about her life.
Apparently, she was at the bottom of the pecking order in her orphanage, because she was stupid and a useless good-for-nothing. Everything she ever tried to do always backfired, angering the people around her.
No one liked her. Not her caretakers, nor the other children, and especially not the townspeople. She couldn't even read.
It turned out that I was the first person who had even given her the time of day without calling her names or throwing stones at her for fun.
That still didn't answer my question, so I pressed her more and her following words shook me to the core.
"Smart people's lives are worth more."
This was not something that a little girl should have been saying, especially not with such a mature and sobering clarity ringing in those words. Even though I shared such a notion myself, when I was confronted with my vision of what an ideal world would have been like, I could not bring myself to ████████████.
As I carefully asked her to elaborate again, my suspicions proved to be correct. She genuinely believed the words that have been thrown at her time and time again, ever since she arrived in my new hometown. That she was stupid and worthless. That she should listen to and obey people smarter than her. And that their lives were worth infinitely more than her own.
After all that I'd been through, I hadn't been ready to believe her back then. I was briefly shocked and speechless by her words, but then I merely scoffed it off and took her back to the village. Taking the potion ingredients I'd gathered from her without even saying thanks before going back to my house.
I thought that'd be the end of it… but the next week, when I needed to gather ingredients again, she was there, waiting for me. And without saying a word of complaint, I let her follow me.
I think even if I hadn't wanted to think about it back then… it was the first time in ████████████ when I wondered if the answer that I got from my first life was wrong.
The other three heroes needed some time to gather their things. To inform their friends about where they were going. What they were going to do. Etc.
They also had to meet Corrin to inform him they were leaving. And, true to his word, he allowed the Heroes to leave without trying to impede them.
The events that'd happened last night weren't mentioned in that brief yet heartwarming meeting. But the other Heroes stayed a notable distance away from Itsuki. Even after he'd teleported them from Lazuli back to Sickle and dropped them off in front of Sickle's chained up Dragon Hourglass.
Itsuki had been silent all the while. And after his job was finished, he promptly walked off while Kizuna messaged Naofumi and the others with her numerous ofudas to let them know that they were back.
After getting the news, Naofumi immediately left the castle, where he'd been going over some potential strategies to reinforce Sickle's capital with L'Arc and Ethnobalt. He arrived there only minutes after Kizuna's return.
"Kizuna-! Wow, you look… like &^%$. No offense." Naofumi suddenly remarked as he approached the smaller heroine.
"No worries, I feel like it too." Kizuna chuckled sardonically. "But it's great to see you too, big bro."
Naofumi flashed her a smile and then looked over the group. He immediately noticed that someone was absent. "Where's Itsuki? Did he leave already?"
"He…" Kizuna started, only to trail off. She looked back at the others, who shrank under her gaze.
She felt so exhausted that she hadn't even noticed that he'd run off. And it didn't look like the other three were forthcoming to say where he went.
"I think he went back to the house. Believe it or not, he's even more tired than me after last night." Kizuna eventually answered.
"Hmmm…" Naofumi crossed his arms over his chest. But he accepted the answer and looked at the other three Heroes instead. "I'm guessing you three are the Cardinal Heroes I've heard so much about then? I'll take it you being here means you finally realize that this isn't a game now?"
The three shuffled their feet. They looked down at the ground beneath them.
None of them seemed to be in the mood for talking.
Naofumi's eyes briefly narrowed upon seeing Akane. She almost looked like…
"Come on, guys. Don't be afraid to introduce yourselves." Kizuna said tiredly as she clapped Hoshi on the shoulder.
"B-B-But we've only j-just m-m-m-met him," Hoshi said nervously. He was gripping his hands together nervously, and his eyes kept on darting around. "W-What if he's… he's just like…"
If only Kuro-Chan was around. She'd be able to calm him down.
He really missed Kuro-Chan. If only she didn't need to stay back in Lazuli to run their cafe…
...
Naofumi locked eyes with Kizuna, and she made some vague gestures behind the three.
He remembered what he told Itsuki last night. And based on Hoshi's words, some dots managed to connect in his mind.
It was apparent that these three weren't treating this as a game encounter. Meaning Itsuki and Kizuna had succeeded in waking them to the reality they were in. But their unwillingness to speak to him likely meant it had been a painful and traumatic realization. And given that Itsuki had immediately run off…
Damn it. He was probably going to need to check on the Bow Hero later. But for now, he could at least do this.
"Hey, relax, I'm not going to bite. I'm Iwatani Naofumi." Naofumi casually walked up to Hoshi with a smile while holding out his hand. "I'm the Shield Hero of my world. Like Kizuna, I can't harm people. So you have nothing to worry about from me."
"Yeah, there's really nothing to worry about with Naofumi!" Kizuna butted in. "He can't harm anything at all, so you can annoy him as much as you want!"
Naofumi glared at the Hunting Hero, and Kizuna stuck her tongue out at him.
Naofumi grabbed the smaller girl and began to give her a noogie.
"Ahahaha! See, it's not painful at all!" Kizuna shouted gleefully.
Goddamnit Kizuna. You were really laying it on too thick here.
The intimate action was so unexpected and sweet that the other Heroes began to smile a little. Hoshi slowly walked up to the duo, trying to introduce himself. "U-Um… I… I'm…"
"Rafu!"
Raph-Chan bounded onto Naofumi's shoulder from behind, cutting off the impromptu brother-sister action. A hitched breath escaped the Ofuda Hero at the sight of her.
"Oh yeah, this is my shikigami daughter, Raph-Chan." Naofumi petted her on the head. "Introduce yourself to them, Raph-Chan!"
"Rafu!" The little raccoon/tanuki hybrid stood on her hind legs and saluted the three Heroes with the most adorable eyes possible.
…
Hoshi began trembling again. But this time, it was for an entirely different reason.
"M… May… May I pet her?" Hoshi reached his hands towards the shikigami. His eyes shone with unshed tears.
Raph-Chan, seeing the gray-eyed Hero in front of her, jumped off Naofumi's shoulder onto Hoshi's outstretched arms before the Shield Hero could answer. She made a cute face while she let out another playful "Rafu!"
…
…
The Ofuda Hero died.
…
…
PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET!
And then, he lived again. With a burning passion that almost rivaled Naofumi's.
"Rafu! Raf! Raf! Rafu!" Raph-Chan cried out happily at the burst of attention.
"S-SO CUTE! SO ADORABLE! SUCH AMAZING FUR! SHE ALMOST RIVALS KURO-CHAN'S!" Hoshi cried out in glee.
"Oh… oh no, I'm sorry. Our friend kind of has an obsession with cuddling cute things." Akane quickly bowed respectfully to the Shield Hero. "I didn't think it'd come up here too. We should have mentioned that as soon as we saw your familiar an-"
"Wait. Is that what Hoshi was doing with his cat friend back in Lazuli?" Kizuna asked curiously.
"Yeah, what did you think they were doing?" Daitan cocked his head in confusion.
…
Kizuna opened her mouth, then closed it.
Perhaps it'd be better not to mention what she'd thought it was.
"No worries. Actually, it's a relief to meet another person who loves Raph-Chan almost as much as I do." Naofumi smiled brightly at the sight. Just like that, Raph-Chan had caused the other Heroes to ease up even more.
Especially Hoshi.
PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET!
"RAFU!" Raph-Chan cheered happily as another person was added to the cult that worshipped her.
Yes, Naofumi was going to make sure the Ofuda Hero was thoroughly indoctrinated on the greatness of Raph-Chan before he had to go back to his world. It was his sacred duty to make sure Raph-Chan was spread as far and wide as possible, after all.
Kizuna began to pout. "Chris is adorable too!"
"Pen!"
Nah, the penguin monster wasn't even close.
They eventually were introduced to one another. Whatever thoughts Naofumi had of Akane when he first saw her were long gone by then.
While she might have looked like her initially, the Jewel Heroine was clearly different in several regards. And by the time some of the others arrived, the other three Cardinal Heroes were already leaving with them from the Hourglass Building.
"That's Glass. You already know her. And that's my big brother L'Arc, he's the King of Sickle! I know he doesn't look or act like a King but trust me on that for now." Kizuna whispered conspiratorially to the three at the end.
"Hey! What lies are you spreading about me now lil' sis!" L'Arc said angrily.
Kizuna stuck her tongue out at him in response. And he proceeded to give her a noogie just like Naofumi had done several minutes earlier, getting her to laugh.
"Is she this friendly with everyone she knows?!" Akane asked curiously.
Daitan didn't respond, as so many cute girls had come with the group. And Hoshi had Raph-Chan hugged to himself with the happiest smile on his face any of them had ever seen.
Raphtalia, who was also in the group alongside Dou-Lon and Filo, immediately sighed upon seeing that and the identical grin on Naofumi's face. "Don't tell me another person is now obsessed with our youngest."
"Alright, I won't tell you." Naofumi winked.
Raphtalia glared at the teasing. Naofumi chuckled and began to open his mouth to introduce those with him to the Otherworld Heroes.
However, Daitan ran past Naofumi to Raphtalia with starstruck eyes. "Hey there hot stuff. Are those animal ears real? I gotta say, not my usual kink, but you are rocking that Tanuki Miko look."
"E-Excuse me?" Raphtalia asked in surprise.
"Oh, no need to be shy. I know you might think that I'm a bit out of your league, but I don't discriminate.
"Are you single by any chance? Even if you aren't, I doubt that whoever you are with is anything like me. Say, are you free tonight? I've been to Sickle before but only briefly. I'd be very grateful if someone could show me around. And maybe we could have dinner after that and get to know each other better if you know what I mean?" The tan young man wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
…
"Did you find Moto's long-lost brother in Lazuli or something?" Naofumi asked Kizuna tensely behind a very visible snarl.
"I'm… what does he mean?" Raphtalia asked through gritted teeth.
"He means something that makes me want to bury him into the ground," Naofumi said, a cloud of anger beginning to surround his form. A similar cloud was also appearing around Raphtalia.
"Uh, hey babe, no need to get flustered, I don't mind taking things slow if that's more your thing." Daitan backed off a little.
"If you're too dense to get the subtext of their interaction, they're obviously together," Akane answered dryly beside him. "I could have sworn you'd drop the faux manhood act after last night."
"Not… all of it was fake. But… they're… togeth... oh… oh no… Um… heh heh." Daitan chuckled nervously.
The aura of malevolence from both Heroes was intensifying in front of him. The same glint shone in their eyes and oddly reflected off the eyes of Raph-Chan.
Daitan didn't even try to run. Running would have been futile anyway. Guess this was what he got for opening his big fat mouth early on.
"Shall I?" Raphtalia asked while cracking her knuckles together.
"Zweite Aura." Naofumi finished chanting the spell under his breath and a glow surrounded Raphtalia, increasing her stats.
It was over in a second.
The Blunt Weapons Hero was grabbed by the Katana Hero, lifted off his feet by his shirt, and plunged so deep into the ground that only the tops of his legs were left sticking out and flailing around.
A small shockwave rocked from the site of the impact. And the minor earthquake was picked up on seismographs all the way over in Lazuli.
Its mysterious origin would have gem scientists scratching their heads for many years to come.
"Impressive." Glass nodded her head next to the half-tanuki girl after the dust cloud settled down. "I was only able to bury him up to his chest before."
"That was probably because the ground was covered in gemstones. The ground here is made of regular stone." Kizuna pointed out. "Not to mention, Naofumi cheated there with that spell of his."
"Still. I think he might have actually felt that one." Akane said in a bland voice.
It ended up taking several minutes to dig Daitan out of the ground. "Owww…" And yes, it actually looked like it had hurt this time.
Raphtalia had really grown more powerful since coming to this world. Naofumi couldn't have been more proud of his girlfriend. He could only hope she'd continue to become more violent down the road.
"I could try burying you in the ground next if you want, dear." She flashed a deadly smile at the Shield Hero, warning him what would happen if he continued down that line of thought.
Yep. Nothing was hotter than an aggressive Raphtalia. He continued to smirk at her, imagining her in various states of undress involving leather and spicy situations to use her mind-reading powers against her.
The girl had to do everything she could not to blush.
Oh, she was so going to get back at him in the bedroom for this. A win-win situation for both of them to be sure.
"How about you try to keep it in your pants until we know these people better at least." Akane dryly suggested to her blunt friend after witnessing the flirting between the duo.
"I tried to tone it down until I saw her…" The sandy brown-haired manlet sighed in defeat.
He was going to have to refrain from flirting with anyone they met after that until he was sure they were single… and not capable of burying him in the ground.
That last one really hurt.
After introductions had been finished and everyone was informed that the other Three Heroes would be staying with them for a while, they split off to do their various tasks.
As the Cardinal Heroes were weak and didn't believe that they could share their strengthening methods with others, the vassal Heroes and party members of the Heroes separated from the three Cardinal Heroes to help them level up and increase their strength in other ways. Helping them to become stronger just as Kizuna had promised.
Raphtalia and Glass left with Akane while Filo and Raph-Chan went with Hoshi. That left Dou-Lon, Maya, and Aksel to help out Daitan.
"Ready to go grinding again?" Aksel asked his girlfriend.
"Grinding monsters, or grinding against you?" Maya asked mischievously.
Daitan's mouth, which had opened naturally when he noticed how hot the raccoon girl was, immediately closed itself.
Even if the pair turned out to not be together, the dangerous thirst in Maya's voice was too much, even for him.
"Time for another workout." Dou-Lon popped his neck into place as a savage grin appeared on his face.
Yeah. Daitan was definitely going to prefer the tiger man in this scenario. Right?
Their first day in Sickle gradually continued. All three Heroes were getting to face different monsters in the surrounding forests.
"Why are we grinding here first?" Akane asked after half an hour had passed. "I'm not going to gain many levels against low-level monsters." Even she was able to kill them with somewhat relative ease.
"You can still gain weapon forms from absorbing their corpses, can you not?" Glass replied. "If you do not believe that methods can be shared, then this is another good way to improve your power."
Akane didn't really have a reply to that. As yes, almost all of the monsters they were facing didn't live in either Label or Lazuli. So she was getting plenty of good weapon forms from the monsters.
She also wanted to open her mouth on the methods thing… but kept it shut. Her methods were all pretty stupid anyway. Besides one, the others would never believe them as they were so ridiculous and unbelievable.
She still couldn't bring herself to believe she even had them. She had played games as a form of escape back in her world when she wasn't designing outfits, but these methods hadn't been in them.
She'd preferred playing by herself, so the fact that these methods required others was insulting.
In another part of the forest, the Ofuda Hero was astounded by the two animals helping to level him up.
Filo, at this point, had grown a lot bigger as a hummingfairy. Not quite big enough to carry a person around just yet. But definitely big enough for Raph-Chan to ride on her back. And, due to her monster race, she was able to sing at least three different tunes at the same time. Helping to make her Performance Magic even more potent than before.
"Rafu!" Between Filo's singing and Raph-Chan's illusion magic, the monsters never stood a chance. All of their attacks missed the three of them, and even Hoshi was able to contribute to the battle without fear of being harmed.
He couldn't one-shot every monster. But he could bring them down thanks to the two's help.
"A-Amazing! H-How are you two so strong?" Hoshi asked at one point. "You're not Heroes, right?" They hadn't had the ability [Growth Revision] used on them either. As far as he knew, that was something only he had the ability to use.
"Hmmm, Filo used to be a lot stronger." The little girl commented while her other vocal cords kept up the singing. "But since Filo changed monster forms, Filo hasn't been as strong. So Filo has been playing more of a support role like Daddy."
A glow surrounded Raph-Chan with her latest song.
"RAFU!" The shikigami headbutted the monster in front of her, and the force of the hit caused it to explode.
"... That support performance magic… is its base form really that strong?" Hoshi asked with wide-eyed wonder.
"Filo thinks Daddy mentioned unlocking a shield at some point that made Filo's magic more powerful. But Filo isn't sure." The hummingbird shrugged.
Filo and Hoshi gained exp. But Raph-Chan didn't have levels yet, so she gained none. "But Daddy has a shield that is able to make Little Sis a lot stronger. Fishing Lady has a similar weapon form for Small Penguin."
"Wait, so there's… there's weapon forms that increase the strength of party members?!" Hoshi asked ecstatically. He never thought he'd be learning so much just from one outing. And from monster companions no less.
He felt inspiration entering his mind. Maybe that was what his next volume needed! Not some other pretty girl to hang off the protagonist's arm, but a wise bird monster with information that could help his characters out!
"Mmhmm. That's why Filo's so strong in Filo's world." Filo said happily. "Daddy has lots of Shields to help make Filo's other monster form tons stronger. Though Filo loves how much Filo can sing as a humming fairy!"
"Still… how did I not realize that something like that existed…" The Ofuda Hero sighed. He could have helped Kuro-chan and her family grow so much stronger...
"Maybe Gray Guy hasn't been absorbing everything into the weapon like Filo's Daddy?" Filo suggested.
"Gray guy?" Hoshi asked.
"Isn't Gray Guy gray?" Filo responded as if it made perfect sense.
…
He didn't say anything to that. But continued to absorb the corpses of monsters they were defeating… as well as a few random things they found on the ground to test Filo's words.
Not all of them unlocked a new weapon form. But a few did. He realized he was able to identify what unlocked a new weapon form by the glow that would emanate from his gemstone when a new item was placed near it. He'd noticed it before in the past but never understood what it meant.
He never knew you could get a Leaf Ofuda from absorbing a specific plant. And to think it had the ability to raise the quality of herbs one picked.
He was going to have a lot more inspiration for his manga by the time he was back in Lazuli.
...
Daitan would say things were going well on his end too. Given that he had three people slaughtering monsters to help him out.
But…
"Oh my. I've got blood on my outfit Axie-poo."
"Don't worry. I'll help you take it off once we get back, my dear." Aksel winked at the Raccoon girl mischievously, causing her to giggle.
"Ahahahahaha! Die monsters, die!" Dou-Lon was a beast. He had transformed into a full-on white tiger therianthrope and was practicing killing monsters with his katana in one hand while the other mauled monsters with his claws. He continued to laugh as he painted the ground around him red with the blood of his enemies.
"You're barely a challenge! Bring me something more worthy of my skills!"
The Blunt Hero grimaced.
He really wished he could have had other people helping him out.
Why were they all so weird?!
While the otherworld heroes were busy playing catchup, Naofumi brought Kizuna back to the castle. Though the girl was tired, she had to get caught up on some things. And as they were Cardinal Heroes, they couldn't assist the other Heroes in leveling up.
Naofumi was helping L'Arc to draft out battle tactics for the defense of the city as well as the invasion of Luvar that they were planning. They also had to plan on where to meet up with the reinforcements they were getting from other countries. And how they'd get the different militaries to coordinate their attacks from different directions as they plowed through Label territory in order to reach Luvar and, eventually, its Capital.
As time went on, Naofumi found he missed having Mirellia's and Aultcray's input.
Even that depressed king, when he'd spoken, had put forth ideas that were brilliant in leading large armies effectively against any threat. They could definitely use some of those ideas here…
"Kizuna, do you know when Lapis's airfleet will arrive?" L'Arc's question brought Naofumi out of his reverie.
"They were still doing repairs on their main fleet last I checked," Kizuna answered. "But Corrin should be sending out some of the ships that were in the lower docks today. They're not really powerful, but they can still serve as troop carriers."
L'Arc grimaced. "Better than nothing I guess."
"Do you think our fleet's firepower will be enough to combat Luvar's?" Minister Stone asked L'Arc.
"I honestly don't know. We might have to resort to anti-aircraft cannons on the ground, though lugging them around with the main army will be a hassle. And that's if they're even effective against this fleet." L'Arc sighed.
The information they'd gotten about it from Label's survivors was… discouraging, to say the least.
"I'm sorry if my efforts to design new ships with Kyo in the past are backfiring on us now," Ethnobalt said sadly.
"It's not your fault. You couldn't have possibly predicted that this would happen." Kizuna rubbed the rabbit man's shoulder in an act of comfort.
Naofumi crossed his arms while thinking over the problem. He was starting to realize how it was an advantage that his world didn't have this level of technology. It was bad enough fighting an army on the ground or the sea, but if you included air in the equation?
World War II and every war after that had shown how air superiority could turn the tide against most armies.
Even the most promising of offensives could turn into a war of attrition if the offensive lacked the superior airpower needed to break the back of the foe's defense lines.
On the bright side, at least they had the rule of stats as an equalizer. Luvar's flying fleet would only be as powerful as the people piloting them and the soldiers manning the cannons. Even with that, they were going to have to think of a way to level the playing field if they wanted to keep ground casualties to a minimum.
They were in the middle of going over ideas for this when Rishia suddenly burst into the room. Catching the group of them off guard.
"Fuehhhh, w-why didn't anyone tell me that you were back?!"
"Huh? You mean Itsuki didn't tell you in advance?" Kizuna asked confusedly.
The girl shook her head. She'd been busy studying Ethnobalt's ancient texts while waiting to train the others. She'd only just heard about it thanks to leaving the library to get some water and overhearing soldiers talking about Kizuna's return in the hallways.
"Hmmm… he must have been more tired than I thought. If he didn't even tell his girlfriend that he was coming back." Naofumi remarked to himself.
"H-How many times do I have to say that we're not together yet?!" Rishia complained.
"Yet?" Kizuna asked playfully.
"F…" The girl bit down the whimper. "Is he back at the house?" Rishia asked helplessly.
"Probably. I don't know where else he'd go." Kizuna remarked.
"O-Okay. Ethnobalt, I'll try getting back to work on those texts tomorrow." Rishia said.
"Take as long as you need with your boyfriend, Rishia. I'll continue the efforts on making a cipher after this." The rabbit man smiled warmly.
Rishia's cheeks filled with red, but she rushed out of the room.
The group continued discussing strategies and battle formations from there.
It was actually impressive how quickly she got back to Kizuna's house from there, considering how far it was from the castle, the surrounding town and buildings quickly passed on by. A mixture of concern for her friend as well as some life force manipulation to increase her speed and stamina made the trip a lot shorter than normal.
Soon, she was in front of Itsuki's room. Barely even winded from her run.
It'd been open that morning when she walked by, but now his door was closed. And there weren't any lights on inside.
"It… Itsuki?" She knocked on the door.
…
She didn't get a response. And after knocking again, she breathed in deeply to help calm herself, before she opened the door.
The Bow Hero sat on his bed. The only light in the room was streaming in through the windows.
He looked stiff as a rock. And when she opened the door, he didn't even look at her.
His eyes were blank. And it took him a moment to recognize who'd walked in.
His form trembled slightly. And his hands tightened into fists in his lap.
The look of happiness and relief upon seeing Itsuki quickly disappeared from Rishia's face. It was replaced with one of concern.
"Rishia… am I a bad person?"
…
"... wh… what?" Rishia asked meekly.
The blank expression still covered the Bow Hero's face as he turned his head to the side, unable to look the girl behind him in the eyes.
"I messed up again... I equipped my Cursed Series again. I hurt the other Heroes with it and almost lost control of it…
"Again."
"It happened all over again... Rishia."
…
"..." The girl didn't even speak. She immediately moved over to the edge of the bed. And she wrapped her arms around Itsuki in a big hug.
She held his head to her shoulder. Rubbing his back with her other hand.
He only slightly trembled in her hug. A thin line of tears slowly ran down the sides of his face.
Several minutes of this passed. At some point, he wrapped his arms around her because the trembling began to grow worse, and it wouldn't stop otherwise.
He couldn't remember the exact words he said. He didn't know if he told her about the incident at the Conference. Or if he told her about how it'd been plaguing him ever since Kyo's attack in Lazuli and the other nations.
He definitely told her about using it in the forest though.
"I… I enjoyed using it on the other Heroes, Rishia. I started out only wanting to terrify them into facing reality. But… then I genuinely wanted to make them afraid of me. And I enjoyed the pain I caused them. I enjoyed it when I was drowning one of them in the river. I was enjoying what I was putting them through.
"But for all the reasoning I used to convince myself it was right, it turned out that they were just like me back then.
"Only pretending that they were still in a game so they didn't have to face reality. And I didn't see it or even consider it."
…
"I just… I don't understand… I keep telling myself I shouldn't use it… but then I go and use the Curse Series anyway. Thinking it'll help me accomplish something by myself…"
"Why? Why can't I stop myself, Rishia?" Itsuki softly asked her. A thin veil of tears in his eyes.
"Why does this keep happening to me? Why am I unable to do anything to help anybody out? Why do I keep resorting to this evil?
"Am I evil at heart?"
Rishia opened her mouth to refute that statement, but Itsuki kept on talking before she could interject.
"I hate it. I hate how it warps my sense of justice. I keep on telling myself that it'd be a bad idea to use it but then I go ahead and use it anyway… And &^%$ hits the fan every time I do so.
"So why? Why does this keep on happening to me?
"Why… why do I keep on hurting others…?" Under the weight of all those emotions, Itsuki felt more tears fall down the sides of his face. He'd seen and done such horrid things that numbed him to other horrible scenarios he'd witnessed or participated in.
And yet… he was breaking down because he'd worked so hard to change, to become better lately.
Yet he was still repeating the same mistakes. Falling back into the same old habits.
And it hurt so much. His disappointment in himself. His inability to change. To overcome his past shortcomings.
"Why… why am I such a horrible person…?"
…
Rishia continued to hold him. Not saying anything as Itsuki continued to softly cry in her arms.
Itsuki's eyes eventually closed, and he thought only a moment had passed.
...
...
...
When he opened them again though, the light of the sun was coming directly through the window. His body felt incredibly stiff from sitting for so long. Dry tear tracks ran down his cheeks, showing some time had passed. But he felt even more tired than he had earlier. Tired, and defeated.
His sleep had not been restful, despite the girl next to him still holding him for all that time.
"You're still here…" Itsuki said despondently.
"Yes. I haven't left your side." Rishia replied.
…
Itsuki sighed. "You didn't have to stay with me, you know. There are probably a million other important things you could have been doing to prepare for Kyo than watching me cry."
"..."
Rishia's hand raised his chin, making him look up at her. He saw a look of such care in the girl's eyes. They looked… so much like hers had.
"As important as it is to take the Book Hero down and avenge Ost… your well-being is just as important to me, if not more," Rishia said seriously, no trace of hesitation in her voice. "Do you not remember how I promised to help keep you on the right path?"
Rishia was smiling a little more than before. Itsuki looked down at his lap as he recalled the memory in his mind. It only made him disappointed in himself again. "I'm sorry I let you down."
"You haven't let me down at all." She kindly refuted, moving his head so he would look at her again.
"Even if you pulled your Cursed Series out, you put it away when Kizuna told you to. That's better than what happened before."
"But I still…"
The two stared at each other, mere inches separating their faces. It could be so simple. Either of them moving forward towards the other.
Rishia's smile seemed to grow just a little bigger, seeing red filling the Bow Hero's cheek. The rest of his earlier refute died on his lips.
"You really want to see the good in me. Don't you?" Itsuki whispered.
"I don't need to. There is already a lot of good in you." Rishia replied happily. One of her hands moved to rest in his. "And I'd feel terrible if I didn't try to help you see it."
…
They sat on the edge of the bed in silence after that. Their hands remained interlocked all the while. Itsuki still trembled under his own disappointment. But Rishia's comforting presence was helping him to feel better at last.
…
…
…
"I'm… going to need to apologize to the other Heroes," Itsuki said after a while.
"Yes," Rishia replied softly. "And if you don't, I'll pester you about it until you do so."
"What if they don't forgive me? I hurt them." Itsuki responded sourly.
"Then you'll work through it. Just like you did back at the village." Rishia smiled. "And you'll have us around to help in the meantime. Including me."
"..."
It took a moment for Itsuki to respond to her sincere statement.
"I… is it alright if I don't do it tonight?" He finally asked.
"Are you scared to see them so soon?" Rishia asked worriedly.
"Yeah, a lot. But also…" He yawned loudly into his shoulder. "I'm extremely tired. And emotionally drained. It… was really rough not being around you or the others the last few days…, especially you. I need some time."
"…" At the shy admittance, Rishia gave him a soft smile. A light red dusted her cheeks. "Then is it alright if I stay with you tonight?"
"Huh? Oh, oh no, no it's okay! I'm feeling better now if you're that worried about me!" Itsuki said, his face turning red in embarrassment.
"Itsuki…" Rishia almost wanted to admit that she loved him far too much to want to leave him alone right now even if he was feeling better. And that nothing would make her happier than to be able to cuddle with him for a night so she could forget about the pain of not having him around these last few days.
But instead, she smiled while trying to hide a look of embarrassment. She had gotten more confident, but not that much. "With you and Kizuna gone, I wasn't able to sleep well at night, especially after the news about how the conference went with Kyo's attack, and I've been busy training Naofumi and the others nonstop on top of my own training and studying..."
"I don't know if I even have the energy to make it back to my own room…" Okay, maybe she was lying just a little bit.
But could you blame her?
…
Itsuki should have felt embarrassed. But… all he felt was a wave of tiredness wash over his body again, and a sense of relief that he wasn't going to be alone with the nightmares he was definitely going to have after last night.
"Alright. You can stay with me. But only for today. There's no reason to have the others suspect something more is going on between us."
Gods. Naofumi's teasing would reach a whole new level if that happened. And they hadn't even kissed… yet.
Rishia agreed, and the two lay down on the bed together. Rishia snuggled up against him, resting her head under his chin while wrapping her arms around his chest. His arms, though stiff at first, hesitantly wrapped around her in turn.
Despite their shared exhaustion, they talked about what they'd done while separated. From Itsuki's exploration of Lazuli to Rishia practicing with her ofudas.
It was definitely different from messaging the others from the comfort of their beds at the end of the day. But in a good way.
Itsuki breathed in the vanilla scent of Rishia's hair and felt the tenseness in his body disappear at the action.
It really did feel amazing. He only wished that he could gather the courage to ask her…
"Rishia?" He suddenly said.
"Hmmm?" She hummed in response.
He reached into his Bow's gemstone, taking the Emerald Flower he'd stored inside out of it and showing it to her. "I almost forgot, my first day in Lazuli, I got to see a gem garden. This was growing in it, and… I wanted to give it to you."
"R… Really? It's so beautiful." Tears entered the girl's eyes.
"Yeah, it made me think of you…" Itsuki slowly blushed even darker as he realized what he'd said.
Rishia looked at him, almost as if he'd grown a second head. Gods, had he really said that? It'd sounded so much smoother in his brain. Had it been too soon to say something like that?
However, she began to giggle again, and after settling the flower in her braid, she wrapped her arms around him even more firmly than before and closed her eyes with a content smile on her face. "Thanks, Itsuki. I'll cherish it."
"Y-You're welcome."
…
They fell into a comfortable silence after that.
…
Itsuki wondered where it'd go for them from here. If they'd continue messaging one another at night. Sitting down to read manga and… or if they'd go on dates with each other… and hold each other like this at night… talking about whatever came to mind like a pair of in-love teenagers.
…
"Th… thank you, Rishia. For helping me feel better again." Itsuki eventually said softly. "Even if a monster like me doesn't deserve it. I'm grateful for this."
He really did feel better. Even if he still felt guilty about his actions last night.
…
He thought she had already drifted off to sleep. And closed his eyes to drift off as well.
"No matter what you say or think about yourself. You're not a monster, Itsuki." Rishia's voice replied just as softly. "You're a great person Itsuki, and great people sometimes make great mistakes."
"Gee, thanks a lot." Itsuki snarked.
The childish reaction elicited a giggle from the small girl.
"No matter the mistake, I'll always try to help you, no matter what, Itsuki."
"Even if you push me away, I'll always come back to help you. No matter how long it takes."
…
Rishia steadily drifted to dreamland, but Itsuki found himself unable to.
Her words then called to him a distant memory from his past.
He'd just been beaten up by the bullies at school again. He was being hugged while the other individual used the healing ability she'd discovered only recently to heal him of the various bruises.
She'd comforted him as he did so. And, when he'd finally calmed down and asked her why she was doing this, she smiled at him.
"I'll always try to help you, Itsuki, no matter what."
"You're really nice and friendly! And it's their fault that they can't see that!"
"But… but they'll target you too…" Itsuki sniffled.
"Let them try. Even if you push me away, I'll always be there to protect you!"
The girl had twin braids running down her back, as well as sparkling blue eyes. She was a bit taller than Itsuki, but they were only nine.
One day, when he was older, he'd be the one taller than her.
For the moment though, her smile was sincere. And he couldn't help but believe his best friend would always be there for him as he finally smiled in return.
A shudder passed through Itsuki's body, causing him to hug the sleeping Rishia to him more tightly.
No.
The same thing couldn't happen to this girl.
Rishia had worked so hard trying to overcome the weight of her past.
He'd never be able to live with himself if that were to happen to her. If she became just like…
Even if all the other bright lights in his life were snuffed out, even if he lost his friends, if his very soul was corrupted and he became true evil… his bond with Rishia was one thing he absolutely could not afford to lose.
He could never be responsible for such a thing ever again. Or else…
It took him a little bit to push the clearer memory out of his mind. Trying to replace it with the resolve to not let the past repeat itself.
But when he did so, exhaustion consumed him, and he was finally able to get some much-needed rest.
The next few days came and went. A lot happened during that time, which Naofumi found hard to keep track of with how many people there were.
He knew the others were taking turns powering up the other Cardinal Heroes. Even L'Arc and Therese joined in the rotation, as their preparations had been completed and neither wanted to stay cooped in the castle with the approaching storm on the horizon.
He would glare at Daitan whenever he saw him. And the guy would wisely walk in the other direction in an effort to appease the Shield Hero for his earlier stupidity.
The day after they got back, Naofumi was finally able to meet Itsuki and give him the accessory he'd made. The Shield Hero hadn't seen his younger brother or his girlfriend at dinner the previous night. But he did see them both in the morning for breakfast and was able to give it to him right after.
It was a grip for the string of his Bow. Its wave design, which Naofumi liked inscribing into many of his creations, had been patterned exactly for Itsuki's fingers, allowing him to pull back the Bowstring far more comfortably.
When the Bow Hero had asked him why he made that kind of accessory, Naofumi recalled for him when they were facing the Spirit Tortoise for the first time, and how Itsuki's fingers had bled in that battle from pulling his bowstring back so much.
"At least with this, you won't hurt your hands if the battle drags out for too long," Naofumi told him at the end.
...
The Bow Hero had been oddly silent after hearing that. But, eventually, he hugged Naofumi and thanked him for his kindness, before going away to test out his improved bow.
Its Attack Up (Medium) Enchantment had disappeared after being equipped, being replaced with Air Strike Storm. It was an upgrade for his Air Strike Spread skill that would presumably add water and lightning-based elements to its attack.
He hadn't used it yet, so it was only a guess. It'd be cool if Naofumi was right though.
While he'd appeared down at breakfast, the gift had definitely helped to cheer the Bow Hero up. When Naofumi asked Rishia about how he was doing, she just said he needed some time. So Naofumi didn't feel like pressing the Bow Hero any further after that.
Speaking of Rishia, the Shield Hero still spent some time each day training with her. He reached a point where he could deflect or redirect defense-piercing or defense-rating attacks around half the time. Raphtalia had still been struggling to implement ki into her repertoire along with her new katana skills.
"It almost feels like I'm learning magic techniques from Eclair again. Only, I'm trying to get them to work with the Katana." She tiredly commented to herself.
"That is because you must direct your energy through it. And shape it in a way that uses your weapon to improve your skills," Glass commented as she left a panting Dou-Lon on the ground. She was also visibly tired as well. That damn hakuko's progress and grit were truly astounding. "Here, allow me to show you."
After some demonstrations from Glass, who did have knowledge of such things thanks to her old master, Raphtalia had progressed far more with her and Rishia's combined help.
She could only use a couple of new moves after all the training she'd done, but it was miles ahead of where she'd started. And she'd also learned how to raise her stats with her own ki just like Rishia did in battle.
Naofumi and Raphtalia couldn't have been more proud of each other for their progress. And made sure to celebrate it at night.
When Naofumi wasn't training, he was making accessories in Romina's workshop. Or teaching Filo and Raph-Chan how to cook. Or experimenting with the herbs and ingredients in this world in trying to remake various potions from his world.
His efforts so far had managed to make a replica of the Health Potion from his world, called the Life Force Potion in this world. It restored one's health just like a healing crystal, though it didn't grant Naofumi or his friends any extra Exp.
It wouldn't be that useful since it was much quicker to heal with a crystal instead of drinking a potion. But he'd have to take some of these back to his world to test if they'd give him experience there or not.
His progress with making the other's accessories, however, was a bit slow.
"When is that fishing lure you promised going to be ready?" Kizuna complained from the doorway.
"I'm working on it! I haven't really made something this complicated before!" Naofumi yelled over his shoulder.
"I am still waiting for the accessory you promised for my fans." Glass commented next to Kizuna. When had she appeared in the doorway?!
"It's not fair! Why does Itsuki already get his while we're stuck waiting for ours!?" Kizuna pouted at her best friend.
A vein began to bulge in Naofumi's forehead. And his rage finally peaked when a familiar blacksmith appeared behind them.
"Master Craftsman! Have you managed to finish another one of your amazing creations yet-"
"THAT'S IT! Everybody, OUT!" Naofumi got up, shoving the three individuals out the door with his impressive strength stat. "I'VE TOLD YOU BEFORE NOT TO BOTHER ME UNTIL THE EQUIPMENT IS DONE ROMINA!"
"Nooooooo, I want to try fishing with my new lure!" Kizuna whined.
"Too bad! I'm still working on Raphtalia's sheath amongst other things! You'll have to wait your turn!" Naofumi yelled before slamming the door on them.
"Can I at least make a hole in the wall to watch you as you work, Master Craftsman?" Romina asked from the other side.
Naofumi didn't answer her. And he didn't let anyone in to see him while he was working after that incident.
It was bad enough that he was already working well out of his comfort boundaries with what they'd asked for. Hell, he was still trying to figure out what he was going to make for himself. He definitely wanted all the defense he could get, and if he got another secret skill like the one the last accessory had, it'd be all the better.
Out of everyone, one of the only two people that he'd allowed inside with him while he was working (besides his wife friend) was Raph-Chan. She was the perfect assistant. Grabbing the tools he needed and informing him when the molds were completed just when he'd need her to.
She always got a head pat from that. Which would earn an affectionate "Rafu!" in return.
"Hold that pose for just a moment more…"
And the second person he allowed to be in there besides her was the Ofuda Hero, Hoshi Isao.
It was definitely weird in a way. The monochrome Hero didn't really do much outside of when others were helping to level him up. Akane would train sometimes as well as Daitan since that was still a feasible way to increase one's stats. But the gray-eyed man was more comfortable having Filo and Raph-Chan level him up than training with others, most likely because the two weren't human.
Yet, he didn't seem to mind Naofumi so much. Whether because Naofumi was the father of Filo and Raph-Chan, or because the Shield Hero allowed the Ofuda Hero to work on his manga in his workshop since nobody would bother him there thanks to Naofumi strictly pushing everyone else away while he was busy working. Or maybe it was just the fact that Naofumi couldn't harm anything?
Naofumi definitely didn't mind either way. Especially when he saw that Hoshi had drawn Filo into his story. And was currently working on adding Raph-Chan to it as well.
That made the Ofuda Hero a true friend and ally in his book.
"Rafu?"
"Yes. It'll need a few touchups, but I got it down. Thank you for keeping the pose for me, Raph-Chan." Hoshi replied happily as he put his pencil down.
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan bounded from her spot, cuddling up against the Ofuda Hero who giggled as he rubbed her stomach.
"Quiet down a little bit. This part's a little delicate." Naofumi told them.
"S-Sorry." The Ofuda Hero commented quietly.
Naofumi didn't acknowledge the apology as he slowly twisted the various hooks that made up Kizuna's lure. He'd made sure to sharpen its ends to as fine a point as possible. With this, she could hook any fish she wanted, or really ruin some monster's day. He just had to make sure not to snap the metal, or…
Ah, good.
Naofumi sat back, sighing in relief as he looked it over.
Amethyst Flower Lure: Quality: Great
Agility Up (Low) Reflexes Up (Medium) Strength Up (High)
Heh, perfect for a fisherman. He had to thank Itsuki for the gem flowers he brought back from Sickle. It'd given him the perfect means for finishing some of these accessories.
The amethyst petals had been the perfect setup for the hooks he'd designed. Spaced evenly so Kizuna could hook her target no matter what way the lure was facing. And it'd also served as the perfect base for enchantments.
The Gem Reform ability he'd gained from absorbing the gem flowers had been useful too. Using soul power and magic power, he could shape any gemstone he held into whatever he desired, making things like Raphtalia's sheathe far easier to make.
One of the flowers also made it so that the quality of gemstones he mined in the future would receive a quality increase. That would really come in handy.
"That… really looks amazing," Hoshi commented in awe from over Naofumi's shoulder.
"Do you want to try making something for yourself? I have all the tools you'd need right here as well as some extra materials I don't plan on using anytime soon." Naofumi commented to the guy.
"Um… no thanks… I'm not that good with my hands." He commented sadly.
"Your art says otherwise." Naofumi gestured to the nearby sheet with the depiction of Raph-Chan.
Gods, it looked so real. Naofumi was half-tempted to grab it and try petting it to see if Hoshi had managed to replicate the feel of her fur as he'd tried so hard to do in his free time.
Then, he remembered that it wasn't an ofuda and that it was only a normal sheet of paper, and a sad frown painted itself onto his face.
What he'd give to make that dream a reality. He could pet Raph-Chan even when she wasn't around…
Fortunately, the real thing jumped into his lap, and Naofumi smiled as he petted the happy furry creature. Raph-Chan cooed in delight as she soaked in the love and attention.
If only her best friend and the Shield Hero could have a baby. Then the shikigami would be able to reach another level of euphoria by cuddling with their daughter or son.
And getting into all sorts of trouble with them.
Heh heh heh.
"Um… Naofumi…" Hoshi began awkwardly.
"What? Don't feel afraid to speak around me, you know. I'm not really that scary even though I try to be sometimes." Naofumi said.
"It's not that, it's just… ... ...
"How are you so special?" The monochrome Hero eventually managed to ask.
…
"What do you mean?" Naofumi asked curiously.
"You cook the best food I've ever eaten. You're making accessories for everyone to make them stronger. You compound lots of different medicines. From the stories I've heard, you've been able to protect everyone in the past from powerful attacks of all kinds. And just about everyone here looks up to you…"
The young man grabbed the Ofuda Box on his side, looking down at his Cardinal Weapon. "I just wonder how your weapon could summon someone like you, while this one summoned a loser like me?"
"Well, that's actually pretty simple," Naofumi responded without any hesitation. "I wasn't that special when I was summoned."
...
"R… Really?" Hoshi asked in surprise.
"Yeah, well, apparently, I could cook better than everyone else when I first got here. I still don't really believe that though, since it's not that hard. But that's beside the point.
"Before I was summoned, I was just your typical otaku. Studying Business Economics in college while living off my parent's allowance. I wasn't extraordinary in any sense of the word. I had no girlfriend. I had acquaintances I hung out with from time to time.
"I was just another guy living his day-to-day life and spending most of his time reading mangas and playing games before I was summoned."
…
Hoshi remained quiet, pondering that.
"What about you? Were you a mangaka before you were summoned?" Naofumi asked.
"I-I wish." Hoshi looked down nervously. "I've just had a lot of practice since coming to this world."
"Itsuki has shown me some of the things from your first volume, you know," Naofumi said at his discouraged tone. "You were pretty good even when you started."
"Heh, I spent months working on that, making sure everything was just right. I went through two rough drafts before I was confident enough to release it." Hoshi continued to put down his god-tier drawing abilities. Just like Naofumi did for his god-tier cooking abilities.
Naofumi almost saw the connection, but couldn't quite grasp that he was the Gordon Ramsay of the isekai genre at that moment.
"Not meaning to pry here, but did something happen in your world that makes you doubt yourself like this?" Naofumi asked.
…
"... no, not really," Hoshi responded after a moment of thought. "Strange, isn't it? I wasn't bullied in school. I wasn't mistreated by my parents. I didn't go through anything traumatic growing up. I was just a single guy, studying my generals at college while trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life."
It almost sounded like Naofumi but without the talent for cooking or the inability to get drunk. Or the horrible parents who took advantage of his cooking and otherwise put all their love and attention on his younger brother.
"I had a talent for drawing art, and I felt it was my dream to become a mangaka. But there were already a lot of good mangaka artists out there. And their stuff was so much better than anything I could hope to come up with…
"Then, one day, while I was practicing in my free time, I wanted to draw a scene. An open square inside of a fortress city. I drew some background characters, some in cloaks, and some in armor. Then I drew three characters that I felt would be important for this story.
"I finished the other two, one holding a mace while the other was holding a jewel. And I'd just finished drawing the ofuda box the main character was holding, but when I got to draw his face, I felt something strange, like I was being pulled into the page, and passed out.
"When I opened my eyes again, I was in that square, surrounded by all those people alongside the two others I'd drawn, holding that Ofuda box in my hands."
"You drew your own Hero summoning." Naofumi realized.
"Yeah… and I've been in this world ever since." Hoshi chuckled sadly to himself. "Strange, huh? Normally, you'd think you'd be isekaied to another world by Truck-Kun or something like that. Isn't that how the cliche goes?"
"It's not really that strange." Naofumi shrugged. "I was summoned because I picked up the wrong book."
"Really?"
"Yeah, it took the motto "reading transports you to another world" to a whole new level. Let me just say, it's highly overrated."
The two both chuckled, then sat in silence.
Naofumi continued petting Raph-Chan absentmindedly. The furry creature had settled in his lap for a nap. Somehow she looked even more adorable in her sleep than she did while awake.
…
…
Hoshi eventually went back to his manga. And Naofumi went back to work on another accessory.
It looked like a necklace. Naofumi was using petals from the Sapphire Flower he'd been given to improve on what he'd had for it before.
A project that wasn't for the others. But for something far more important after this was over.
A quiet air of comradery settled between the two Heroes of otherworlds.
Hero Clips!
Just a Dream?
Mmmm… this felt nice…
Itsuki felt more refreshed than he had in a long while. He also felt warm. Incredibly so.
It was almost like someone else was pressed up against him and… … …
His eyes shot open. Almost at the same time as Rishia's.
They were in bed together.
And they were both naked.
"AH!" "FUEH!" The two pulled back from one another in shock. Rishia pulled the blankets up, covering her surprisingly large chest while Itsuki covered himself with a pillow.
"I…" "You…" "What…" Both individuals stammered to themselves. Trying to figure out what to say to the other.
They'd only just slept together, right? And neither of them had been drunk either! Had… they really given in to their hidden urges at night and… and…!?
"Oh, hey."
Both heads turned to the doorway. Naofumi was standing there with a smirk. "Looks like you finally got some, Itsuki. Color me impressed."
"W-WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?" Itsuki screamed in a mixture of rage and embarrassment.
"It's a dream, obviously." Naofumi rolled his eyes as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "As if you two would actually get down and dirty this early in the story."
"EARLY!? THIS IS CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY &^%$&^% FOUR IN CASE YOU FORGOT!" Itsuki screamed back.
"Technically chapter Seventy-One of the second story." Rishia meekly commented. "Or the seventh chapter of the fifth book of Diligence on Ao3."
"Meh, still early for you two. Gotta let some more time pass for your vanillaness to melt away and allow that kind of heat." Naofumi retorted with a shrug. "You know I'm right. You haven't even kissed her yet despite having plenty of opportunities to do so, especially in this chapter.
"Talk about sad."
Itsuki would have screamed again at that, asking what the hell he was talking about.
However, before he could, he sat bolt upright in bed again.
He immediately looked down at himself. Checking his clothes and making sure that everything was there.
Oh, thank the Gods, he was still fully dressed.
He really did like Rishia a lot. But to suddenly go that far before they'd even had their first kiss?
Maybe Ren and Wyndia would have done it in another timeline, being the idiot teenagers that they were. But not him.
No way. No sirree. He'd rather he and the green-haired girl take their time. Get more comfortable with each other and grow closer to one another before they try something as intimate as that.
He then frowned. Perhaps giving in and letting her sleep with him today had been a bad idea. He definitely didn't want to give her the wrong message. And besides, if they ended up making out with each other while in bed…
He turned to the side to wake up Rishia, deciding they should talk about this now so he didn't forget later on and let something as risky as that happen and-
That wasn't Rishia.
"Expecting someone else?"
That definitely wasn't Rishia!
"Mhmhmhmhm."
It was horrible.
It was the worst thing imaginable.
It was everyone's favorite villain.
It was everyone's worst nightmare.
It was…
"Hey there, fRiEEEEEEEnnnnnnD!"
Kyo in Eris's outfit. With the padded boobs and all.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Itsuki bolted out of the bed, screaming as he ran from the room.
"Fuehhhhhhh! Itsuki, what happened!?" Rishia screamed in surprise as Itsuki's outburst woke her up.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
HE KNEW HE'D HAVE NIGHTMARES THE NIGHT BEFORE, BUT NOT LIKE THIS!
It would be several hours before anyone could get the Bow Hero to calm down. And when he finally did, he absolutely refused to explain what he'd dreamed about.
Because some things were just too terrible to inflict onto the minds of others.
Allen grinned widely from the heavens up above. "Good thing I don't mind giving you readers that mental image a second time around!"
Free mental scarring for all! Not just the Bow Hero!
Till Next Time
Allen
Notes:
Yeah. There's a bit to uncover in this chapter. And there'll be quite a bit more in the next chapter.
You get to see and learn a bit about the other Heroes. And get to see how they act in part now that the game facade has been thrown out the window.
I felt it'd be good to show Itsuki's struggle to repent. We're all human. We all make mistakes. Some mistakes are bigger than others. And some are mistakes that we repeat even though we know better.
I haven't tried to kill anyone. But I make my own major mistakes. And I keep making them again and again despite my attempts to change. I know what it's like to be severely disappointed in myself. I'm sure others here feel the same way.
Though that isn't going to stop me from finding new ways to torture Itsuki via omake!
Chapter 8: Backstories of the Otherworld Heroes
Notes:
General admittance from me: I almost did have Rishia and Itsuki kiss in the previous chapter. It was in the original draft when I wrote it out but after reading it over, it just didn't feel right. So I rewrote the entire interaction to what it is now and it felt way more organic. Sorry, they couldn't kiss.
Damn it Itsuki. I was so close to getting you laid. Why'd you have to be so vanilla with Rishia?
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
- ENTRY #7 -
My teenage years in this world, or my ████████████ years if I still counted my age from ████████████, went by much more smoothly than they had ████████████. A lot of different things also came together for me during this time.
One thing I found annoying and bothersome about this time of my life was Puberty. I hadn't really ████████████, but here it was like those damn sexual thoughts were coming up every other minute. It was almost as if ████████████ was purposefully designed to be hornier than ████████████ or something?
I have noticed this strange behavior exhibited by other reincarnators over the years. Every last one of them has been intent on gathering a harem of young women around them as soon as they were old enough to 'get it up.'
I have no idea why. Maybe the increased libido was something 'they' did for us to make our lives in these worlds more enjoyable.
Either way, I didn't let the thoughts of puberty distract me as I was much more interested in continuing to ████████████ in this world. I'd made several simple inventions by this point, which I sold off with help from my parents to make some cash.
They'd begun to realize how much of a genius I was, and despite me still being young, ████████████ they began to actively take steps to make sure I had everything I needed to succeed. From trade deals with the right merchants that traveled through their lands, to connections with the Capital to ensure my work was patented under my name.
I didn't have a repeat of what'd happened with ████████████. And I was more than okay with that.
My father even bought ████████████ as a 'slave' for me at my insistence. As it never did hurt to have an extra bit of muscle around.
The girl still followed me like a damn dog everywhere. But I didn't mind that so much anymore.
Despite her low self-esteem, she wasn't near as stupid as she believed herself to be. She learned to read very quickly after I took her in, and she was surprisingly good at math. She can be very naive and follow her heart more than her mind, and she also believes anything I tell her without question, but despite all this, she is not stupid .
I did not tell her this, however, as the last thing I needed was for her to grow an ego. It's bad enough dealing with that whenever I have to meet another reincarnator.
During our later teenage years, ████████████ began to nag me about using my inventions to help people. I'll admit, I did not see much point in doing that. I have the heart of a capitalist. I'd rather make money selling my goods than waste my time being a good Samaritan.
Those ████████████ anyway were just a sham. Providing meals for the poor? I guess nobody reads the fine print about how around ████████████ are considered a 'meal.' When they said they helped donate several million meals to starving people poor worldwide, they hadn't even put ████████████ towards that stupid crap.
Anyway, I guess in an effort to show me what she meant, she made me a pair of cheap crappy glasses for my birthday.
I hated them as soon as I saw them. They reminded me of my past life with the name-calling and the talking behind my back. I demanded that she tell me why she made them for me.
Again, her response surprised me:
"I noticed how you're always squinting. And I read that people do that when they find it hard to see things.
I asked her why that should matter. And again, her response silenced me.
"It makes it look like you're always annoyed when you're around people. And I think it might be hurting some of your trade deals. I thought fixing this might help with that."
…
I calmed down as I thought over what she'd pointed out and realized she was right. I'd recently had a few deals fall through, but I hadn't been sure why.
It still took a little convincing to put them on. After looking in a mirror, I said I looked stupid.
████████████ smiled and then said: "I think they make you look cool and smart."
…
I wonder if that is why I still wear them today. Despite having managed to fix my vision through alchemy a couple of years ago…
The glasses did help. It was surprising how she managed to make the lenses just right for my eyesight. Yomogi was definitely more observant than I thought, and, when she dedicated herself to it, she could make some incredible things. My trade deals after that went much more smoothly, and I couldn't deny that it was thanks to her insight.
To reward her without telling her it was a reward, I put together an ████████████. I just inserted this world's version of cream, sugar, and other ingredients in one end, put some gems with ice properties in the other, and through a process where the machine magically induced the mixture and temperature required, ice cream came out of it.
It was pretty simple. I didn't even need to use my ████████████ to learn how to make it. When I presented it to ████████████, she pointed out that shaved ice already existed. I still had her try it though.
After one taste, she became instantly addicted to it. She claimed that it was the ████████████.
As we ate ice cream, I asked her what she wanted. After the last few years and how kind and annoying she'd been, I still expected her to backstab me, or to take advantage of me, or whatever. But I wanted to ask anyway. Maybe to test her and see how she'd respond?
…
She wanted to see the sea. When I asked why she said it was because of the books she'd read about it in my library.
She didn't want riches. She didn't want a place in the world or anything. She just wanted to see the ocean with me…
I arranged the trip with my parents and a week later, we were at the beach. I was eating ice cream from my machine while she played around in the sand like she was a little girl. It was annoying in some ways, but… ████████████.
And I can admit that even though I'm not a fan of the outdoors, it was one of the most ████████████ my entire life. In both my lives, to be honest. And it'd also been something I'd desperately needed. Genuine friendship.
"You should sell the design for this." She told me at the end of the day.
"What?" I responded.
"This ice cream is so good. You'd definitely make a ton of money selling this." She added to her previous statement.
…
I thought about it long and hard. Then I shook my head. "This is one thing I'll keep to myself."
She cocked her head at that. But I didn't elaborate further.
It was honestly the first time I'd invented something ████████████.
I didn't want anybody else to ruin it. And this day... ████████████.
So I kept it between us, for whenever we went back to visit that beach. Something we did as often as circumstances allowed.
And thus I passed through the teenage phase of my new life.
It'd been almost two weeks since Sickle's latest Wave. And around five days since the three local Cardinal Heroes had come back with Kizuna and Itsuki to Sickle.
The situation was tense in the Capital around L'Arc's castle. Reinforcements from other countries were beginning to arrive at the borders of the country. The bulk of L'Arc's army was marching towards Label in preparation for invasion. All the remaining soldiers in the city were on high alert, and so were the Heroes.
The King expected an attack from Kyo's elite forces any day now. The few reports that the crown had received from their scouts trying to track the foreign agents had been buried to avoid unrest. But everyone was aware of what Kyo's target would be. It was how he'd taken down Mikikage and Label, after all.
The Dragon Hourglass.
If Kyo's warriors captured it for even a brief period. They could undo the chains on it and register themselves to it. Allowing them to portal reinforcements directly into the heart of Sickle's defenses.
L'Arc heavily considered moving the Hourglass out of his city as Corrin had done with his. But he didn't have a good place to store it. Nor did he have the manpower to accomplish such a herculean task on such short notice. After discussing these things with the other Heroes and the Council of Ministers, it was decided that it'd be better to defend the Hourglass rather than to try and risk moving it.
Even if they got it outside of the city, they didn't have the same level of defense as Lapis or other countries. It would be better to face Luvar by their fortified border instead of in the heart of their lands where the citizens would be in danger.
A minister had argued that they should invade Luvar immediately before they attacked. But then, even if that was successful, what would be the point if Sickle fell at the same time? Romina was still finishing up the Hero's equipment, and they were waiting for a shipment of Guardian Beast materials to arrive.
Label's Minister had managed to get some of his soldiers to scrounge them up from their hidden storehouses inside his fallen country before Kyo could get his hands on them. They were still en route.
The overall thing L'Arc stressed was that they needed to deal with this threat from Kyo first without leaving the Hourglass unprotected. Even marching out to fight them beforehand was thrown out the window. As all it would take was one of Kyo's warriors sneaking past their forces into the Dragon Hourglass Building to decide the fate of their nation.
They were literally left with no choice but to wait for them to arrive.
Then, after this, when all the other countries were in position, they could launch a full-scale invasion straight into Kyo's territory.
That was the hope, at least. Rarely did things ever go that simply...
"Oh, hey Akane! How's it going?!"
Yet despite this overall tense atmosphere and bleak situation that stretched everyone's patience to the absolute limits, Kizuna was found sitting in her favorite spot at the dock by her house. The end of her fishing line rested in the water as the Jewel Heroine walked across the wooden dock to approach her.
"Not terrible, at least. The people here have been surprisingly welcoming." Akane responded vaguely.
The dresses she'd worn before had been replaced with some tight-fitting jeans and a midriff-exposing tank top. It was clearly something from her old world. Her hair was also down and resting on her shoulders. Her overall appearance made her look a lot less flashy and more like a young adult.
"Is this the favorite fishing spot you told us you'd show us?" Akane asked.
"Yep! There ain't no better place to fish in the entire kingdom!... Well, except maybe the mountains, but this place is pretty relaxing on its own too!" Kizuna answered happily.
It was to be noted that Kizuna had the Haori Glass made for her again. Romina had done a fantastic job restoring it.
Which only made Kizuna vow to make it look 'lived in' as quickly as possible.
Kizuna noticed Akane's hands were gripped together in front of her. And when the Jewel Heroine stopped next to her, she bounced nervously on the balls of her feet.
It took a few seconds, but the redhead eventually spoke again. "Is… would you mind if I joined you?"
"Of course not! Have a seat and let your heroine Sempai teach you the ways of the sea!" Kizuna grinned conspiratorially at her fellow Hero.
"Uh… um…" Akane couldn't hide her nervousness. "Maybe I shouldn't…"
Kizuna laughed, cutting her off. "Or we can just sit quietly if you'd prefer that."
"Y-Yes, please." The redhead stuttered gratefully.
Kizuna pulled a fishing rod from her inventory, giving it to the Jewel Heroine. Together, they sat in silence at the edge of the water, gazing out over the ocean.
…
Some time passed. Akane didn't catch a single thing while Kizuna reeled in one fish after the other.
"Maybe there's some fishing skill I ignored or something." The Jewel Heroine eventually managed to snark, seeing the large bucket and two chests behind Kizuna filled to the brim with all kinds of fish. The ones in the chest had already been cut apart and everything by the Hunting Hero, as was her custom.
"That's actually very likely, considering the way this world works," Kizuna replied. "Some fish just won't come to your lure if your fishing skill isn't high enough to catch them. Strange, huh?"
"W-Wait, you're not joking?!" Akane asked incredulously.
"Of course not. I learned that skills for fishing and crafting and the like existed after getting some weapon forms that had them." Kizuna shrugged. "Some, like crafting, are incredibly useful. I wouldn't have been able to survive in the Infinite Labyrinth if I hadn't had those helping me out at the start. But I absolutely refuse to unlock the weapons with the fishing bonuses on them."
"W-Why would you do something like that?! I didn't even know such weapons existed before now!" Akane almost screamed at the smaller girl.
"Because it'd be just like cheating. Fishing is a true test of one's patience and grit. Nothing in life will ever quite match up to the experience of your first catch."
Yes. This girl was the best fisherman to walk the face of the universe and she didn't even have anything from her weapon helping her out.
"Let me guess, you also don't use nets since that'd be cheating too." Akane snarked again.
"Yep." Kizuna agreed.
"... wait, you can use nets?" Akane did a double take.
"I'm the Hunting Tools Hero. Why wouldn't I have nets as a weapon form?" Kizuna shrugged.
"B-But you could just throw it in there and catch them even more easily!" Akane rebutted.
"Yeah, and that'd be even worse cheating than unlocking those passive bonuses," Kizuna smirked in response.
"... this makes no sense whatsoever," Akane responded dryly.
"About as much sense as being able to share methods with other Heroes?" Kizuna asked back.
"... touche." The girl responded somberly.
…
There was silence between them after that. With Akane struggling and failing to catch anything.
Every time she thought she felt a tug, she'd reel in her line, only to find a bit of seaweed caught on the hook.
She sighed after the fourth time but baited it once again and cast the line out as far as she could without impaling herself or Kizuna with the fishing hook.
The silence continued for a while after that.
…
"Is there any reason why you and the others haven't shared your methods yet?" Kizuna finally asked. "Doing that would help to make you and the rest of us a lot stronger, you know?"
"Well, actually, it wouldn't help Naofumi or Itsuki get stronger, since you can't share methods with Heroes from other worlds. But you get what I mean." Kizuna added.
…
"I… I really want to believe that such a thing is actually possible… you all seem quite knowledgeable on it." Akane said sincerely. She was looking at the strengthening methods for her weapon as she said that.
They were honestly so lame. There was no way in hell anyone would possibly believe her if she told them. They were beyond stupid, and she remembered Daitan and Hoshi telling her as much when she tried to tell them about it a long time ago at Ken-Sensei's urging.
...
Actually, had they said that? Had she told them her methods? It was so long ago that she couldn't really recall it clearly.
Either way, it wasn't like any of them had believed each other back then. She could have sworn they all thought the other two were lying. And even with the evidence that such a thing could actually be possible… they'd been inactive in this world for years.
It seemed impossible that such a simple action could make them bridge that incredible gap in strength in such a short period of time.
"Alright, I won't pressure you about it for now…" Kizuna seemed to think to herself as her line bobbed in the water. "Oh, I know! How about you tell me about what your life was like before being brought here instead?"
"H-Huh?" Akane stuttered in surprise. "Why would you be interested in that?!"
"Why not? I told you and the others about my life, didn't I?" The shorter girl shrugged.
"Plus, if you didn't know weapon forms could give passive bonuses to technical skills, I'm willing to bet that all your dressmaking skills come from your world. Just like my love for fishing!"
"Well… um… that is partially right… I did find some weapon forms before that improved on my skills, but... anyway, it wasn't like it was the most noteworthy life…" Akane answered nervously.
"Same as the rest of us then." Kizuna winked playfully.
The action brought a chuckle out of the tall red-haired girl. Though there was a sadness in her eyes as well. "I don't know…"
...
Kizuna rested a hand on her wrist by the Legendary Jewel and smiled at her encouragingly. "If it weighs on your mind that heavily, then the best thing you can do is get it off your chest."
"Well, I don't know if that saying works here." Kizuna glanced down at Akane's lack of bust. "But you know what I mean. Even if I haven't known you for that long, you're one of my friends too! So I'm willing to listen to your life story if it helps you feel better!"
Akane bristled from the chest comment… but feeling Kizuna's sincerity, both in her voice and in her eyes, she breathed out a long sigh.
Kizuna truly thought that they were friends already, huh…
…
...
...
"I was a shy girl growing up…"
In school, Akane would normally sit in the back of the classroom away from everyone else. She'd keep her hair down to cover one of her eyes to help discourage others from talking to her.
She tried to stay on top of her assignments and get her exams done on time. But she didn't really try to socialize with others. She preferred keeping to herself. Not letting anyone know what she liked.
She'd spend her evenings on her computer, playing games online when her homework was done, or sitting in bed while watching one of her favorite animes on the TV in her room.
Her parents were always out working, so she was mostly raised by her grandparents. It was from her grandma that she gained a passion for fashion. She used to serve one of Japan's emperors as a royal couturier when she was younger.
Akane's grandma had taught her how to sew. As she got older, she'd watched videos on the Internet on one monitor while playing games on a second monitor to learn how to make all sorts of costumes and cosplays for characters she played in video games, or watched from some of her favorite animes.
She got really good at it. But she never had the courage to wear them in front of anyone besides her grandma, who despite the odd use of her talents, had praised her for her skills. It was only because of her Grandma's kindness and sincerity that she didn't throw her projects away and kept them in her closet, gathering dust as time passed.
…
"Is your Grandma still alive?" Kizuna asked.
"No… she passed away a year or so after I started Middle School." Akane smiled bittersweetly. "But she'd helped me along up to that point. And I wanted to continue following my passion because of her."
Eventually, when she reached High School, her parents bought her a phone in an effort to try and keep in contact with her. Something which hadn't amounted to much, as they'd been kept as busy with work as ever.
But, after she completed another outfit and put it on, she wanted to take some pictures of herself with the phone and, feeling a rush of bravery she wasn't used to, she posted them under an anonymous account online on a certain site.
It gave her quite the feeling of ecstasy. And she went to bed that night, not really expecting anything to come of it. Only feeling pride that she'd managed to put her work out there.
…
A couple of days later, after getting back from school, she opened her banking app to see if she had enough money in it to buy some groceries for dinner. Only to notice that she had a little more money than what she usually got as an allowance from her parents.
After checking where it'd come from, she was led back to the account she'd created online.
She found that her cosplay pictures had garnered her several thousand followers. And there were a lot of comments with them too.
"Who is this chick?!"
"This outfit's amazing!"
"I love that character!"
"Bow chick a bow wow!"
Kizuna chuckled at that, and Akane found it in her to grin as she continued.
A few fans had sent her donations, asking if she'd post more of her work in the future. And, feeling emboldened, she decided to do so. Akane made more outfits and took more pictures of the cosplays and herself in them.
She blurred her face so her identity wouldn't be revealed. But her fans didn't seem to mind.
They loved it and they loved her.
The followers kept on pouring in. More and more of them began to donate and give ideas for characters they wanted to see come to life.
She still tried to keep things going at school and did her best to keep her grades up. But she was spending more time each evening designing cosplays. Reading through comments for ideas and inspiration. Sewing, patching up fabric, spending long nights working till she almost passed out on her table.
Her homework and everything else began to fall by the wayside. In class, she started to doodle in her notebook or nap instead of listening to the teachers.
Things were going great. She was constantly busy every night to the point where even gaming fell by the wayside.
And then, in the middle of her sophomore year, disaster struck.
She couldn't get an outfit ready in time. But her followers expected something new to get posted that night. She'd made it a habit to have a new cosplay out at least every other week. And she'd tried so hard, even giving up sleep to make it possible.
She always blurred her face anyway. So it wasn't like they had to see the stress it was putting her through.
Not wanting to disappoint her followers, she pulled out an outfit from the large pile of cosplays she'd left in her closet.
She'd been smaller when she made it back then. And when she put it on, it revealed more of her stomach than she would have liked. As well as some of her thighs.
She still took pictures of herself and posted them anyway. At the very least, she could use it as a buffer so she could get more sleep that night. She really needed the rest.
…
"What was the response?" Kizuna asked when she trailed off. "Did they call it bad or something?"
"No… they liked it. They really, really liked it." Akane stated, though there was a tone of sadness in her voice.
There were a lot of comments on it. A few were surprised she would delve into echi cosplays too. And when she looked the picture over again, she realized that was the case.
Far from complaining about it though, her followers were begging her to do more lewd outfits in the future.
She'd been unsure about it, but that post alone got her more donations than all of her other ones combined. It would also be a bit easier to make outfits out of less material. And with so many requests, she had several ideas already coming to mind.
And so, she did so. She made more outfits to please her growing fanbase.
At first, she tried to reveal only a little more. Some of her shoulders. And maybe a bit more of her legs than usual while doing a sexy pose. She didn't want to delve too deeply into this.
And then, she began revealing more. And more.
And more.
It got to the point where she started doing bikini cosplays of characters. Even going as far as doing a g-string for everyone's favorite anime girl at the time.
That alone made her a lot of yen.
She realized she could possibly make a living off of this. Instead of only keeping it as a hobby. Maybe… if she made enough, her parents wouldn't have to work so much. They'd be able to spend more time together.
She was still a shy girl while at school. But for the first time in her life, she felt… empowered! Like she could be whatever she wanted to be! Do whatever she wanted to do!
Instead of having her body being made fun of, it was being praised online by hordes of followers!
People loved her! In her own way, she was finally becoming popular! She could finally get some of the things she'd wanted in her life!
…
And then, around the end of her Sophomore year, she made the mistake of not blurring out her face for an image.
Somebody at school recognized her and exposed her not only there, but also online. He posted real pictures of her and tagged the photo she'd posted, exposing who she really was.
She hadn't even talked to him or noticed him. She had no idea why he did what he did...
…
You'd think it'd be like in those anime. The followers wouldn't care that the cosplayer idol they'd come to worship was just some shy girl in a rural school that nobody really cared about in real life.
…
"My following disappeared almost entirely." Akane eventually brought herself to admit it in a dry voice.
All of her fans… gone.
Their departing comments… twisted, and ugly.
She became a joke at school for the final weeks of Sophmore year, being called a slut and a whore. Her peers showed her no mercy. Rubbing in some of her worst insecurities like her lack of cleavage. Or her stupid hair. Or her unnaturally unsexy height. Or…
"You don't have to say all the things they said about you," Kizuna said gently.
Akane sniffled. "They were right though. And… they just wouldn't stop… even though I'd never interacted with any of them. They, they just…"
It eventually blew over when her Sophomore year ended. Her parents had been home from one of their business trips when she came back from her exams crying.
As soon as she'd admitted to them what'd happened, they comforted her and made the decision to move to another city. So that she'd be able to finish her education at another school.
"At least your parents still supported you," Kizuna said.
"They had… but because of how much I'd focused on my 'hobby', I had to repeat my Sophomore year. That alone almost made me a complete outcast to my peers after I got there." Akane continued with tears in her eyes.
She became even more closed off than before. She didn't talk to anyone, even when they tried talking to her.
She didn't answer the teacher's questions when she was called upon. And eventually, they learned to stop asking her questions.
Rumors circulated about her. Where she came from. Why she was held back. But she did nothing to verify them. She didn't want anything to do with anybody else.
She spent more time after school playing online games. Trying to escape the reality she'd landed herself in.
But at times, she came across conversations between players talking about the rural flat cosplay idol. How they couldn't believe they'd ever thought that tramp was hot.
She recognized their usernames as being among the donors who gave the biggest donations for her hard work.
Her parents were so busy with work. No one could see what she was going through. Her grandma had been dead for years.
Akane couldn't make her outfits anymore either, because every time she tried to do so, she'd break down and start crying until she would fall asleep.
Her former classmates had left her with major self-image issues, and the betrayal of her online image had left her with some deep trust issues as well. And so she kept herself closed off from her new peers because she feared that they'd learn who she was and make fun of her just like they had. Just like the people online had. She kept on escaping deeper from her reality.
Finally, during her Junior Year, she was isekaied as the Jewel Hero.
She didn't know how it'd happened. One moment, she was running away from home, tired of being a burden on her parents. The next, she was running through some alley. A hand grabbed her arm, she screamed and punched whoever it was that'd grabbed her…
Then, she was standing in what she thought to be her favorite online game. Alongside two other guys who were labeled as Heroes alongside her.
…
Akane continued to tremble even after she was done speaking. She looked to be on the verge of tears after opening up about her past. And when Kizuna wordlessly rested an arm over her shoulders, she finally broke down crying into her hands.
"I… I never got to say goodbye to my parents. I never got to say how sorry I was for running away. For not trying to be a better daughter. For bringing shame upon my grandmother and our family."
"I just… I wish I could take it all back. That I could have chosen not to go down that path… … that I could have used my talents for something better, and… and… …"
…
"You know… the dresses you design are pretty cool." Kizuna suddenly said after giving Akane a moment to cry.
Akane looked at her in surprise. Kizuna gave her a sincere smile. "I mean it. While you were showing me around all the shops in Lazuli, I looked at a lot of the dresses you designed. I thought the majority of them were actually pretty neat. I'm guessing you overcame your trauma towards that at least?"
"Of course not," Akane replied sourly. "I only did it because I was trying to convince myself that I was in one of my online games. That none of this was actually real. That it wasn't my fault that Kenshiro…"
"I… was trying to run away from what happened to Kenshiro-sensei. To all of us that day… I don't know if I could bring myself to make another dress now that this is real, and even if I could, what good is that going to do against the Waves of Catastrophe?" She asked angrily at the end. "Now that I'm stuck here, I've done nothing to help out in this world. I'm just pathetic."
"You've helped people live their day-to-day lives," Kizuna pointed out cautiously.
"How have I done that?!" Akane angrily asked.
"By making them happy," Kizuna answered.
...
"Even if, one day, the world does end, wouldn't it be better for people to smile and be themselves as much as they can before that happens?" Kizuna asked when Akane remained silent. "Why do you think I enjoy fishing so much? If I focused all my time on being a Hero, I'd go even crazier than I did in the Infinite Labyrinth."
"I think the others get it too. Glass likes to sew or dance when she gets stressed out. L'Arc tries to practice making accessories whenever he has free time.
"Ethnobalt likes to sit down and read a good book around us. Therese will take care of her gemstones. Naofumi will compound medicines or cook. Itsuki will sit down with Rishia to read some manga or talk with his friends.
"It's not like we're expected to dedicate every single minute towards something that'll help us save the world." Kizuna shrugged. "Sometimes, we just need something that'll help us or others around us to feel normal."
"But me and the others have squandered so much of our time…" Akane sighed.
"Didn't I just say you helped lots of people to smile?" Kizuna smiled brightly. "Who knows how many girls you made happy with your dresses? Or guys for that matter." The small girl had the audacity to wink.
The Jewel Heroine blushed faintly. "Even if it isn't contributing to everyone's safety." Kizuna continued. "You're still helping people to be happy. I think that's just as important as protecting them.
"After all, who'd want to live when the rest of their lives are going to be nothing but pain and misery?"
"That's why I'm happy that Hoshi is the one writing that manga series for everyone. If there's anything this world needs, it's more good things for people to enjoy."
…
"You're really something… Kizuna. I can see why you were chosen to be a Hero." Akane said after thinking her words over.
"You'll learn one day why your weapon chose you to be a Hero too." Kizuna gave her a genuine smile. "That Jewel must have seen something special in that rural shy unsexy redhead to call you here."
"Unsexy?!" Akane bristled at the comment.
"You aren't seducing anyone with that A-cup of yours. If you can even call it that." Kizuna stuck her tongue out at her.
"I am not going to take that from a washboard like you!" Akane retaliated. She suddenly felt an odd urge to give the Hunting Hero a noogie.
No way. Was this girl actually worming herself into her heart?!
The thought was so ridiculous that Akane started laughing and Kizuna laughed together with her.
"You know when I first heard you were coming to Lazuli for a Conference. I was afraid you were going to put me out of the fashion business." Akane admitted. "And you did, in a way."
"Was that a bad thing to do?" Kizuna asked.
"Maybe… but it was also the right thing to do.
"I guess it's true when they say the right choice isn't always the easiest one." Akane looked down at herself. "I guess, finally getting my past off my chest… well, lack of it, also helped. So… thank you, for asking about it."
"No problem. And I'm sorry about the teasing." Kizuna replied sadly. "I didn't realize how personal it was. I never got to experience that kind of bullying while in my world."
"It's ok. I said the same things to you. Tit for tat, so to say." Akane responded.
"If only I could grab Glass's tits." Kizuna crossed her arms with a pout. "Hers are huge."
…
…
"I…" Akane had no idea how to respond. What?
The Hunting Hero was right. Akane had been in the Hot Spring at the same time as the Spirit Woman at one point. So she could easily verify that the Fans Hero was very well endowed under the kimono she normally wore. But why would Kizuna want to…
Kizuna laughed at the look on her face. And Akane felt it best to let the topic drop.
They fell into a brief silence.
At the end of it, Akane finally felt a tug and reeled in her first fish.
It was a small trout. Barely anything of note, besides its rainbow-colored scales.
"Rainbow trout, not bad for a first catch." Kizuna nodded her head in satisfaction.
"It only took what? Two hours?" Akane snarked.
"One and a half. But that's the beauty of fishing." Kizuna smiled happily. "You can really let the time pass you by."
"I'm sure the time passes by much faster when you're catching things every few seconds." Akane rolled her eyes.
"Nonsense." Kizuna then tugged on her line, pulling out a monstrosity of a trout from the water. She casually sliced it into sashimi midair, letting the cubes of meat fall into the container behind her while the organs and skeleton structure fell into the water.
"Showoff." Akane harumphed, eliciting a chuckle from the brown-haired girl.
…
"Thank you, Kizuna. For listening to me… again." Akane said genuinely as she stood up. "I'm going to do some more training with Daitan. But I'm glad we were able to sit down and… really talk with each other."
"You're welcome," Kizuna replied happily. "Feel free to talk to me again anytime. You know where to find me!"
The Jewel Hero absorbed the fish she caught into her weapon. Unlocking the Rainbow Trout Gem in the process.
A small smile rested on her face. "I will. See you later, Kizuna."
As she walked away, feeling better than she had in years, Akane pulled the new weapon form up to see if it gave her a passive bonus to fishing or not…
Nope, just a passive bonus for swimming.
What a complete and utter ripoff.
…
Still, Hoshi had been right when he said that opening up to Naofumi had made him feel better about himself. And after finally getting this off her chest…
She realized that, maybe, it was time she had a talk with the Blunt Weapons Hero.
"What are you doing up here by yourself?"
"Who's- oh, it's just you." L'Arc relaxed in his stance as Naofumi approached.
The Shield Hero and the Scythe King were standing on a balcony of his castle. Overlooking the surrounding town and the soldiers training in the courtyard below. "I'm surprised you're not catching up on more paperwork." Naofumi pointed out as he walked up beside the redhead and rested against the railing.
"I finished it all yesterday, including the stuff that came from the last Wave." L'Arc shrugged. "It sucked, but at least I won't get bothered about dealing with property disputes and the like for the foreseeable future."
"Now, is there a reason you came up here to bother me?"
"Well, I was about to start cooking dinner for everyone when Kizuna suggested I grab you and Therese since it's been a while since we all ate together," Naofumi answered dryly. "I tried to tell her we could eat without you two, of course, but then she started pouting at me and ordered me to come find you. And you know how hard it is to say no when she gets like that."
"Gee, thanks a lot for that, I guess." L'Arc snarked.
Naofumi smirked. "I guess if you are done with all that paperwork though, you and your girlfriend could have a chance to enjoy my cooking."
…
L'Arc didn't move from his position at the railing. His hands moved to rest in the sleeves of his kimono as a contemplative expression took over his face. The laidback young man disappeared behind the guise of a real King, much to Naofumi's surprise.
"Tell Kizuna we won't be coming, Naofumi." L'Arc then said without looking the Shield Hero's way.
"... excuse me, who are you and what did you do to L'Arc?" Naofumi deadpanned.
"Shut it. It's not that I'm afraid your cooking will steal Therese away or anything…" L'Arc looked down over the buildings of his kingdom. "I just have a feeling the attack's coming today."
…
Naofumi tensed up. "What makes you say that?"
"Call it a gut feeling. But the weather is going to be clear tonight, with no storms coming from the sea or anything. It's also been several days since they should have arrived, meaning they've had plenty of time to scout out our defenses." L'Arc said seriously.
Naofumi had to blink his eyes several times. It really was like L'Arc was a different person all of a sudden. He wasn't just thinking like a King but also a tactician. "Whether it is today, or tomorrow, or sometime soon, all I can say for sure is that if I were them, I would attack tonight. Since you never know when you might have the perfect conditions to do battle again."
"... alright. Should I move dinner to the castle then? So we can be there to assist-" Naofumi began to ask.
"No. Keep it at Kizuna's house." L'Arc cut him off. "As dumb as it might sound, they could be dissuaded from attacking today if all the Heroes were in the city. And besides, this castle won't be the main target." L'Arc's eyes moved to the Dragon Hourglass building. "Just tell Kizuna that we already ate. That should keep her disappointment from going too high."
"And if we are attacked, have Kizuna use her Return Transcript skill. The Hourglass is locked to prevent people from using it. But Therese did use her magic to make an exception for Kizuna's weapon so she could still use that skill to portal there. That should allow you to reinforce us quickly enough."
"Alright. I won't ask how that works, but I'll do that." Naofumi turned to walk away but then paused.
"You know, no offense, but are you sure you're not L'Arc? The redhead I know doesn't tend to take his job as a King this seriously."
"Heh. That's only because of the paperwork involved in leading a whole country. Keeping the peace between everyone, checking that funds are being allocated appropriately, and making sure there isn't any corruption in town officials or anyone in positions of power. If I could, I'd delegate all of that to the Council of Ministers so I could just be a figurehead to the people that could do whatever he wanted…"
L'Arc's brief smile disappeared. "But this, protecting them from danger. Making sure they can live their lives peacefully… that's part of my job I'll take seriously. This war, I'll give it nothing less than my all, Naofumi."
...
The Shield Hero thought over his words. "You know, I guess I did learn that about you back at Cal Mira. During the Wave between our worlds. I'd wondered back then who the people you were protecting were. But I never could have imagined it'd be a whole country."
"Because you couldn't believe that I'd be a King," L'Arc replied.
"I still have trouble believing that even now." Naofumi shrugged.
L'Arc glared, and the Shield Hero chuckled. "Fine. If we're not attacked today, I'll make sure to set aside portions for you and Therese."
"Alright… and thanks, Naofumi. For all the help you've provided us." L'Arc finally smiled at the Shield Hero. "I swear that when this is all over, I'll give you a proper tour of our world. And we'll do whatever we can to help your world overcome the Waves."
"..." Naofumi smirked. "Boy, we already made that promise first."
"What?! What's with the nickname?! I haven't called you Kiddo once this entire conversation!" L'Arc complained as his serious demeanor disappeared.
"I just wanted at least one glimpse of the L'Arc I know before I went back." Naofumi shrugged as he began to walk away. "Oddly enough, you're even weirder when you're serious and brooding than when you're drunk and immature."
"&^%$ you, Naofumi! One of these days I'll become a better accessory maker than you'll ever be!" L'Arc yelled at his back.
"Tell me that when you make one that doesn't explode," Naofumi called back. Before L'Arc could respond, the Shield Hero used Portal Shield to head back to Kizuna's house, disappearing in a bright flash of light.
OH! HE WAS SO GOING TO GET REVENGE ON THAT BASTARD!
The days seemed to pass slowly for the Bow Hero since his return.
Naofumi's thoughtful gift had made him feel better for a bit. And the time he spent with Rishia was some of the best they'd had yet.
They talked more with each other at night. Sometimes over text, other times over call. A couple of times, they'd sat down in the living room early in the morning while no one else was awake and read manga together.
One time, they even fell asleep down there while holding each other's hands.
It was a miracle Naofumi didn't walk in to see them doing that. It would have been so embarrassing to deal with his teasing again. The Shield Hero had laid off on doing that as of late. His friends had laid off on it too. Even Aksel and Maya seemed to have cooled down enough to want to spend time around Itsuki again without every other thought being about sex.
Itsuki really wanted to do better. He wanted to become the Hero Rishia and his friends pictured him to be so bad. But… he still hadn't managed to even so much as apologize to the other Heroes for his actions.
It definitely wasn't from lack of effort either. Itsuki had tried to meet with the other Heroes at first. To apologize to them for what he'd done. He honestly had.
But… every time he tried to approach them, they would run off to do something else. Or smile awkwardly before trying to look for somebody nearby to grab their attention.
Itsuki eventually got the hint to give them space. Fixing his mistake wouldn't be that easy.
It made him feel even more terrible, however. And despite Rishia's kindness and encouragement as well as Maya and Aksel's companionship, he felt like he was digging himself deeper and deeper into his hole of pain and regret.
The green-haired girl dedicated some extra time to training him and the others further in Hengen Musou, which was a ploy for them to spend more time around him. She'd even taken control of the kitchen for a bit and made Itsuki and the others his favorite Napolitan.
Aksel had been really happy about that. It almost always seemed like he had to go into town lately since most of Naofumi's cooking contained seafood. No thanks to the freaking Hunting Hero and her obsession with providing fresh fish for every meal.
Despite the great meal, however, it hadn't made Itsuki feel any better. Even though he wished it had.
Rishia couldn't cook much. But what she could cook was sooooo good.
…
Today, he was standing in a lookout position for L'Arc. It was an ideal spot on the wall that'd allow him to see Kyo's infiltrators should they manage to enter the city.
However, while he was doing that, Itsuki caught sight of two of the Heroes dueling each other in the nearby arena.
He left his post and used a sneaking skill to approach them. He didn't want to scare them off. He just wanted a chance to apologize. To alleviate some level of guilt from his chest.
By the time Itsuki got there, he found that they'd just finished their practice duel. Daitan was resting on the ground, covered in a thick layer of sweat. And Akane, though standing, looked just as winded.
They were dressed in clothes from their worlds. Itsuki was about to show himself when the redhead suddenly opened her mouth.
"I… I see you finally got that flame skill you bragged so much about." Akane reached out her tired hand to help the manlet stand back up.
"Yeah, I… ended up getting it after absorbing some coal from the blacksmith… instead of that monster in the wild…
"Ha… it's funny how what Hoshi said about learning to absorb everything actually paid off." Daitan chuckled to himself. "I've discovered several skills and abilities doing that."
"I've gotten a lot of weapon forms with unique stat bonuses too," Akane admitted. "It's not much. But there's more than a few levels worth of stats I can acquire if I keep the forms equipped for long enough to unlock their bonuses."
"Same here." Daitan smiled.
…
The two were silent as they worked on catching their breaths.
"... we're really learning a lot from everyone here. The three of us. It's just like the old times when we first arrived." Akane said almost sadly.
"If only we'd done this a lot sooner… I wonder if that's why they're so strong. They must have gathered thousands of different weapon forms while we sat on our *&^&^ doing nothing," Daitan grumbled.
"Maybe… Itsuki and the Heroes did share their methods with one another," Akane tried.
"Bah." The Blunt Hero scowled at Itsuki's name. "Don't talk about that cheater around me."
Itsuki bristled at the comment. He almost wanted to run out of his cover to yell at the Blunt Hero for calling him a cheater… only to feel immense disappointment in himself at the thought.
He turned around to leave since he was clearly not ready to atone for his previous actions.
"You know, I never did ask. But where did the faux manly act you put up from time to time come from anyway?" Akane suddenly said.
"Do you really believe that I have no experience with being manly?" Daitan asked incredulously.
"Have you looked in a mirror lately," Akane dryly remarked.
"Have you?" Daitan countered with a victorious smirk as if what he'd said was the 1000 IQ play.
Itsuki paused in his steps.
Even if he felt he wasn't ready. He… he at least wanted to see if he could learn more about the two of them. Maybe find out if he was really like them, or if they were different.
"Which one of us has an acne problem on our face?" Akane asked as she crossed her arms in front of her.
"Well, some girls find the acne adorable!" Daitan retaliated.
"What? On opposite day?" Akane rolled her eyes as the sarcastic comment left her lips.
"No! Not even the most beautiful girls could resist my face! It was because of this manly trait of mine that I didn't come to this world a virgin!" Daitan grinned.
"... really?" Akane asked in disbelief.
"Absolutely…! Well, not really, but I'm not a virgin. I'm not lying about that… …" The triumphant look on his face gradually disappeared, and he sat down on the ground.
"... I really wish my first time had been more special." The proud Blunt Weapons Hero… didn't look so proud at that moment.
Akane sat down opposite him. Having opened up to Kizuna earlier about what she went through, she decided it was about time she did the same for the guy she'd dealt with ever since coming to this world.
"Was it a one-night stand while you were both drunk at some party?" Akane asked.
"Nah." Daitan smiled. "It was consensual. She was one of the most popular and pretty girls in the school. And we were both sober for the event."
…
Akane's eyebrow slowly raised. Daitan pouted at her. "What, I'm not lying!"
"I know you're not lying," Akane responded. "I've known you for long enough to tell that you're being serious right now."
"Then what's with the look of disbelief?!" Daitan asked.
"I'm trying to figure out why such a girl would spread her legs for you is all," Akane said, putting a hand to her chin in thought.
"Oof. That's low. Even for you." Daitan scowled and looked to the side.
"I'm sorry."
…
Daitan steadily looked back at her. She was looking at him with regret. "I'm sorry. I'm still trying to get used to… well, the reality we're in right now. And we've acted like this around each other for a long time. But I just had a talk with Kizuna, and it made me realize that I've been acting like a bitch around you and Hoshi for a long time. It's about time I tried to fix that."
"Well, it's not like the bitchiness is unwarranted." The sandy brown-haired young man shrugged. "Since, you know, I was the one who forced you off of Ken-sensei after he died. I even carried you away too. You probably hated me a lot for that."
"I did," Akane said. "But I wouldn't be here now if you hadn't done that. Those monsters would have killed me too…"
…
…
The two fell into silence for a while. With neither of them saying anything to the other.
…
Daitan eventually let out a sigh. "Alright, to tell the truth, I… I didn't always act like… well, this." The Blunt Hero gestured to himself. "If you'd believe it, before I gained this attitude, I was even shorter than I am now. The shortest kid in my class, actually. And the acne problem was worse. Like, a lot worse."
"That isn't too hard to picture…" Akane's comment brought a glare from her fellow Hero.
She nodded her head in apology and gestured for him to continue.
"Because I was so short, I was bullied a lot as a kid. Every dwarf joke known to man was my everyday life at school. The girls would look at me and giggle at my appearance. I was a walking disaster as a kid.
"It wasn't all bad though. There were other kids there in the same boat as me. Some of them were short. A few were just physically incapable of retaliating. One girl in our group, Hanako, had a birthmark covering the right side of her face. She was really shy and hard to talk to, but she was one of the sweetest girls ever once you got to know her. And… she was pretty too. A really nice girl who cared for all of her friends.
"I hung out with them a lot. We'd play games on those old handheld devices between classes. We'd band together when the bullies became especially bad towards one of us. I know I took more than a couple of beatings for some of them so they didn't have to. You'd think the adults would have cared about what was going on. But eh, that's the Japanese education system for you."
Akane chuckled at that.
"We learned to watch each other's backs. A bunch of guys and girls, geeks and nerds, outcasts and otaku, united together to face the world."
Daitan smiled nostalgically, picturing moments with his old friends with fondness.
"Did something happen to them?" Akane broke the Blunt Hero out of his reverie.
"No, something happened to me." Daitan sighed as the illusion he'd created in his mind was shattered. "Before Middle School, I had a growth spurt. Coupled with me working out all summer that year. I easily swept the kids who used to bully me before when we entered our first year of Middle School.
"It was cathartic. Those bullies had gathered on the first day of school to beat me and my friends up like usual in the courtyard. But instead of that, I beat the crap out of every single one of them.
"It was quite the battle. I had several bruises all over my body before somebody finally brought the teachers to stop the fight. But man, you should have seen what I did to them. I broke more than a few arms and legs. I even broke some of the main bully's ribs, putting him in the hospital. Even against all those odds, I'd refused to back down.
"They didn't mess with me after that. And they stopped bothering my friends when I promised retaliation if they so much as looked at them."
…
"Things should have gone well after that. We were finally free of a lot of the harassment we'd dealt with in Elementary School…"
Daitan's fists clenched. "But instead, I got drunk off the power of bullying those who used to bully me. I began to treat them the same way they'd treated me… eventually, I ended up bullying my former friends too.
"Not to the same extent that I'd had to deal with… but I became a really &^%$^& person to them," Daitan said sadly.
…
Akane stared at him as his face saddened more.
"I eventually reaped the karma of my actions. When I reached High School, I met a very big kid in my karate class who absolutely wiped the floor with me. And then, he and his group made me the butt of all their jokes. Usually they chose to spar with me just so they could kick my &^% in front of our instructor.
"I couldn't take that humiliation lying down. So I kept working out. I trained harder and harder so I could grow strong enough to pin them to the floor like I had those losers from before. Yet… nothing I did bridged the gap between us. That guy kept on making a mockery of me no matter what I did. And to make things worse, I didn't receive another growth spurt. I peaked. I was stuck at my current height."
"It was as if nothing had changed. No matter how much I worked out or trained, no matter what I ate or drank, nothing helped."
…
…
A heavy silence followed as Daitan bit his lip nervously. Somehow, Akane, and Itsuki, felt that hadn't been the worst part of the story.
"I… in Middle School, one of the popular girls paid attention to me. I started to develop a crush on her… then, when we started High School, we started dating. Even though I was going through a lot of &^%$ from that guy, she was there for me. Encouraging me on…
"During our senior year… we had our first time… and then I discovered she'd been cheating on me for all that time with that guy. Egging me on just for the fun of it."
…
Akane didn't say anything. She merely rested a hand over his as the Hero trembled.
"I lost it at that point because I thought all the workouts I'd been doing had at least been enough to keep her around. To give some boost to my otherwise shattered ego. And then when we had our first time, I thought that meant she loved me.
"But right after, she called me a scrawny kid who wasn't even that good in bed. She then walked into a hotel with that dude and… sent me one final video of themselves doing it."
…
…
His fists clenched so hard his knuckles whitened. "I had no one left. I'd left my former friends back in Middle School, and I never went back to them throughout High School because I didn't think they'd want me back.
"I continued playing my favorite game on my handheld device whenever I was alone. But it didn't feel the same without them around…"
"I didn't realize just what I'd lost until that moment. And before I could even think about trying to figure out what to do, some truck hit me, and I ended up isekaied into this world alongside you and Hoshi."
"And there you have it. That's my pathetic sob story. So yes, I did have experience bearing that toxic manly attitude back in my world. And yes, I did have a girlfriend, and I did have sex with her. Though, I really wish I hadn't anymore. Since it turned out that she was just a bitch who wanted to put me through an NTR fantasy."
...
...
Daitan chuckled deprecatingly to himself. "There was another girl I had a crush on, actually. Hanako. That summer when I worked out and had my growth spurt, I put in all that effort and cut out all the junk food I'd loved because I wanted to be able to protect her… so I could see her smile more often without others trying to ruin it…"
"Heh. Some friend I turned out to be in the end. I wonder if she's spitting on my grave right now.
"I honestly wouldn't blame her… I'd do the same if I saw myself…"
…
It… wasn't entirely similar. But Itsuki still felt sad.
He knew what it was like to be bullied. To suddenly become special and think he was above his peers… only to realize there was always a bigger fish out there. And to then hate himself for his shortcomings.
That'd happened too. After… after she…
As Daitan trembled, Akane did something that surprised him.
She stepped forward and embraced the Blunt Hero in a hug.
"If your friends were as good as you said they were, I doubt they'd do something so crude.
"If anything, I'd bet that they miss you. And that Hanako misses you too."
"What… makes you say that?" Daitan asked in a choked voice.
"You might have been even more of a manlet at one point." The Jewel Heroine continued. "But you were also their friend. And… even though you turned on them, they sound like the kind of people who would have welcomed you back with open arms.
"After all, if you remember them so clearly even years later, it must be the same for them. You must have meant a lot to each other at some point."
…
Daitan sniffled and hugged her back. He didn't openly sob, but tears still fell from his eyes.
If he had any regrets, it was that he'd never apologized to them. That he hadn't been a better person towards them.
...
A moment later, the two separated, and Daitan looked to be smiling again.
"I-Is this your way of confessing to me?"
"In your dreams." Akane dryly responded.
The Blunt Hero laughed, and a crack of a smile appeared on her lips. "Alright. Fair enough. Can't blame me for trying."
"Do you want to get back to training?" She asked.
"No… no, I've had enough of getting beat up physically and emotionally by girls for today."
…
"Thanks for listening, Akane. This really means a lot to me." Daitan said sincerely.
"Well… I learned today that, sometimes, we have stuff we need to get off our chests. And… it's better to get it off than keep it on." Akane straightened her posture and turned her head.
"Isn't that right, Itsuki?"
…
Daitan looked around in surprise while Itsuki froze.
Crap. Had he somehow exposed himself? He could have sworn his hiding skill was hiding him…
However, Akane had looked directly at him. And when he checked his HUD, he found that his skill had worn off. He was in plain sight.
"Um… …" Itsuki couldn't think of something to say.
"Wha- are you here to spy on us or something?!" Daitan asked angrily when he finally spotted the Bow Hero. "Wasn't what you did to us before bad enough?!"
While he immediately wanted to defend himself, Itsuki slouched instead. "... yeah, it was,"
The admittance made Daitan stop talking in surprise.
"I've felt terrible about it ever since. I would like to apologize. I wish I could blame it on my Cursed Series influencing my actions. But the bottom line is that I took my frustrations out on you guys."
Itsuki looked Daitan in the eye. "There was a point when I knew I wasn't in a game anymore. Yet I denied it anyway because acknowledging that what was happening was real would have been too painful for me to bear. I… should have known better than anyone else what the three of you were doing. I'm really sorry for being so shortsighted."
…
The three Heroes stood in silence. Itsuki bowed his head. "I really am sorry for what I put you two and Hoshi through. And knowing you experienced much of the same life I did growing up, I'm especially sorry for almost killing you, Daitan."
"I don't expect forgiveness. I just want to take down Kyo so I can return to my friends in my world. So…" Itsuki didn't know what he'd do then. He could only hope for a brief respite before they had to face the Phoenixes or whatever came next. Maybe then he'd have a chance to build something healthy between himself and Rishia?
Did someone like him deserve to have a healthy relationship though?
Could he ever have one after all that he'd been through?
…
…
Daitan opened his mouth, and Itsuki expected nothing but a rebuttal.
"Were you isekaied by Truck-kun too?"
…
The question was so out of left field Itsuki didn't know how to respond at first. "Huh?"
"You said we had pretty similar circumstances growing up. I'm just wondering if that was similar too?" Daitan honestly asked.
"Wha- yes, I was. But why is that relevant?" Itsuki asked.
"Was it out in the street?" Daitan asked.
"Obviously," Itsuki answered a bit out of frustration. "Where else would a truck barrel into you?"
…
…
A smirk slowly grew on the Blunt Hero's lips. "I win."
Itsuki raised his eyebrow in confusion. "You see, unlike your generic %$#!, I wasn't outside when my ticket from Truck-Kun arrived. I was inside a gym, doing my usual routine when a large semi suddenly burst through the wall and drove all the way across the room to run me over!
"In fact, there was also the front lobby it had to go through too. There was clearly a lot of effort for it to get through everything and isekai me to this world."
"Wh… WHAT?!" Itsuki nearly screeched. "HOW DOES THAT MAKE YOU WIN!?"
"My experience with Truck-Kun was far more memorable than yours!" Daitan threw his head back and laughed at the Bow Hero.
…
Honestly, it actually was. Who else could claim a truck plowed through a whole building just to isekai them into another world?
None came to the Bow Hero's mind at least.
"Are you that desperate to one-up me that you'd compare our own deaths?" Itsuki asked blandly.
"YES!" Daitan grinned like a madman. "FACE IT, I FINALLY BEAT YOU AT SOMETHING!"
"Fine… whatever, you win at something." Itsuki turned away with a grumble.
"WOOHOOOOOOO!" Daitan pumped his fist into the air victoriously.
…
"... does this mean-" Itsuki began to ask hopefully.
"No, you're not forgiven," Akane stated evenly. "It will be a long time before that happens… if it happens."
"Yeah. I'm not just going to be buddies with the guy who tried to kill me last week." Daitan said after that. "No offense."
"However," Akane continued. "We would have to be even more stupid than we've already been to not help out with Kyo. So even if we don't like you right now, we will work as allies to protect this world."
The Jewel Heroine scowled. "Just don't expect more than that."
"... I can live with it." Itsuki almost smiled sadly. It reminded him of the past, having to fight alongside the villagers even though they hadn't liked him.
Some of the weight disappeared, but not all.
If only that weight could disappear entirely…
"So, um, if you really want to help us out… could you tell us how you actually became so strong?" Daitan asked nervously. "I hypothesized earlier that it was because you gathered hundreds of different weapon forms. But that seems like it'd take way too long to accomplish in a normal time span."
…
Itsuki almost wanted to facepalm. "By learning the methods of the other Heroes and using them myself," Itsuki answered for what felt like the thousandth time.
"But how?" Akane asked. "How does that work?"
"It's straightforward, I don't understand why… did you try sharing them with each other in the past?" Itsuki asked after a pause where he thought about what Akane had said.
"Yeah. We asked each other how we could grow stronger more quickly while we were under Kenshiro. But what we said didn't match up with our weapons at all, so we didn't believe each other." Daitan rolled his eyes.
...
...
...
Holy… Itsuki felt like wringing the Blunt Hero's neck all over again. He was truly the spitting image of his former self. And he didn't like it at all.
He would have sworn he'd be more like Motoyasu with his Casanova Wannabe schtick, but that was turning out to not be the case.
Was it any wonder the Blunt Weapons Hero was bad with girls?
Itsuki opened his mouth to reprimand him for his stupidity. To say that it was because they hadn't believed each other that they hadn't been able to share their methods. It was the same thing he'd had to struggle through when Naofumi told him and Ren what'd happened after they shared their methods with him so he had to get that into their skulls as soon as possible.
Only… a chill ran down the Bow Hero's spine.
He looked towards the arena's entrance. A look of surprise on his face.
"What is it?" Akane asked.
"I… I hear the sounds of fighting…" Itsuki activated his eagle eye skill. Observing the area around them from above.
He almost found the source of it immediately. His face whitened.
Smoke was rising near the Dragon Hourglass building and the castle.
"&^%$." He shouldn't have left his post! &^%$!
He switched to the Demon Elephant Bow and rushed for the entrance. Akane asked what was going on, but Itsuki didn't listen. L'Arc and his soldiers needed backup as soon as possible.
However, before he could go more than a few feet, a trio of girls jumped down in front of the entrance. Smirks were on their faces. Two held swords in their hands, while the third one wielded a spear.
"Heh. One of Lord -" A breeze blew through the arena. "- murderers are here. Finally, the time for our revenge is at hand." The lead girl said maliciously.
Itsuki reeled in shock. It wasn't just their sudden appearance or the weapons in their hands.
The left halves of their bodies were covered in white fur. As if they were mid-transformation into a White Tiger Clone.
Or, to be more specific, Dou-Lon's hakuko therianthrope form.
Itsuki didn't get much time to get more than that, as the lead girl swung forward with her blade, her compatriots following right behind her.
"Dieeeeeeeeeeee!"
Naofumi and the others were in the living room of Kizuna's house. The Shield Hero had just finished making dinner for everyone, and they were sitting down to eat.
"Filo can't wait to see what Mommy thinks of Filo's latest dish!" The little girl said excitedly.
Raphtalia smiled tightly. "And Mommy can't wait to try it, sweetie."
Talk around the table was tight. Even though they'd sat down for dinner, everyone looked ready to stand at a moment's notice. And the reason was obvious. After telling them what L'Arc had told him earlier...
"Do you really think it'll be today when the attack happens?" Dou-Lon asked the Shield Hero.
"The anticipation is killing me," Glass muttered.
"I wish they'd just get here already. I'm tired of all this waiting." Rishia sighed to herself.
"Pen!" "Rafu!"
Everyone sitting around the table was dressed for battle. Even the two shikigamis looked ready for a fight.
"Maybe we should skip the dinner then? It probably wouldn't be good to fight after we're done eating." Hoshi said nervously. He was the only one who didn't look ready to fight.
"Nonsense. You don't want to go into battle on an empty stomach." Kizuna replied teasingly.
"But wouldn't a full stomach just slow you down?" Hoshi asked in response.
Naofumi opened his mouth to say something along the lines of 'I didn't spend all that time cooking this to have it go to waste.'
CRASH!
The front doors suddenly came bursting off their hinges.
"Air Strike Shield!" It was only thanks to Naofumi's quick reflexes that the skill shield appeared in time. Protecting his wife friend, daughter, and everyone else at the table from the large airborne projectiles.
"Eep!" Dou-Lon still jumped back as the doors crashed into the skill shield just a foot in front of his face. Almost plowing over Rishia behind him.
"What the- who just bursts down the front door of people's houses?!" Kizuna stood up in her chair indignantly. Glass and Raphtalia also rose with her angrily.
…
A lone figure walked inside. A sword gripped tightly in her hand and pointed towards them.
She had a murderous look on her surprisingly beautiful face. It took her a second, but Kizuna recognized her. "Wait… Yomogi? Is that you?"
Naofumi switched to the Spirit Tortoise Heart Shield. "You know her?" He asked.
"She's Kyo's retainer," Glass answered stiffly.
…
Naofumi's face tightened. At the same time, a communication ofuda went off on Kizuna's side. Possibly L'Arc telling her the attack was happening.
The day had finally arrived.
"So, it is true. You really did ally yourselves with these Otherworlders, Kizuna." The girl spoke, each word lathered with hate and venom.
"Yomogi, wait. Kyo did terrible things in their-" Glass began to respond.
"Save it. I don't care." Yomogi raised her blade towards the group. The murderous look on her face showed that she wasn't here to talk. "They crippled and nearly killed Kyo. You dare to ally yourselves with them and betray our world? I will kill them, and then I'll stop you too before you start a war and destroy our world."
…
Yeah, Naofumi didn't see a way to negotiate out of this fight. The fact that this girl was allied with Kyo and spouting nonsense sealed the deal.
"It's about time you got here then. We were beginning to get a bit impatient." Naofumi smirked.
He and the others with him took battle stances. Rishia readied her blade in one hand and an ofuda in the other. Energy surrounded her as she activated her Hengen Musou form. Something Naofumi could notice thanks to his recent training. She'd been doing that for a while, apparently.
Yomogi's face bristled at the Shield Hero's comment.
"Don't you dare treat this as some trivial matter! I will inflict divine punishment on you for what you did!"
"Then go ahead and try," Naofumi replied. "I've already lived through the divine punishment of others. Let's see how strong your 'divine punishment' really is."
"RAHHHHHHHHHH!"
Their enemy charged them like a raging boar.
Hero Clips!
Weapon Picks
"What the- I don't remember this being mentioned anywhere in the chapter? Did you see it mentioned anywhere, Naofumi?" Itsuki asked confusedly.
"Not really. Though I guess it's a stretch on Kizuna's conversation with Akane about the Jewel picking her for a reason." Naofumi replied.
"Hey, were you listening in on that?! That was supposed to be private!" Kizuna asked angrily.
"We're in the plains of omake. Nothing is private here." Naofumi scowled.
He still vividly recalled the omake where his sex life was made fun of with Clanging and Honking noises.
"Yo, Allen, what is this?!" Itsuki yelled at the sky.
Lightning struck the ground nearby, and the author dusted his kimono off after the awesome appearance. Well, what he considered to be an awesome appearance. "Man, I really need to try wearing a kimono in real life. They look so damn comfortable to wear. I swear I'm not a weeb for saying that."
The others gave him deadpan looks for the comment.
"Cringe." A shady figure muttered in the background.
"Anyway, to answer your question, I just thought I'd do this here since it'd be almost impossible to fit this into the main story." Allen snapped his fingers, and the three Otherworld Heroes appeared in front of everyone.
"EEK!" Daitan covered his lower body with a towel, as he'd been in the Hot Spring at the time of the omake. Hoshi blinked, wondering where the paper he'd been drawing on had disappeared too. And Akane had a fishing pole in her hand for some reason.
"I-I wasn't trying to find a weapon form that'd increase my fishing skill!" She quickly yelled.
"Cheater." Kizuna pouted.
Akane looked ready to scream some more. Allen spoke, however, cutting off any potential arguments or conversations.
"Alright, class. You see, at the time of summoning, each weapon has a list of potential candidates they choose from. There is a list of things individual weapons look for, ranging from personality traits, interests, hobbies, level of vagueness in their world, etc." The author listed off. "However, all of these aside, one of the most important things a weapon searches for in a wielder is their potential to become Heroes down the road.
"I have to stress that the weapons aren't capable of manipulating the reality of a world enough to take someone who's well known or who is already a Hero to the people. Their ability to influence reality on worlds outside of their own is extremely limited.
"Contrary to popular belief, they're not Gods. No matter how much Siltvelt might want to argue that."
"BLASPHEMY!" Werner's voice yelled from across dimensions.
"Anyway, this brings me to my main point. The list of potential candidates at the time of summoning.
"Given that we're dealing with an infinite multiverse full of otakus and nerds and the like with countless worlds and weapons picking them as their wielders and a list of other factors I won't bother to repeat, these lists constantly change. Thus, at the time of a Hero summoning, the position on the list doesn't matter to me as much as the fact that they were on the list, to begin with.
"Just the fact they were on it, goes to show they held the potential to become a great Hero at the time of their summoning." The Author stated clearly.
"If… if that's the case, then what is the point of the list?" Itsuki asked.
"The list is basically to show which candidate is more desirable due to… flaws in their personality, so to say," Allen said with a shrug. "Like, for example, your pride complex ranked you as a third pick for the Bow. Ren's social anxiety and all that also put him as a third pick for the Sword. Motoyasu, well, I obviously don't have to point out how his blind loyalty put him as a Third pick as well.
"Naofumi was a First pick for the shield. But even with that, he still had flaws like his naivety. Or, after it was exposed by Bitch, a severe anger problem when pushed too far." Allen smirked. "First picks, as you can see, are still far from being perfect."
"What can I say? That redhead just has a way of pissing me off." Naofumi deadpanned.
"Face it Naofumi. She has a talent for pissing everyone off." Allen laughed.
"Almost everyone." Naofumi scowled.
"We don't talk about them," Allen whispered back conspiratorially.
"Was there a point to mentioning where we fell on those lists?" Itsuki asked through gritted teeth.
"Yes. Before that, I just want to point out something else. Like how despite being a third pick for the Bow, you were the First Pick for the Musical Instruments Weapon in this world." Allen responded.
Itsuki blinked. "Really?!"
"Uh, duh? Have you forgotten how you're a God with every musical instrument you can get your hands on? I'm surprised you haven't tried learning Performance Magic yet. You'd be so OP in this world if you did." Allen replied.
He'd... been busy with other stuff...
"Now, Motoyasu was also considered the Second Pick for the Shield. Kizuna, I think, was either the First or Second Pick for her weapon. Naofumi was also a First Pick for the Mirror due to his cooking skills. I don't really know too much more outside that, but basically, that goes to further reinforce how it doesn't matter where you're at on the list, as it just matters that you were on the list, to begin with. That even if the Bow hadn't picked you, it is extremely likely that another weapon would."
"Doesn't that just mean we're doomed to be isekaied no matter what?" Naofumi asked.
"YEP!" Allen grinned. "Had your weapons not chosen you two, you'd definitely have been summoned by the weapons in Glass's world!"
The two Heroes groaned. "Anyway, for the main reason why I did this omake."
Allen pulled the three Otherworld Heroes he'd created together. A big smile on his face while they were creeped out by the close proximity. "Hoshi here is the Second Pick for the Ofuda. Sorry about that, my guy. You were only summoned because the weapon's First Pick is currently in a place called Q'Ten Lo. And due to the barrier surrounding that country that not even the antagonists behind the Waves can breach, the Ofuda couldn't choose her as a wielder."
"W-Wait, how would you know something like-" Hoshi began to ask incredulously.
"Light novel knowledge, my friend! It really is a gift or a curse depending on how you look at it!" Allen smirked. "Anyway, Akane, I really wish I could put you higher. But I think you'd be considered the Jewel's Third Pick. Or maybe even the fourth pick! No offense."
"None taken." The redhead said through gritted teeth.
"What about me?" Daitan asked.
"Oh. Easily First Pick." Allen smiled.
"Really!?" Daitan said excitedly.
"He's obviously being sarcastic." Akane rolled her eyes.
"Actually, I'm not," Allen said seriously.
…
…
Everyone looked from Allen to Daitan. Then back to Allen. "Do you think a weapon would send a semi through a building without harming anyone else just to get a third or fourth pick?" Allen asked.
"What the &^%$?" Itsuki said out loud.
"FUEEEEH!?" Rishia whimpered loudly in surprise.
"While it might not be canonical since there's literally no knowledge on the canon Heroes of Glass's world outside of Kizuna, I made Daitan as an example to show that even a First Pick for a weapon can fail to become a Hero due to a variety of factors."
"Actually, to take that lesson even further here's a fun fact. Despite Motoyasu's flaws and him being the third pick for the Spear. All it would have taken was Malty not being in his party and he would have been the protagonist of the story since he would have been a lot nicer to Naofumi.
"So it honestly wouldn't have taken much for Moto to be the Hero instead of Naofumi. Unlike with Dai here. Funny how the pronunciation for the first part of his name is 'die'."
"Hey!" Daitan yelled indignantly. But after a second, his eyes widened in realization, and he looked at Itsuki victoriously. "I HAVE YOU BEATEN IN SOMETHING ELSE NOW ITSUJERK! MY WEAPON RANKED ME HIGHER THAN YOURS DID FOR YOU!"
"W-WAIT A SECOND! AL SAID I WAS FIRST PICK FOR ANOTHER WEAPON!" Itsuki yelled back.
"THAT ONE'S A VASSAL! YOU'RE STILL NOTHING MORE THAN A THIRD PICK FOR A CARDINAL WEAPON, UNLIKE ME!" Daitan laughed victoriously.
Itsuki tackled the Blunt Hero to the ground and the two became entangled in a brawl.
It was very humorous seeing them trying to beat the other up without the towel coming loose from Daitan's scrawny waist.
"Was there really a point to this omake?" Naofumi asked in a deadpan.
"Just building off what you said before to Hoshi. And what L'Arc said to Raphtalia back in Arc 8." Allen smiled.
"Not every person is summoned special or perfect. Some are just summoned with more visible flaws than others. And some are summoned with flaws that are harder to overcome. Yet every person chosen by a weapon holds the potential to become a great Hero down the line. All they have to do is grow into that potential. Just like you. Just like Keichi. Just like Kizuna and L'Arc and Kenshiro and Glass and every other Hero who was chosen by their weapon.
"I sincerely believe that with all my heart."
…
Naofumi gave the Author a rare smile in response. "Thanks for having faith in us."
"Somebody has to." Allen rolled his eyes. "It might just be about time for me to write part two of my misadventures of the Bow Hero to further piss on how self-inserts replacing Heroes will do more harm than good in a fantasy world."
Would the readers like that?
"Definitely not." The shady figure muttered again.
Well, either way, watching the Hero brawl was pretty entertaining.
Allen thought it would be the perfect segway to the action occurring next chapter.
Till Next Time
Allen
Notes:
This chapter and last chapter had a large focus on introducing the backgrounds of the other Heroes. They're about as human as Naofumi and the other Heroes are in the Light Novels. Similar in some ways, different in others. Sorry, I can't gradually put it in like the others, but my time in the Otherworld is very limited and we're jumping into the thick of it. So I can't exactly put some of this in later.
Yes, that was how Daitan was isekaied. I thought it'd be good to have at least one Hero get the Truck-kun experience, although I was inspired thanks to a Youtube video that makes fun of the trope. Also reminds me of that manga with the truck driver whose job is to use his truck to isekai kids to other worlds. Man, I want to read that again.
Chapter 9: Attack on Sickle
Chapter Text
- ENTRY #8 -
Finally, I get to the point I'm at now. This took a while to get to, and I had to pause on and off because of the things going on in the world right now. But I can finish ████████████ up till now at the very least.
By the time I was 18, I was pretty much independent. My parents had helped me all they could but when they realized they'd just be getting in my way, they went to living a quiet life back in our home while I took the reins of our family's affairs. I decided to ████████████.
Unlike before, I had a hefty amount of ████████████ thanks to some ████████████. With these ████████████, I managed to ████████████ and refurbished it. I'd always wanted a ████████████. And I finally got what I wanted.
At ████████████ insistence, we traveled the world together. Peddling my ████████████ by demonstrating their effects and helping various groups of people. I was still reluctant to do so, but I suppose there are merits to a smart ████████████ even if it cuts into your profits initially. The people were happy to receive free help and became much much more interested in what I was selling afterward. It also got ████████████ off my back while making more money for me.
I got to deal with plagues. Natural disasters. Famines. Monster attacks. Etc. I worked with plenty of different folks. The Gem People were especially fun to work with.
They've been this world's most notorious pursuers of progress for centuries and made for some very good business partners. By working together with them, I managed to help improve crop payoffs at farms and advance medicines in certain areas with the right amount of machinery and gems.
In short, I was beginning to make a name for myself in this world.
Around the time I was 20, however, my employers started to become impatient. After all, I still had my contractual obligations to fulfill and I no longer had the excuse of being ████████████. I'd raised my level somewhat by facing monsters with ████████████. But if I truly wanted to stand a chance, I'd have to steal a Hero weapon.
That is another ability that was granted to me and other reincarnators. Once our level is high enough, we can steal a Hero weapon and force it to obey us with our power. Or at least, ████████████.
Thanks to my connections, it was easy for me to get into ████████████ Capital and enter the building where the ████████████ sat on a lone pedestal. It was in the middle of a library with some of the shelves dedicated to stories about the past ████████████ Heroes.
It didn't look like much. But I was going to get elevated in status even further if I 'made' it choose me. I could even take some of those other books and destroy them. Since that was also something that my employers wanted me to do.
It was supposed to be a simple matter, but…
The ████████████ disappeared from the pedestal in a flash of light, only to reappear directly in my hand. It chose me to be its wielder willingly.
I was speechless. Was it defective or something?! I didn't have to steal it or force it to obey my will or anything! It was ludicrous!
Though, then again, I have noticed that my attack stat has gotten a lot lower since getting it. So maybe it just did this so it could inflict me with its stat build or something?
Whatever. I normally let ████████████ or anyone else around me deal with monsters anyways. The ████████████ is mainly useful as a support weapon. And more importantly, becoming its wielder elevated me into a very important position in ████████████. That was my main reason for wanting to steal it anyway.
The people in this world look at Heroes as political icons or tools depending on who they are and how they can be used. The ████████████ and my connections in ████████████ shot me to the top of the pecking order more quickly than any ████████████ ever could have.
I consider it one of my greatest accomplishments. It was too easy. Even ████████████ looked at me with sincere happiness and…
That's right, there is one thing that I forgot to mention. She had confessed her love to me shortly before I became the ████████████ Hero.
It was an uncomfortable conversation. I was aware of such concepts from my studies but I have never experienced the sensation myself. It was alien and confusing to me. But ultimately it was just another chemical reaction in humanity's collective lizard brain that made everyone feel good about themselves. So its absence had never bothered me.
Until now that is.
I contemplated marrying her to fulfill my social obligations, but the notion of a sexual relationship with ████████████ filled me with dread and disgust. I had no interest in her in that regard. She was physically attractive and her personality was a pleasant one, but watching her slowly grow up from a malnourished child into a beautiful young woman over the years killed all potential sexual thoughts I had regarding her.
So I rejected her as gently as I could, using that argument.
She'd looked destroyed back then when I rejected her, but it was better to make our relationship clear right now instead of stringing her along. ████████████ is a beautiful and smart girl. A bit annoying at times, but an overall good person. I am certain that she will find a suitable partner in time.
And if not, I suppose I could dedicate some of my time to play matchmaker for her eventually. She deserves that much for her exceptional work and dedication to me over the years.
Well, regardless, she got over it fairly quickly. And she even stuck around for some reason despite my rejection. I have long since terminated her slave ofuda, since it was pointless and detrimental to the kind of work I needed her to perform. She could have left at any time without any hard feelings, but she didn't.
I still wonder, why? Did she have some false hope that I'd change my mind? Such foolishness. I can't understand her at times.
Well, I am now caught up on my life in this world. I honestly can't say if the words of my anger management counselor have helped me out or not. I have no idea if I'll write in this stupid thing ever again. I still feel resentment toward my former life, and every day is another step forward to me ████████████.
But given that I can store this Journal inside the Vassal ████████████, no one else, not even my employers, can access it while it is in here.
So maybe I'll continue to write my private thoughts in it? I don't know. That's what smart people do, right? It has become easy to notice when 'they' are observing me and when they're not. This is one way for me to keep something over them.
It does appear that more trouble is starting to be stirred up in this world thanks to the Demon Dragon. So maybe some more interesting things will happen from here? I can guess my employers will want me to start taking out Heroes soon though. Maybe they'll have me take out the Hero that Sickle plans on summoning?
If not, well, I can at least detail how I took over the world through either economic or military force.
Naofumi moved in front, blocking Yomogi's first attack with his shield.
Clang!
As expected, he took no damage from the attack whatsoever.
However, he was pushed back by the force of the first strike. This girl was surprisingly strong. It felt like he'd just blocked a blow from the Spirit Tortoise there. How the hell was that possible?!
Their opponent was dressed in a light purple hakama. Her sky-green hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She was taller than Raphtalia, but not as tall as Naofumi. She wielded only a sword, but it didn't make her look any less menacing.
Yomogi's blue eyes had a look of murder in them. She was pissed off, and as she charged him, she screamed at him once again.
"Get out of my way!"
Naofumi blocked her thrust, but this time he set his feet firmly below him. He felt like he was pushing back against an immense weight and the floor beneath him cracked.
"Yomogi-!" Kizuna tried to yell for the girl to stop, but Glass and Raphtalia moved in to attack.
"Hah!" Yomogi quickly pulled away from Naofumi, deflecting Glass and Raphtalia's fans and katana strikes with a wide sweeping motion that made the two heroines stagger and fall back.
"RAAAAHH!"
Dou-Lon lunged at the girl's exposed back with his katana held overhead with both hands. But the home invader turned around deceptively fast, using the momentum of her spin to clash against the overhead swing with her own weapon.
The hakuko's blade shattered with a deafening crash and the resulting explosion of force sent the white tiger flying through a wall into the next room over, kicking up a cloud of dust in the process. The handle of his weapon landed on the floor with a metallic twang next to the hole.
"Dou-Lon!" Naofumi yelled in worry.
The white tiger man didn't reappear from the room he'd been launched into. The Shield Hero's status magic at least informed him that he was still alive. Naofumi didn't have time to ponder Dou-Lon's fate though, as Yomogi cracked her neck back and forth audibly before charging forward again, only for Kizuna's penguin familiar to tackle her from under the cover of invisibility conjured by Raph-Chan.
The two were sent rolling back on the floor wrestling with each other as Chris rapidly crawled all over Yomogi's body like some deranged squirrel, preventing the girl from tearing him off.
"What's with that monstrous strength!? Is she a Hero too!?" Raphtalia asked urgently as she gripped the hilt of her weapon with both hands, afraid of going in and hitting the penguin by accident.
"No, that shouldn't be the case," Glass answered back. "Yomogi's a very competent swordswoman but she never held this level of power before."
Kizuna stared in horror, unable to do anything but watch due to her weapon's limitation. Yomogi finally grabbed hold of the annoying penguin familiar's head and slammed it onto the floor with another deafening crash! Sending it tumbling down into the basement level below.
The rabid girl's head then swerved sharply at the tanuki familiar as Raph-Chan tried to trap her in an illusion with no apparent success.
"Rafu!" The shikigami cried out as the boar-like girl charged at her with a powerful sideways swing.
Clang!
Naofumi blocked her attack with his shield again. He had a visible scowl on his face as his body glowed from Filo's Support Performance Magic. "Oh no you don't!"
"Hah!" It was Rishia's turn to strike, and Yomogi was forced to backpedal this time as the forest-green-eyed girl began her assault.
The two green-haired girls became entangled in a battle with each other for a few short seconds. Their blades moved back and forth against each other at lightning speeds. No normal person could have followed their strikes.
Blasts of fire and wind and other elements interspersed the exchange as Rishia threw one ofuda after another with her free hand. Landing glancing blows through Yomogi's attacks.
The boarish girl swung down, destroying another part of the tiled floor in front of her. The walls of the house shook and groaned from the impact.
Yet Rishia not only avoided the strike but also the shockwave of power that spread out from the attack. Then, Rishia's blade, covered with energy for a defense-piercing attack, hit Yomogi's shoulder before she was able to raise her blade up.
Yomogi howled in pain as she took a step back. But then, as Rishia landed on her feet, the girl dashed forward to slash Rishia while she tried to catch her footing on the uneven ground.
"Second Shield! Dritte Shield! Shield Prison!" The green skill shields appeared in front and behind Yomogi, with the final sphere encasing her, trapping her in place.
"T-Thanks Naofumi. I didn't expect her to recover so quickly." Rishia said while shaking from exertion.
Naofumi frowned as the others gathered around the skill shields. Readying to take down the threat inside.
"Pen!" Chris leaped out of the hole on the floor and slapped his flippers together.
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan's fur stood on end. She was trying to look menacing, but she was still adorable in Naofumi's eyes.
"I need to capture that for my manga." And Hoshi's too. The Ofuda Hero had nearly forgotten that everyone else was in the middle of a battle.
Raphtalia sighed internally. This was going to be a recurring problem in the future. She could already tell.
"Cowards! Fight me head-on!" Yomogi yelled as she slammed her blade into the shield wall again and again.
"This is how I fight." Naofumi drawled back. He prepared to activate a skill to line the inside of the metal ball with paralysis-inflicting needles to make the others' jobs even easier.
Yomogi's blade hit the skill again, and the shield's outer shell cracked.
Naofumi paused. The others around shuffled nervously.
How the hell was she this strong? He was in his 70's level-wise. He had his strongest shield equipped, which he'd made even stronger via Motoyasu's methods. Filo had used her magic to buff his defense further. On top of all that, he was a freaking Cardinal Hero.
How was this possible?
Normal people were supposed to get capped at Level 100, right? How could she damage his shield skills then? How could she keep up with Raphtalia, Glass, and Rishia in battle at the same time?
Had Kyo somehow helped her to break her level cap? Had he used his weapon to make her far stronger than a normal person? But even then, Raphtalia had become even stronger when she became a Vassal Hero. This made no sense.
Another strike. Cracks webbed out from the impact area.
The gemstone of his shield suddenly began to glow. His HUD highlighted the girl in his vision. And then focused on the Sword that she was wielding.
Now that he thought about it, it looked a lot like Ren's weapon in its base form. Except for what looked like an eye on the hilt instead of a gem… …!
There was no way. Ren's weapon…
Energy started to come off of Yomogi's form. Naofumi recognized it from the time he used that one skill to destroy Ost's core. And that's when he made the connection.
Kyo had somehow used the soul energy of the Spirit Tortoise to make a replica of Ren's weapon!
"Change Shield! Bee Needle Par-"
"Thunderbolt Slash!"
An electrically charged skill slammed into the skill shields, shattering them on impact.
Kyo hadn't just made a replica that made the wielder as powerful as a Cardinal Hero. He'd also made it so that the wielder could use the corresponding hero's skills.
It seemed like the three Church's Sanctuary spell wasn't the only thing that the Book Hero learned about during his stay in their world. He had even managed to design a new and improved variant of Balamus'es replica weapon.
Much to Naofumi's irritation.
Yomogi charged forward, free at last with her blade still glowing from the discharged skill as she struck at Raphtalia.
"Air Strike Shield!" Naofumi barely protected his girlfriend in time as the cooldown on that skill finished. Yomogi busted through it almost immediately, but Raphtalia managed to disappear into an illusion before Yomogi could land a strike.
This was insane. She'd become even stronger than she'd been at the start of the fight!
"Reverse Four Seasons!" Glass retaliated with a skill of her own. But Yomogi ran through the haze of slashes without a care for the damage she was taking. Her eyes were filled with rage and not even the Spirit Woman could halt her advance.
"Crimson Blade!" Her flaming sword slammed into Glass's Chest and sent the powerful spirit woman flying through a wall. It and part of the ceiling above it collapsed down onto her.
"Glass!" Kizuna screamed as she turned her head.
"PEN!" Chris, angered at the attack on his mom, slammed into Yomogi's back again.
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan dashed forward to help as well. She slammed into the girl's gut while she was distracted with Chris.
Filo continued singing from above. Twin glows began to surround the two shikigamis as she made them stronger.
"Form One: Pitfall!" Kizuna's skill appeared at Yomogi's feet, tripping her up and allowing the two shikigamis to pile on her at last.
"Glass, are you ok?!" Kizuna then yelled worriedly as she pulled rubble off of the pile.
"AHH!" But her attention was quickly drawn back to the fight as the two familiars weren't able to restrain Yomogi for even a second. They were thrown off, with Kizuna having to catch Chris and Hoshi managing to catch Raph-Chan.
Yomogi raised her sword up to send a skill at Filo, but Naofumi charged forward with his shield, an angry look on his face as he tried to grapple the furious girl before she could try to harm his other daughter.
"Dragon Buster!" She launched the skill meant for Filo at him, and he was forced to block at point-blank range.
BOOM!
All the windows in the building burst and shattered simultaneously from the released shock wave.
The force of the attack sent Naofumi sliding back a few feet. He'd also taken a bit of damage. Light burns covered his arms and some fires were starting to spread around him.
&%$#.
"Raph-Chan! Are you okay?!" The Ofuda Hero asked worriedly.
"Rafu!" The shikigami gave a thumbs up to the Ofuda Hero.
"Pen!" Chris jumped from Kizuna and waves of ice came from his flippers, quickly covering the fires before they could spread.
Kizuna grimaced deeply, looking at the destruction around her. So many good memories had been lost in an instant.
Rishia and Raphtalia began fighting side by side against Yomogi to hold her attention. Rishia threw ofudas as Raphtalia made illusions of the both of them to try and throw their opponent off balance. Filo continued singing up above to support Mommy and Broccoli Girl. Occasionally sending a wind magic spell at Yomogi to try and knock her off balance.
Naofumi moved to charge forward again, but then, Glass extracted herself from the pile of debris she was under. Much to the nearby Hunting Hero's relief.
The damage she'd sustained was healing over, but the fan heroine looked slightly more translucent than before. She was also breathing in and out deeply.
"Zweite Heal." Naofumi quickly chanted and cast the healing spell on Glass, healing the rest of her wounds.
"My… my thanks." Glass said tiredly as she stood back up.
Raphtalia and Rishia were doing their best. But Yomogi was now fighting even more aggressively than before. And despite her violent, single-minded, and brutish approach; it was difficult to exploit her offense without risking severe injury or death in return. Raphtalia and Rishia with all their magic and skills as well as Filo's help were barely keeping her in check.
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan ran up to Naofumi, a worried look in her eyes as she gestured to the hole Dou-Lon made earlier.
He still hadn't come back to the fight.
"Raph-Chan, use this on Dou-Lon and make sure he's ok." Naofumi handed the shikigami a Healing Crystal from his shield.
"Rafu!" The shikigami saluted as she ran to do what Naofumi had ordered.
"Do you have any ideas for how we can take her down, Hero Naofumi?" Glass asked tiredly.
"Disarm her. That weapon of hers is based on something from our world. It has to be the reason why she's so powerful right now. If we can separate her from it, that should make her much easier to deal with." Naofumi answered hastily.
He remembered the same thing had happened with Balamus. When he'd been separated from the Replica, he lost all the strength and power that it gave him.
However, doing that here would be easier said than done.
"First Form: Pitfall!" Kizuna used the skill again, but Yomogi sidestepped before it appeared. It caused Raphtalia to trip up instead, and it was only thanks to Naofumi quickly reacting with Shield Prison that Yomogi didn't manage to hit her.
Unfortunately, she broke through the skill immediately afterward. Filo used another wind spell to try and blow the girl back, but it hardly even damaged her.
Yomogi continued to grow more powerful as if her rage was fueling the weapon in her hands. Naofumi grimaced as he considered their options.
Their current power levels weren't cutting it here. So he decided to pull out his ace and began to chant.
"All Zweite Aura!" Naofumi finished his chant, casting the magic on everyone there.
Raphtalia and Rishia immediately moved faster, dodging the girl warrior's next strike. Raph-Chan finished her own spell and illusions of the two girl warriors jumped forward as they simultaneously jumped to the sides and slashed at her.
Yomogi tried to block all their strikes. But the real Rishia managed to land a small gash on her arm.
"Ahhhh! Thunderbolt Slash!" Yomogi swung at Rishia in retaliation, but Naofumi moved in front of her and blocked the strike with his increased defense.
Clang!
There. Now there wasn't a thing that she could do to him. Not even the electricity of the attack phased him.
"Kuh! So that's the cheat ability of yours?!" Yomogi grimaced.
"Call it whatever you want, you damn psycho! I'm done playing nice!" Naofumi spoke through gritted teeth.
He not only blocked the attack with the Spirit Tortoise Heart Shield but its counter C Magic Snatch activated as well. A magic missile fired out from the shield's gemstone, hitting Yomogi.
While it didn't damage her, it stole some of her magic power and refilled Naofumi's own in the process. Yomogi recoiled, but more from surprise than from any damage she'd taken.
"Meteor Slash!"
"Second Shield!"
The two skills collided, destroying each other, but Naofumi blocked the rest of the attack with his shield. He then jumped to the side as several Raphtalias charged where he'd been standing.
"Life Force Blade: Guard Breaker!" All of them thrust their katanas forward in a move that she'd learned from Rishia.
While Yomogi tried to block them all, it hardly mattered as the energy of the real defense rating attack went right through Yomogi's blade and into her chest. "ACK!" She collapsed to one knee, spitting up blood from the damage she'd taken.
Yet she still deflected Rishia and Glass's follow-up strikes. Both girls were forced to dance away when Yomogi used another skill to strike at them. Naofumi managed to grab their assailant's arm though, sending the skill flying off-course and destroying another part of the house instead.
Clang!
Yomogi's elbow slammed into the Shield Hero's face, and the force of it made Naofumi stumble back again.
"Tortoise Shell Cracker!" Glass's next skill hit Yomogi's injured shoulder. But she marched through the pain and forced the spirit woman onto the defensive before Naofumi summoned another two shield skills in front and behind Yomogi, trapping her in place. Rishia threw a wind ofuda and Filo used more wind magic, trying to blow Yomogi off balance as Glass and Raphtalia rushed forward to disarm her.
But Yomogi, despite being outnumbered and nearly dogpiled, broke through the shield in front of her by slamming her body into it. And Naofumi got in front of her to block another strike yet again.
Even with their stats increased. She wasn't going down easy. At least she hadn't pulled out any defense piercing or defense rating attacks of her own.
"H-How are they supposed to b-b-beat her?" Hoshi stood back with Kizuna.
The two of them were pretty much useless in this battle. Kizuna had tried summoning another pitfall when the cooldown expired, but Yomogi had avoided it yet again.
Kizuna had no way to fight her, and Hoshi's stats were too low for him to participate. Chris was still putting out fires. The living room of Kizuna's house was basically destroyed.
Kizuna felt sad at the destruction in her home. It hurt in more ways than one when the picture of her sitting in the King's lap was destroyed by another skill thrown by Yomogi.
Naofumi blocked another strike and attempted to grapple Yomogi's arms yet again. But she slashed at his hand and forced him to pull back.
Despite the sadness, Kizuna forced herself to focus on their opponent. As she did so, she began to notice something. "I'm really starting to get a bad feeling from that weapon."
The longer she seemed to stare at it, the more malicious it felt.
Naofumi got in Yomogi's way again with another skill shield, giving Glass time to back away and catch her breath. The Spirit Woman had accumulated more injuries from Yomogi during their brief brawl but had managed to land another slash across the top of Yomogi's dominant hand. It was becoming harder for Yomogi to grip the weapon with her blood dribbling into her grip.
"Damn it! You're so annoying!" The home invader screamed in indignation at the Shield Hero. "You're just as bad as Kyo described you! Just lay down and die already, you damn cheating shielder!"
"Funny how you call me a cheat while wielding a weapon powered by the souls of the people from my world!" Naofumi responded sarcastically. "Is hypocrisy something that the Book Bastard taught you, or are you just an idiot in general?!"
"Shut up! I won't fall for your lies, invader!" The aura of malice deepened around Yomogi as she howled. A bizarre, alien-looking red eye suddenly opened on the hilt of her sword and started to look around frantically. The malicious glow around her body seemed to be increasing.
The Shield Hero's eyes narrowed at that. He was feeling a deep sense of deja vu, but not in a good way. Yomogi let out another guttural scream as she began to charge forward once again and Naofumi raised his shield to block a thrust-
"Daddy! Get back!" Filo shouted frantically as she stopped singing and casting magic.
Metallic tendrils suddenly burst out from the handle of Yomogi's sword.
The others in the room paused in surprise.
"Huh-" The sky-green-haired girl's eyes widened in shock. And then the tendrils wrapped around her arms and stabbed themselves into them, drawing blood.
Naofumi dropped a cuss word as he jumped back, just barely avoiding a similar fate.
"Screeeeeee!" A deafening screeching meowl came from the sword. Forcing everyone to cover their ears.
"What's… what's it doing?!" Raphtalia asked with her hands holding her head.
"Filo doesn't like this! It looks like a lot of energy is beginning to surround that weapon!" Filo pointed out.
"Ahhhhhhh!" Yomogi screamed in pain as she tried to drop her weapon. But the vines were tightening around her wrists as the weapon drained the girl's blood. And it seemed like the eye was now glowing crimson on the hilt as it kept looking around at all of them.
"Daddy! We need to separate Dumb Girl from that weapon now! Filo thinks it is about to go boom!" Filo yelled.
Naofumi knew exactly what she meant. He finally recognized both the eye design and the material the weapon seemed to be made out of. It was just like the exploding spike familiars that had ravaged the coalition's army camp during the Spirit Tortoise's second awakening.
Naofumi opened his mouth to order Raphtalia to attack the vines.
"Ha!" However, Rishia was faster to act.
A flame ofuda thrown by her hit the metallic vines near the hilt at the perfect spot. With a loud screech, the weapon let Yomogi go.
"Aha!" Before it hit the ground, a freshly healed Dou-Lon in his therianthrope form rushed out of the hole he'd made in the wall with Raph-Chan on his shoulder. With one hand, he caught the weapon. And before the vines could latch themselves to him, he pivoted on one paw and tossed it out through an open window with all his strength towards the ocean.
It was a spectacular throw. A few seconds later, the still screeching weapon glowed a bright white as it fell into the water.
Boom!
A large explosion shook the walls of Kizuna's home while simultaneously creating a massive pillar of water in the distance. But it was far enough away that it didn't damage the house any further than their fight had already done.
…
…
After a few tense seconds, Naofumi let out a sigh of relief.
At least that was finally over with.
"I'm… I'm sorry I missed out on the entire battle-" Dou-Lon began to say.
"Good job." The Shield Hero walked up to the hakuko and interrupted him. Before he could try and apologize more for being taken out of the fight so early, Naofumi rubbed the top of his head between his ears. "I knew you'd pull through right when you were needed. You're just as reliable as ever, Dou-Lon."
"…" The hakuko's face melted as his paw began to tap the ground while his tail wagged with the headpats.
They still felt as great as ever.
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan rubbed against his neck happily.
That only made the hakuko's happiness rise all the higher.
Chris slumped tiredly to the ground after putting out the last fire. While many of the pictures had been destroyed, the one of Kizuna with her friends on her fishing trip had been spared.
"Can't believe I'm saying this, but good job to you as well, you damn penguin," Naofumi muttered.
"PEN!" Chris rose indignantly at those words. He'd contributed far more to the battle than Raph-Chan had! Why did the Shield Hero still look down on him!?
"Grrrr…" However, despite losing her weapon, and despite her injuries, Yomogi still got up, looking ready to continue fighting.
"... I guess I didn't miss the entire fight after all." The Hakuko corrected himself as he raised his clawed hands.
"Rafu! Rafu!" Raph-Chan's fur bristled as she stood on his shoulder.
"Yomogi! Stop it! That's enough! Haven't you caused enough damage to my home?!" Kizuna pleaded while trying to force down her anger but she found it so hard to do right now.
The girl didn't even listen though. She charged at Naofumi again with the intent to strangle him with her bare hands if she had to. "I'll kill you! I swear I'll kill you for hurting Kyo and threatening our world!"
Naofumi raised his hand at the hakuko who was about to intercept Yomogi, making him stop. The others watched as Yomogi's body crashed into the Shield Hero and her hands squeezed around his neck.
Had this been a normal world, he would have fallen to the ground, and she would have strangled the life out of him. Either by asphyxiation or by breaking his neck.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
But here with his stats, it was completely ineffective. It was like she was trying to squeeze a metal rod. Completely impossible.
Naofumi was right. The weapon had turned out to be the source of her power. Just like how the Replica had been the source of Balamus's power.
Without it, she wasn't even close to being able to hurt him. Or any of the others for that matter.
"I'll kill you! I swear that I'll kill you for what you did to Kyo!" The girl continued to scream, tears of rage trailing from the corners of her eyes.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Are you done yet?" Naofumi responded, sounding bored. "Violence has clearly failed you, so maybe try parlay next?"
Raphtalia sighed to herself once again.
"I'll never speak to scum like you!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
"You'll tire yourself out eventually," Naofumi responded dryly.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
What the hell?! She still wasn't showing any signs of slowing down! Even the others were beginning to frown. Yomogi's wounds were still bleeding too.
At this rate, she was going to pass out from blood loss before anything else.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Okay, this is getting ridiculous. Raphtalia, can you knock her out for me, please?" Naofumi groaned in annoyance.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Raphtalia quickly approached and hit the girl in the back of the head with the hilt of her weapon.
With that, Yomogi finally collapsed on the floor next to Naofumi like a sack of bricks.
Clang…
Had she really tried to attack him even as she was being knocked out? Her stubbornness knew no bounds.
At least the Clanging sound had stopped for now. Now their battle with the girl was over.
The explosion outside had dissipated by this point. Through the ruined set of front doors, Naofumi saw some familiar blue energy hanging in the air outside near the ocean.
After walking away from Yomogi without a second thought, Naofumi approached the energy with his shield raised in front of him. The Spirit Tortoise Heart Shield began to glow, and Naofumi raised it above his head.
The energy was sucked out of the air like a vacuum and stored in his shield.
He'd wondered how he was supposed to store it in the shield before. At least he knew how to do it now.
"Let's chain her up and head to the Capital. We can try interrogating her later after we deal with the attackers there." Naofumi said.
"Naofumi…" Glass's voice spoke quietly.
The Shield Hero turned around.
Kizuna was staring at the destruction all around her.
"My… my home…"
…
A tear fell from her eyes. More tears were beginning to form in them.
The damage to the living area was extensive. Parts of the floor and ceiling were collapsed. Destroyed furniture lay all around. The fireplace was ruined. All the windows all over the house were gone. Then there was additional fire damage and ice damage everywhere from Chris's attempt to put the fires out.
But what hurt the most was what happened to the pictures. All of Kizuna's memories now lay in tattered, burned pieces on the ground.
Glass hugged the Hunting Girl close. Trying her best to comfort her.
"Pen…" Chris also hugged Kizuna's leg. The Hunting Hero was clearly shaking from anger and a deep sense of loss.
Glass felt the same way. Seeing pictures of the two of them and their friends gone without a trace opened a deep pit in her stomach.
Naofumi's mouth remained closed, and Raphtalia rested a hand on his shoulder. He knew they had to get going. The castle was on fire in the distance. Fighting was going on in the city.
But it felt so wrong to pull the Hunting Hero out of her grief.
He seriously considered leaving her behind. Then he remembered that L'Arc said only Kizuna's weapon had access to the hourglass right now. Naofumi couldn't use his portal skill to teleport them to the spot he had saved in the Hourglass room.
If she didn't help, they'd have to run. And if they ran, they might be too late.
What the hell could he do?
…
"U-Um, K-Kizuna?" Hoshi spoke awkwardly. He hadn't managed to participate in the whole battle. "I-If you're th-that sad a-about l-losing the pictures. I-I, w-w-well…"
"What? Spit it out already." Glass snapped at the Ofuda Hero.
"Eep!" Hoshi jumped back. Kizuna sniffed as she looked up at the Ofuda Hero.
He still looked incredibly nervous. He also felt guilty that he couldn't participate at all.
But, after a few seconds, he reached his hand into his weapon's gemstone and…
Pulled out a drawing of Kizuna sitting in the King's lap.
Kizuna's tears immediately stopped. A stunned expression appeared on her and Glass's faces.
It wasn't an exact copy. It was arguably better! Their clothes in the drawing rested on their bodies more realistically than in the previous one. The shading perfectly captured the light of the room, and their smiling faces looked more full and alive than what had been originally drawn by the artist who'd done it for them that day.
It was like Hoshi had been there instead and drawn the scene exactly as it'd gone down. Even to the happiness radiating in their eyes.
"H… How?..." Kizuna said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"W-Well. I… I kind of have a p-photographic memory, and I was so impressed by all the art here when I first arrived, a-and I really liked that one a-a-after I s-saw it. S-So I drew it in my f-free time, b-b-but then I l-learned how p-personal it w-was later on. A-And I d-didn't realize it w-wasn't art, but m-memories of y-your life h-here, a-a-a-and I'm r-really sorry I d-d-didn't ask for permission f-first, I-I just c-c-couldn't get it out of my m-mind, a-and-"
Kizuna tackled the Ofuda Hero, wrapping her arms around him in a big hug while cutting him off. "THANK YOU! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!" She shouted happily, the tears coming from her eyes were happy tears. "IT'S PERFECT!"
Hoshi was stunned speechless. He muttered several incoherent things, none of which were audible.
"Photographic memory. Does… does that mean you could remake everything that was lost here?" Glass asked hopefully.
"U-Um… y-yes? I think so, at least." Hoshi responded timidly.
…
Glass joined Kizuna in hugging the mangaka Hero tightly. Hoshi eeped in surprise and pain at the action. His stats were much lower compared to the spirit woman so the hug really hurt. If only he wasn't so cowardly and could raise his level as high as the other Heroes.
But Glass couldn't care less how cowardly he was. He'd just redeemed himself in her eyes with this act of kindness.
Raphtalia's hand fell into Naofumi's and they both smiled at one another. While Kizuna would have to repair her home and replace some furniture, at least she hadn't lost the valuable memories from her life here in this world.
They were far more important to the Hunting Tools Hero than any material possessions that she possessed…
'Hmmm. So Hoshi isn't just fantastically good at drawing. He also has a photographic memory.' It was nice for Naofumi to know another Hero who had weird talents not suited for the battlefield like him.
"Rafu?" Raph-Chan tilted her head curiously, and Naofumi suddenly remembered something.
Did Hoshi actually have to have Raph-Chan hold a pose while he drew her? If his memory was really that good...
Heh, his respect for the guy rose up even higher. He hadn't needed Raph-Chan to hold the pose for more than a few seconds. He just wanted to stare at something cute and adorable for a long time. Definitely a man after his own heart.
"Naofumi, please stop." Raphtalia sighed again next to him. "We have more important things to handle right now."
"Right, of course." Naofumi shook his head. He'd given the small group a moment to express their gratitude, but it was time to get going. "Enough being sappy. We still have a problem to deal with over there." Naofumi gestured towards the distant burning castle.
"Oh! Right! Sorry about that! I forgot we were dealing with a large group of people!" Kizuna straightened in surprise.
"It's not your fault. You thought you lost something very precious to you. I understand what that's like." Naofumi said sincerely.
When he and Raphtalia had been separated… he still had nightmares about that happening all over again.
"Still, L'Arc needs our help! This is no time for me to wallow around in depression!" Kizuna grinned widely. "Gather around, my students, Kizuna-sensei is going to take us straight to where the fun is!"
Itsuki would not describe his current situation as 'fun.'
"Chaos Thrust!"
He jumped back, avoiding the cascade of attacks from the spear wielder of the group. But when the two sword wielders attacked him from the sides simultaneously, he had no time to fire off a skill and was forced to swing his bow like a very awkward club to try and hold them back.
He completely missed, since he was used to firing at targets and not trying to block their attacks with his weapon. It was only thanks to the use of his Down spell earlier as well as the Defense Up (Large) boost from Naofumi's accessory that the blades left small bleeding gashes on his arms instead of cutting through them entirely.
Yeah, this was definitely not fun.
"What's the matter? I expected more from one of Lord -" Another breeze blew down the street. "- murderers! Not this lame sideshow!" The spear girl yelled arrogantly.
Itsuki scowled. He would have jumped for the rooftops to snipe at them from the start if not for the two Heroes he was protecting on the ground behind him.
It was also the reason he couldn't use some of his stronger skills. As this close, they would have been caught in the crossfire. This just wasn't Itsuki's day.
He charged up a spread skill while trying to avoid the two sword girls' attacks, but the spear wielder's spear began to glow as she pointed it at the other two Heroes cowering behind a training dummy. The Bow Hero's eyes widened in frustration.
"Air Strike Javelin!" The Spear wielder fired the skill at the two.
Itsuki quickly canceled the skill and shot the opposing skill out of the air with Erst Arrow instead. The energy javelin destroyed a nearby wall.
"Thunderbolt Slash!" "Crimson Blade!"
The fact that they could all use Hero Skills too was really pissing Itsuki off. He barely avoided the fire skill but was shocked by the electric attack.
"Nghh."
To explain why he was stuck in this predicament, the two other Heroes had tried to help earlier. But their attack skills hardly damaged the three girls. One of them retaliated against the pair, forcing Itsuki to take the attack to protect them since they were not only weak but not wearing any armor.
That had more or less revealed to his enemy that he was trying to protect them. And it'd made it easier for them to open him up to attacks since then. A cowardly tactic, but one proving very effective for them. The other Heroes couldn't even escape as any time they tried, they were targeted by different attacks.
"Second Javelin!" The spear wielder launched another skill at the pair of Heroes while they tried to dash behind more cover since the training dummy was too exposed, and Itsuki fired Second Arrow to again knock the attack off course. Blowing out another hole in the wall of the arena.
While he'd knocked the skill out of the air with his precise aim a second time in a row, the two sword wielders cut through his outfit and left bleeding gashes on his side.
"He's really tough to cut." One of the girls complained.
"That'll just make taking our revenge on him all the sweeter." The other girl smirked.
This went on for a little while. Akane and Daitan had found some better cover by then. And after a little bit, Itsuki started to charge up another spread skill.
But then, the spear wielder looked at the two Heroes again. Itsuki was forced to prepare Dritte Arrow to intercept yet another attack.
"Dritte Javelin!" Only, she sent the skill at him, and Itsuki barely moved his body enough that it impaled his shoulder instead of his chest. His skill fired off, only hitting the spear wielder's arm.
"Ack!" She clutched the wound, as even the weaker skill did a considerable amount of damage.
"Ahhh!" Itsuki cried out in pain though as the attack tumbled him back onto the ground with the light javelin sticking out of his bleeding shoulder.
He barely raised his bow to block the two downward strikes from the other girls in time. And it was only pure luck that he managed to pull it off.
He would give up anything right now to have counter-attack abilities like the ones Naofumi had! Even if they didn't do much damage, it'd make his situation a whole lot easier!
Where were all the soldiers left in the Capital?! Itsuki wasn't going to hold out much longer by himself!
The Spear girl raced forward gleefully. The spear in her hands glowed brightly as the other two girls jumped to the sides to clear the way for her to make the kill. Itsuki charged up another skill. It wouldn't be ready in time, but he'd be damned if he allowed himself to die now after everything he'd been through.
Even if he had to take this attack. He was going to come out of it swinging… shooting… whatever the hell was the right words for the saying in this situation.
"Crimson Thr-"
Pow!
Aksel charged out from an illusion, his armored shoulder slamming into the spear wielder's side. Her skill was cut short as a shockwave emanated from the impact, and she was sent screaming through the air into one of the arena's walls.
The scream cut off as she was buried into the hard stone.
"Sorry for the delay, Itsuki!" The blood knight roared as he brandished his ax. "Now, who's next?!"
"Wh-what the-" The other two sword-wielding girls backed away in shock.
They tripped over a wire and fell onto their backs. Before they could recover from that shock, the hilts of two kunai slammed into their temples simultaneously, knocking the pair out.
…
Aksel's ax became limp in his grip. "Oh, they're actually pretty weak. Now I feel a little bad about that shoulder tackle from earlier." He glanced at the woman who got buried in the wall of the arena with a wince of sympathy.
"Don't go underselling them just yet, Axie. We caught them off guard. I'm sure they would have put up a fight had we let them. I mean, just look at Itsuki." Maya pointed out. Her eyes then widened in realization. "Oh yeah! Hey, Itsuki. You good? You should probably use one of those fancy healing crystals on yourself since Sir Naofumi isn't around." The raccoon girl suggested with a smile.
"You… you two…" Itsuki breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks for the assist. Really, I'm not made for melee combat, especially while trying to guard two other people at the same time.
"I really wish that you'd have come earlier though! Actually. What are you two doing in the city anyway?! I thought everyone was over at Kizuna's place!"
"We were in the city for dinner since Axie-poo can't eat seafood," Maya explained. "And then we heard fighting outside and we didn't see you at your lookout post. We've been rushing around the area trying to find you."
"That freaking hunting girl is too obsessed with having fresh fish for every meal." Aksel crossed his arms with a scowl, which eventually melted into a serious frown. "Oh well, perhaps it's good that she is since it allowed us to be here to help you. You really shouldn't try to get up close and personal in a fight, Itsuki. They could have killed you if we hadn't arrived."
"You think I don't know that!?" Itsuki asked angrily.
By this point, he'd used an Earth Crystal and a Healing Crystal to replenish his magic power and health. He also gained EXP from using them. The majority of his wounds closed over with that.
He then turned to the two other Heroes with a frustrated expression. "Find somewhere to hide! You're not going to fare well in a fight with your stats and lack of armor!"
"Are you kidding me!? We're not just going to stand aside and-" Daitan tried to yell.
However, Itsuki was already running out of the training arena. Readying a skill to provide support fire for the fighting going on outside.
He seriously couldn't believe he'd almost died for their sake. Daitan and Akane had better pull their crap together, and soon. Otherwise, he was going to be pissed for a long time about this.
Maya and Aksel moved to follow, but the Spear girl pulled herself out of the wall. "Grrrrrr…" A growl escaped her lips, sounding very much like a tiger.
The two sword girls also growled as they began to push themselves up.
"Uh oh," Maya muttered worriedly.
Glowing energy surrounded the fallen trio's weapons as they fed off the anger coming off their wielders.
"Heh. I guess taking them down won't be that easy after all." Aksel smirked as he spun his ax in his hand. "We might actually get a fight out of this yet!"
Maya spun her kunai in her hands with a grin. "And after this is over, we can celebrate our victory again."
"Just not in the Hot Spring this time," Aksel replied. "Definitely going to be smarter about that going forward."
"We could just do it without the bodysuit." Maya flirted.
"But I love the bodysuit." Aksel wagged his eyebrows. Eliciting a giggle from the raccoon girl.
Were they seriously flirting while three strong enemies were preparing to face them?
"Why are they so weird?" Daitan asked.
"Do either of us have the right to ask that?" Akane deadpanned.
Probably not.
Either way, the two heroes were finally able to make their way out the back entrance as Itsuki's two friends were able to engage and hold the attention of the three girls all by themselves.
Itsuki had at least been right about what he said to the two of them. Even if they had the stats, they were not dressed for battle. They would die if they so much as took a single hit from any of the three half-therianthrope girls.
But even with that, they still had other uses besides running and hiding away in terror.
Like, say, evacuating the surrounding populace from the battle zones?
As for Maya and Aksel, they were used to close-up fighting, unlike the Bow Hero. In the latter's case, he relished every chance he got. Thanks to Itsuki's weapon strengthening them and the three girls still suffering from the effects of Down, the pair were more than strong enough to go up against the three girls on even footing.
Aksel and Maya got the battle they were looking for and then some while the Otherworld Heroes got to work evacuating civilians from the battlezone.
Elsewhere in the city, L'Arc and the others stood in front of the Dragon Hourglass building. Leading a solid defense against the enemy.
The front of his castle in the distance was on fire. And there was some fighting going on in the streets. But Ethnobalt was at the castle, putting out the fires with water cannons from his boat whilst simultaneously providing support fire for the soldiers facing off against the Luvar soldiers down below.
While not doing much damage, he was definitely helping to disorient and confuse the enemy soldiers.
Therese was somewhere in the streets, backing up soldiers facing off against more of Luvar's henchmen as well as a few half-therianthrope girls who were supporting them. Her magic came in handy, either supporting those under her with buffs or attacking with powerful Gem magic.
The majority of L'Arc's soldiers weren't in these places to deal with these diversions, however.
As soon as the word came in that they'd breached the city's outer wall, L'Arc and those under him had gone straight to the Dragon Hourglass building. It was a good thing too because the enemy arrived en masse not long afterward.
L'Arc along with many of his soldiers and mages were managing to fend off the group of half-therianthrope girls attacking them. The soldiers of Luvar who'd been with them were already lying on the ground in pools of blood, but the stronger half-therianthropes were still fighting strong. Whether with their hands or their blades.
"I wondered who the hell would be desperate enough to go on a suicide mission for Kyo," L'Arc said out loud as his Scythe interlocked with the lead girl's sword.
She had a very long and thin ponytail on the back of her head. Her sharp, angular brown eye and her beastly red one glared at the Scythe King with hatred. Even half-transformed, she looked beautiful. Her incredible bust was held back by light armor, and her beast transformation only seemed to have amplified her assets.
Though L'Arc paid that no mind whatsoever because of who she was.
Two girls dashed in to support her, but the hero summoned Float Scythe to deflect their attacks. "Coming into the heart of my land all by yourselves. You either had a death wish or were crazy enough to do it.
"At least that's answered on both counts." He spun with both scythes gripped tightly in his hands.
"Shut up!" The half-therianthrope girl rushed forward to push L'Arc back up the steps. But L'Arc knocked her weapon to the side and tried to stab her. She only barely avoided the blade as she bent back.
L'Arc knew they'd relied more on their magic when he'd first met them weeks before. But the Scythe King guessed that they must have gone through a job change at an Hourglass since then. They were highly proficient in melee combat right now.
It was no wonder these girls had blown their way past Sickle's border defenses. All of them were at least as strong as a Hero.
His soldiers were only holding together against their onslaught by working in squads to face them down. But it was hard work defending each other from the hero skills the girls unleashed and several of them had been cut down while the girls only had scratches and small gashes on their limbs.
L'Arc continued to duel the girl he recognized, as well as the others there.
Kazuki's former harem. All were modified into half-therianthropes. Some looked like Dou-Lon's therianthrope form. Others had feathers covering the left sides of their bodies. And a few had scales instead. One of each was behind Tsugumi supporting her.
L'Arc grimaced. He knew they'd been modified with the essence of the Guardian Beasts of his world. Tsugumi, the beautiful girl with white tiger modifications, was at their head leading the charge alongside those two other girls who rushed forward to attack L'Arc.
"Full Moon Army!" As his Float Scythe disappeared, L'Arc swung his scythe as it became far larger.
The redhead slammed it into the three girl's weapons simultaneously, throwing them back.
"First Form: Wind Blade!" L'Arc then summoned a tornado, sending the three girls and many of their numbers flying.
His soldiers interlocked shields, protecting themselves from their King's skill.
However, due to their new… enhancements, the majority of the girls landed on their feet or paws. They were quick to charge forward, attacking L'Arc and the others with an increased ferocity that would have broken any other army.
But this one held against the onslaught.
"You must be crazy to violate the Taboo and be genetically experimented on," L'Arc said further to goad his enemy into giving him an opening to exploit.
"You know nothing!" Tsugumi yelled back fiercely.
Their blades connected again. "I know you're doing this to avenge that piece of scum," L'Arc said, this time with a scowl of his own. "No idea why since he was such a sack of &^%$ to everyone around him."
"You don't know him as we do!" Tsugumi howled back. "He treated us better than anybody else in this world! We'd be nothing without him!"
"Then that means you are nothing. And your efforts here are wasted." L'Arc replied in an almost deadpan voice as he prepared to send a skill her way.
"We are not! Kazuki is still alive! We're doing this for him!" Tsugumi yelled angrily.
The comment caused L'Arc to pause midswing in surprise. It would have been one thing if she yelled it to distract him, but she spoke as if it was the pure truth.
There… there was no way…
"Ahhhh!" Tsugumi swung forward once more.
Clang!
Her attack bounced off Naofumi's shield as he landed in front of L'Arc. The Shield Hero had flown down on top of Filo, whose humming fairy form was now finally large enough to carry him by this point.
He'd gotten on her, expecting the battle to be closer to the castle. But it'd turned out to be very close by.
Which was fortunate for L'Arc.
Naofumi's surprise entrance stunned the half-therianthrope girl.
"Hello there." Naofumi greeted her casually before suddenly grabbing her by the arm and throwing her back into her compatriots with his strength stat. All of them were sent tumbling to the ground.
"Naofumi!" L'Arc said happily.
"Okay, quick heads up. These weapons they're holding are spike familiars charged with Spirit Tortoise energy." Naofumi hastily brought the King up to speed while the opposing girls staggered from the appearance of one of Trash's murderers. "They power their wielders up immensely but after a certain point, they attach to their wielders and then blow up with enough force to level a building."
"Of course they do." L'Arc deadpanned at the information. "&^%$&^% Kyo, man."
"Your turn, what's with the freaky beastmen look on these people?" Naofumi pointed forward with his chin at the group of enemies.
"What?! They didn't do that for you when you fought them?!" L'Arc shook his head. "Never mind, they must have gone through the same process that was used to make the white tiger clones from Label. Such experiments are banned internationally, but as you can plainly see, Kyo clearly doesn't give a &^%$."
"So no obvious weaknesses to exploit, that's just great." Naofumi shook his head.
"It's, it's him!" Tsugumi howled in anger. "Girls, kill him! Avenge Lord-" A breeze blew through the area, covering over the name.
They all howled in anger as they moved to converge on Naofumi.
"Okay, guess we'll be doing it the old-fashioned way then. Everyone, attack!"
Before the first few girls of Trash's former harem could so much as touch him, most of Naofumi's group appeared from Raphtalia's illusion and attacked them from behind. Catching the girls completely off guard.
Filo continued flying up above, singing to improve the morale of L'Arc's soldiers, healing them, and making them stronger.
The girl's offensive rush to reach the Shield Hero was routed instantaneously.
Kizuna and Dou-Lon appeared beside Naofumi and L'Arc. Hoshi, Raph-Chan, and Chris were back at her house. Watching over their captive.
"Hey, L'Arc! Glad to see you're still alive!" Kizuna said happily.
"I can say the same for you, little sis." L'Arc smiled happily. "What took you so long to get here though!? I sent that message over fifteen minutes ago!"
Kizuna quickly explained about Yomogi attacking their home while Naofumi focused on the hakuko staring at the enemy they were facing.
"Dou-Lon?" Naofumi asked curiously. It made sense for Kizuna to stand back, but he thought the Hakuko wanted to make up for not being in the fight earlier.
Dou-Lon continued to stare though, seeing the half-therianthropes before them.
Why… how had this happened to them? They were supposed to be normal humans.
Even with their half-transformations, he recognized the enemy before them. He even recognized one of the girls with Tsugumi.
The very same one he had shown kindness to. Reptilian scales covered half of her body and a hump that was something akin to a shell was protruding from her back.
She recognized him at the same time, but besides biting her lip, she forced herself to look away from him while engaging a group of L'Arc's soldiers.
"Dou-Lon?" Naofumi asked again.
The Hakuko shook his head. "Sorry, I was caught off guard by their beast transformations. They look so unnatural on them. But I'm ready to assist, Sir Naofumi!" Dou-Lon growled as his own full therianthrope form took over his body.
"Alright. Be careful this time. Those weapons are dangerous." Naofumi cautioned.
Dou-Lon grinned. "Don't worry, I won't fall for the same trick twice!"
The pair charged into battle together. And L'Arc charged in behind soon after to lead his men once again.
With the sudden assistance of the Heroes and their friends, L'Arc and his soldiers had a much easier time pushing the attackers back. It was made even easier as Naofumi used All Zweite Aura to boost the soldier's stats.
Things took an even worse turn for the girls of Trash's former harem when Itsuki cast All Zweite Down on them from a nearby rooftop, before firing spread skills into their ranks. The small explosions, light arrows, and other attacks fell all amongst their group. Further injuring or disorienting many of them.
"Heal the wounded! The rest of you, front and center!" Tsugumi howled her orders.
Those who'd been heavily injured from various attacks were pulled back and replaced by other girls still in fighting shape. The injured then used their magic power to heal each other and cast buffs on themselves, before rejoining the fighting and allowing others who'd been injured to fall back and do the same thing.
This made the battle drag on longer. But it didn't affect Naofumi or Dou-Lon. Naofumi protected the soldiers as well as the occasional friend while opening his enemies up to attacks with his shield and skills.
Dou-Lon, despite having lost his weapon, made up for it with his martial arts and his claws. Using the openings Naofumi gave him to punch, kick, throw, claw, and perform all manner of various attacks on their enemies before them.
Even without his weapon, he was still incorporating Glass's lessons. Following what he could now see as the "Rhythm" Glass had described long ago.
His movements were like a dance. His steps to avoid the strike of a blade. The extension of his arm to grip an enemy by the throat. The turn as he threw his enemy into another girl while avoiding another strike he saw out of the peripheral of his vision.
It was surreal. It was like the white tiger was standing on a whole new battlefield. The girls charged him just like he used to do. But by incorporating what Glass had taught him, he was able to dictate their battles to his rhythm and not their own. Defeating them or fending them off despite having a hero weapon.
Naofumi looked at him at one point and saw life force energy radiating off the hakuko's body. It was only for a moment, but it allowed the hakuko to weave his way through a series of attacks from four girls. Getting into the center of them before lashing out one after the other, knocking the surprised women into other combatants.
It briefly stunned Naofumi. Dou-Lon hadn't participated in life force training with the others yet! Had his training sessions with Glass gotten him to the point where he could use it without realizing it?
Whatever the case, Naofumi disappeared from beside Dou-Lon right after as Raphtalia needed his help against multiple opponents.
Glass took her place beside Dou-Lon instead. "Still keeping up, Dou-Lon?!" The spirit woman yelled over the heat of battle.
"Yes! Let us go forth and crush our enemies together, Glass!" Dou-Lon yelled ecstatically.
Glass smirked. She couldn't have agreed with the hakuko more.
Together, the mentor and mentee duo danced through the battlefield together. Protecting each other's backs while also inflicting one defeat after another on the enemies before them.
It was awesome. It was the best feeling ever.
Even though he didn't have his weapon on hand, Dou-Lon finally felt like he'd had his coming of age.
As for Naofumi, whenever his magic power ran low, he simply baited his enemies into hitting his shield and used C Magic Snatch against them until his magic power was full again.
This worked in more ways than one. These girls who were using magic to keep themselves going couldn't heal or buff each other when their magic power ran out. Thus he slowly wore them down enough for friends and allies to disarm them and capture them.
Tsugumi got back up again after taking a big hit from the Scythe Hero. She looked around in shock as her friends were slowly defeated one after the other.
Itsuki continued firing more skills from his position. The girls all had replicas of the spear and sword, but nothing else since Kyo hadn't captured Naofumi or Itsuki to study their weapons. Their options to defend or strike the Bow Hero from a distance were very limited. Most of the attempts failed as he jumped from one rooftop to another in the recently emptied town.
Even with all this happening though. They didn't stop fighting. And her eyes landed on the Shield Hero in the midst of battle once again.
Tsugumi howled again as she rushed forward, ignoring one of Itsuki's arrows as it pierced her shoulder. "Piercing Thrust!"
The attack hit Naofumi's shield. And its defense-piercing properties should have caused him damage.
That didn't happen though. Instead, she was the one who spat up blood as the energy of the attack was redirected back into her.
"Air Strike Shield! Second Shield!" Naofumi then trapped her between two skill shields as she was still reeling from the surprise of being hit with her own attack.
"Now! Take her weapon from her!" The Shield Hero yelled to his friends.
Tsugumi's eyes widened. How did he already know-
"Deadly Dance!" L'Arc began swinging back and forth repeatedly with his Scythe. His movements were a lot faster and more precise under this skill. Tsugumi would have been screwed if not for her two close friends moving in and supporting her while she extracted herself from the Shield Hero's trap.
"Shield Prison!" As L'Arc's skill ended, Naofumi's ball of chains and plates surrounded the two girls. "Change Shield! Bee Needle Paralysis Shield!"
The two girls screamed as needles pierced their skin. But they didn't take damage from that. Instead, they were inflicted with paralysis status effects.
When the ball of chains and plates disappeared, they were struggling to stay standing.
"N-No! Mayuri! Sumi!" Tsugumi charged forward recklessly to defend the two.
Naofumi blocked her strike with his shield again. And right after that, he grabbed one of her arms to hold her in place.
"Dou-Lon!"
The full tiger therianthrope burst from his part of the battlefield in a blaze of speed at Naofumi's call. Both of his hands clasped Tsugumi's wrists as he attempted to force her to let go of the weapon.
L'Arc took the chance to disarm the feathered girl. He would disarm the Tortoise girl next.
Tsugumi snarled at Dou-Lon, but he snarled back even more fiercely in his full therianthrope form. "You disgrace the name of the Hakuko by wearing that skin over you!"
"Who do you think you are to-" Tsugumi began to scream.
Dou-Lon's mouth bit down on her arm, causing Tsugumi to howl in pain.
His leg then kicked her knee, blowing out the kneecap.
And while she was falling from that, his furry fist plowed into her face. Punching her back away from them.
The Tortoise girl was staring at Dou-Lon in shock. He'd shown her such kindness before. But the therianthrope before her now looked far more fierce and scary. And she trembled at the wounds he'd inflicted on Tsugumi while she tried to move. To get herself to help her friend out.
Tsugumi's human eye widened in pure shock, and she hit the ground with a sickening crunch.
Her arm broke from the impact, adding further to her pain as she screamed.
Around her, girls she'd known for years were being taken down. Some lost their weapons and surrendered. Others collapsed due to multiple injuries.
It was discovered that the weapons could also be killed if hit at the hilt instead of the blade. This allowed even Kizuna to join the battle since the weapons they were holding were monsters.
Kyo's weapons were once again proving to be designed for mostly shock and awe tactics.
Tsugumi breathed in and out heavily as one of her friends tried to help her up. "C-Come on! We just have to get this pendant registered at the Hourglass! That's all we need to do to see him again!"
Tsugumi began to see red. Kazuki's murderers began to approach them. Weapons were raised to finish them off.
Her chest heaved. Her rage boiled.
After everything they'd gone through. The heartache of losing Kazuki. Of running away from their country. Of meeting Kyo, and learning that he could resurrect the man they loved if they helped him to conquer the world.
To come so far after losing everything all over again. To even take down their own country and travel all this distance to reach this point. And they were going to be defeated, again, by the very people who'd killed the only man who'd treated them like human beings?!
"Rahhhhhraugh!" Tsugumi's scream of rage and frustration transformed into an animalistic howl at the end. But that wasn't what made the others pause.
Metallic tendrils from her weapon extended out and began to wrap around her arms. More than that though, her body began to pulsate as the tiger transformation began to take over the left side of her body.
Slowly, but surely, she was transforming into a monster before their eyes.
"T-Tsugumi!" The feathered girl they'd captured earlier, Sumi, cried out as she tried to reach out to her. Only, vines extended out from her weapon too. L'Arc cried out in surprise as he jumped back, avoiding the tendrils that wrapped around her arm.
"W-Wh-What is this?!" Sumi shrieked in terror. The paralysis effect had disappeared, but she was too scared to notice that.
The scaled girl, Mayori, stepped back with fear painted on her face. She looked down at her own weapon but it didn't react like the weapons of her two friends. Or like the other girls there whose anger and rage were boiling over into their weapons, activating the self-destruct sequences in them. A few were also being taken by their beast transformations, just like Tsugumi.
"Is this what I think it is!?" L'Arc asked fearfully.
"Get back!" Naofumi yelled.
This was bad. Really bad. Unlike Kizuna's house by the sea, they were in the middle of an urban area. There was no safe place to throw the weapons without damaging their surroundings.
Not only that, there were at least a dozen of these weapons still functioning that were going to self-destruct.
And then there were also the girls who'd been transformed into beasts.
"T-Tsugumi-" Sumi, despite what her weapon was doing, still tried to reach out to one of her best friends.
"Rowr!" The transformed girl dashed over and swiped at her friend with her large paw. Sumi screamed as blood sprayed from multiple gashes on her arms.
Tsugumi looked around hungrily, both of her eyes glowing red like the White Tiger Clones from before. She couldn't identify friends from foes anymore. Her eyes landed on Naofumi and a snarl twisted her lips.
The weapon in her hands began to glow. The other weapons began to glow as well. Even some of those that had been dashed to pieces on the ground.
As Naofumi tried to think of a way to prevent the situation from spiraling further out of control, a crazy idea came to his mind. "Get those weapons to me, now!"
No one questioned Naofumi. Raphtalia dashed in front of the Shield Hero as Tsugumi jumped for him, and her blade moved with a flash, slashing it and the vines to pieces while avoiding the tiger girl's retaliatory blow. Dou-Lon then struck her in the chest, launching Tsugumi back from them.
Despite destroying the weapon, the pieces still glowed as they prepared to explode. It and all the other glowing weapons were thrown to Naofumi as they began to glow brighter and brighter. This was easy, as the other girls were confused and scared by what was going on and were more willing to comply because of it.
"Shield Prison!" When they were all gathered together in front of him, Naofumi surrounded himself with a Shield Prison.
And then he put all the weapons into his Shield's inventory.
Stupid? Probably. But with so many of them, he couldn't risk the resulting explosions destroying the surrounding area. He was also buffed with his and Filo's magic, so hopefully, this wouldn't hurt too badly.
...
Actually, would they even explode while in his inventory? Maybe they were frozen in time, and he could simply run to the ocean and drop them off into the water quickly before racing away and-
Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Nope, he hadn't discovered a way to cheat this kind of explosive tactic in the future. The weapons all exploded repeatedly inside of his Shield.
Naofumi fell to his knees as pain wracked his body over and over again from the repeated internal explosions.
'F-$%-' He coughed up blood, and his ears began to ring as his eyesight dimmed.
"Naofumi!" Raphtalia cried out worriedly on the other side of the skill. His health bar dropped drastically in her vision again and again and again.
Naofumi bit down on his tongue to prevent himself from screaming. His health became dangerously low as one last explosion wracked his body.
And then, it was over.
He'd lived. And no one else had been harmed.
He coughed up more blood though. And when the Shield Prison dropped, he must have looked like %&$#, because Raphtalia recoiled instantly when she saw him.
"N-Naofumi?!"
"Daddy?!"
"Sir Naofumi!"
Raphtalia rushed up to him as Filo flew down from the sky and transformed back into her little girl form. His wife friend pulled out a Healing Crystal from her weapon while Filo began to sing some healing magic.
Dou-Lon could do nothing but watch the two girls work on the Shield Hero.
The crystal broke in his hands, and Filo's magic power washed over him. Helping to soothe some of the pain he was going through. After only a few seconds, he was able to look up at them and give them a small smile.
"I-I'm good now." Naofumi chuckled weakly and gave his girlfriend a thumbs up despite how much the action hurt. "Thanks for that."
Raphtalia sighed in relief.
At least that was over-
Tsugumi tried to pounce on Raphtalia from behind. It was only thanks to Dou-Lon's quick reaction speed that Raphtalia and Filo were both tackled out of the way.
Tsugumi instead landed on Naofumi's shield, and despite the pain he was in, the Shield Hero managed to push her back as she had been weakened by the loss of her weapon.
"Rowr!" Naofumi expected her to attack him next. Instead, she tried to maul her scaled friend, who was still holding a sword that hadn't lashed out or activated like its compatriots.
"T-Tsugumi! Please, stop! D-D-Don't you r-recognize us?" Mayori cried out fearfully.
Their best friend Sumi was lying on the ground now, bleeding out and trembling from multiple gashes on her arms and chest. Several other girls who'd tried to calm Tsugumi down had similar injuries covering their bodies. Two of them had already stopped breathing.
"W-Why are you a-a-attacking us? W-We're f-f-friends-"
Tsugumi didn't respond. She launched for the girl with no recognition in her eyes whatsoever. The tortoise girl barely avoided the strike, but she was crying too much to try and fight back.
Not like Mayori could have either, with Naofumi's paralysis effect still constricting her movements.
Looking over the chaos, Naofumi saw the same thing happening with the other girls.
L'Arc and his soldiers had pulled back. And the transformed beasts were now attacking their own friends. More bodies lay on the ground. Some were moving, some were not.
One girl, who screamed when she was about to get killed, was saved by Glass who blocked the attack with her fans. Kizuna then dashed past, carrying the girl on the ground to safety while Glass fought the beast off. L'Arc's healing mages rushed to a girl who was still alive.
How had the battle turned into this? Now they were saving the girls of Trash's harem?
"R-Raphtalia, Filo." Naofumi coughed up more blood. "Help her out." Naofumi pointed to the bleeding-out Sumi on the ground.
"Got it!" Raphtalia pulled out more Healing Crystals from her blade. She and her daughter went to save the enemy's life.
"Naofumi! We need to stop this!" Kizuna yelled, pointing out the carnage around them.
Naofumi grunted. He coughed up more blood, but his body didn't move otherwise.
It felt like he had liquid lead pouring through his veins. Was that a secondary effect of Kyo's self-destruct sequence? Had he predicted Naofumi doing this to save everyone and made the weapons act like poison when they exploded inside his shield?
That seemed too smart for Kyo to do. But he could feel himself on the verge of passing out regardless.
"Naofumi, please!" Kizuna set the girl down nearby and dashed up to him.
"I… I can barely move." Naofumi said with a grimace. "And besides, isn't it a good thing if they fight and wear each other out?" Naofumi felt so pained and tired despite the healing he'd received. What he'd give to close his eyes and rest then and-
"Naofumi!" Kizuna gripped him by the shoulders and stared into his eyes. "What would you do if somebody killed Raphtalia and got away with it?!"
…
Her words confused Naofumi. But the thought of Raphtalia dying made him more alert to what she said next. "That's exactly what we did to them from their point of view! And not only that, their weapons were set to explode! Meaning that they're… they're being used by him! By Kyo!
"They weren't meant to live after this attack! None of them were!" Kizuna forced herself to angrily yell while tears fell from her eyes at the realization of what Kyo had done.
"It isn't right?! Even if they're our enemies, they don't deserve this! They don't deserve to have their friends turn on them! They don't deserve to be used and thrown away by someone else like Trash!" Kizuna yelled angrily at the Shield Hero. "Why would you let Kyo get away with this?! We can't stop them on our own!
"SO GET UP AND MOVE YOUR ^%$, SHIELD HERO!"
Naofumi's eyes widened.
Mayori screamed as Tsugumi jumped on her. Her massive claws moved to grab her throat and tear it out.
"Grah!" But before that could happen, Naofumi let out a pained shout as he grabbed the large tiger girl and forced her off her friend. Tsugumi roared as she turned on Naofumi, but her attacks did nothing to him.
Her claws broke on his skin and her fangs cracked when she tried to bite him. Yet she still struggled with the instincts of an animal to break out of the man's firm grasp.
Naofumi had no idea how he was moving right now. But Kizuna had been right to say what she said to him.
"I can't understand how anybody could be so stupid to fight for dumb pieces of #$%& like you and your friends!" Naofumi yelled, looking out over all the groups while restraining the howling tiger girl.
Kizuna's words, though he didn't want to admit it, had hit him where it hurt. Despite all the pain he was in, he pushed through it because she was right.
"I doubt you can even remember the reason why you're here fighting us right now if you'd turn on the people you cared about so easily!"
Tsugumi snarled down at him. But Naofumi kept a firm look on his face as his shield began to glow brightly.
Unseen by anyone, except her, a figure appeared behind the Shield Hero. Smiling at the tiger girl calmly while energy moved from her into the Shield Hero's limbs. Giving him the support he needed to push Tsugumi back.
"I have no empathy for your situation! But no one deserves to be killed by somebody they called their friend!" He forced her head to look around at the carnage she'd wrought. The beast girl's eyes landed on her feathered friend lying on the ground. Filo and Raphtalia were there healing her, as well as several of L'Arc's healing mages. But the girl's chest was barely rising up and down. She'd lost so much blood.
This confused the White Tiger girl. That bird and the others were just prey for someone like her. Why… why did she care about what was happening to her?
"DON'T YOU EVEN RECOGNIZE ONE OF YOUR FRIENDS!? YOU DID THAT TO HER!
"YOU CAN'T BE THAT FAR GONE TO NOT REALIZE THAT, YOU STUPID BITCH!"
Tsugumi's eyes widened.
No, that wasn't prey.
That was Sumi!
Her eyes widened even further seeing all her friends around her. Some of whom weren't breathing anymore.
"I KNOW WHAT THAT'S LIKE! TO LOSE YOURSELF TO YOUR RAGE AND HARM THOSE YOU CARED ABOUT!"
"SO IF YOU REALLY CARED ABOUT YOUR FRIENDS, AT LEAST TRY TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST WHAT'S HAPPENING TO YOU!" Naofumi finished his heartfelt scream.
"Rowr! Raaauuuuuggggghhhhh!" Tsugumi immediately screamed as she clutched at her face. Trying to force back the tiger taking her over at last.
"T-Tsugumi!" The scaled Tortoise girl cried out while still reaching toward her. "Fight back, come back to us, please!"
"She won't be able to break free on her own." Naofumi grimaced as, despite Tsugumi's best efforts, the tiger transformation wasn't fading away. In fact, it only seemed to be solidifying.
"Kizuna! I know you can't attack people, but L'Arc said Kyo experimented on them with the same process Label used to make its monsters! Maybe you can attack the monster part trying to take her over without harming her human side?!" Naofumi yelled at the Hunting Hero, who had stood aside when Naofumi dashed to assist.
"I- do you really think that'd work?!" Kizuna asked while Glass and Raphtalia helped against another beast girl.
"I don't know, but if we don't do something right now, then she's going to turn fully into a monster, and then I doubt there'll be anything we can do to save her then," Naofumi said truthfully.
...
"Alright! I just really hope this works!" Kizuna shrugged as she readied her blade and charged the skill she needed.
Tsugumi continued to howl. Her friends lay all around dying on the ground.
So much death. So much carnage.
All her fault.
"Tsugumi!" Mayori cried for her friend.
Sumi struggled to remain alive on the ground.
"Instant Blade: Sunflower Strike!"
Kizuna closed the distance between them, slashing across Tsugumi and coming to a stop several feet in front of her.
…
Tsugumi's howl died off as she fell backward. A spray of blood hung in the air over her in the shape of a sunflower.
The beast's transformation disappeared from her body entirely. Tsugumi collapsed with grave wounds across her features.
Kyo had indeed used monster parts to transform the girls. And Kizuna was able to slice them off with no problem, leaving the human underneath them intact.
"Tsugumi!" Mayori crawled up to her friend after she hit the ground. She'd dropped her sword and was crying as she held the mauled girl close.
Kizuna ran back to Glass. She, Raphtalia, L'Arc, and the soldiers had managed to restrain the other beasts. Now that she knew she could do it, she had to free them of their beast transformations next.
One after the other, she began to free the other bound beast girls from their transformations as well. Watching as they collapsed to the ground one after the other.
Nearby, Sumi saw Tsugumi freed of the white tiger. Her unfocused eyes solidified for just a few seconds, and grateful tears fell out of them.
One last breath left her lips, and she breathed no more.
...
"Mommy…" Filo said sadly.
Raphtalia wrapped her arms around her daughter. Despite their best efforts, they hadn't been able to save her.
"Will… will she live?" Mayori asked as Naofumi knelt across from her and Tsugumi. His pain had mostly disappeared by this point, and his remaining injuries were healing over before her eyes.
"Not sure. If her heart and flesh turned into a beast completely…" The Shield Hero began to chant an incantation for his spell.
"Zweite Heal."
…
A soft smile appeared on his lips. "It looks like… your friend will make it as a human."
The missing flesh on her face had regrown. As well as all over her body. What had been taken by the beast transformation had been restored to the best of the spell's abilities.
He was going to have to learn the drifa level for it soon though. He couldn't keep treating growing levels of injuries with just this spell.
Tsugumi would need a lot of time to recover before her injuries were healed entirely. And she'd likely live with scarring for the rest of her life.
But she'd at least live.
Naofumi looked over the battlefield. There were a lot of injuries on both sides. And, while not understanding where this energy was coming from at first, he continued to move around. Handing Healing Crystals out and using his magic reserves to heal everyone he could.
He rested a hand on Raphtalia and Filo's shoulders when he came to them. But the duo was able to stand up on their own and assist Naofumi with trying to save more of the enemy force who'd been taken advantage of by Kyo.
The fighting around the city had died down by this point. Therese and Ethnobalt returned with those they'd captured in tow. Aksel and Maya also returned with the three girls they'd managed to beat on their own. Itsuki was with Therese.
"What the hell happened here?" Itsuki asked in confusion.
"Weren't you here fighting with us?" Naofumi asked confusedly.
"I had to run off after I saw Therese struggling against the therianthrope girls facing her. I figured I wasn't needed here after you began taking them down on your own." Itsuki said.
Rishia brightened upon seeing him and L'Arc thanked him for helping Therese out. But Itsuki was left to wonder again if he'd made a mistake by running off to assist on another part of the battlefield after seeing what'd happened after he left.
Naofumi dropped the topic and continued to heal everyone's injuries the best he could. Kizuna had to use her blade to free every girl of their beast transformations. And even after surrendering, some began to transform.
How this hadn't happened before they reached L'Arc's capital was unknown.
There was so much… so much that'd happened.
It was only near the end when Naofumi noticed the pain from his injuries was gone. And that more energy had been stored in his shield. Had that been the reason why he'd been healed?
Ost… the weapon she'd given him continued to help him out even now. He silently rubbed the surface of the Spirit Tortoise Heart Shield and muttered thanks to her for the assistance she'd lent him today.
The gemstone of the shield glowed a bright green in response. While confusing him at first, he remembered the same thing had happened the first time after he'd watched Moto's recording.
...
Oh well. All Naofumi knew was that they'd won. And Kyo's attack on Sickle's Dragon Hourglass had failed.
They'd managed to foil his plans once again.
Hero Clips!
Stubbornness Like No Other
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The Shield Hero sighed. Yomogi had just woken up, and the very first thing she tried to do was wrap her hands around his neck to squeeze the life out of him.
"You realize how ineffective this is, right?" Naofumi asked.
"I don't care! I'll kill you eventually!" Yomogi screamed at him.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Eh. She'd realize how useless this was one way or another.
There was no way she'd keep this up for very long with how weak she was.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Uh… Naofumi? Is everything okay?" Raphtalia asked at the dinner table.
"Daddy's still being attacked by Boar Girl?" Filo cocked her head to the side curiously.
The Shield Hero tried to not pay Yomogi any mind. Even though it'd been a few days since this had started and her hands were still wrapped around his neck.
"She'll realize how useless this is eventually." He responded dryly.
Mother and daughter looked at each other unsurely. But didn't try to interfere.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Oh come on." Naofumi sighed through gritted teeth.
"Ha! Is that neck of yours finally weakening, bastard?!" Yomogi yelled just as energetically as she had at the start.
Even though Naofumi had dealt with Kyo. Even though he and the others had returned to their world. Even though they were in the middle of the next plot arc.
The stubborn idiot girl still hadn't let go of his neck.
It'd made fighting Kyo himself very awkward. Though they'd somehow gotten through it.
"You're going to realize eventually that you can't keep this up forever!" Naofumi yelled in frustration at the girl.
"Until Kyo is avenged, I will be a thorn in your side for the rest of time!" Yomogi promised.
There was no way she actually meant that, right?
How long had it been since he'd been able to go to sleep at night without hearing that damn Clanging sound filling his ears?
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The old man's green eyes were wide as saucers.
Despite all of them having survived the Waves and reaching a ripe old age. Despite all the good things that'd happened to the Heroes along the way from marriage to raising large loving families.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
An old Yomogi still had her strong, wrinkled hands gripped around an old Naofumi's neck.
"Ahahahaha! Soon, I'll break that old neck of yours, and Kyo will finally be avenged! Ahahahahaha!" The old woman cackled.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
She really was that stubborn. How had she lived to this point?! Had Kyo experimented on her so that she'd never need food or sleep ever again?! The bastard!
And thus, Naofumi lived out the rest of his life with Yomogi still trying to kill him. And even though he managed to outlive the girl by a few years…
No one was ever able to get her hands off his neck. And so the Clanging sound as well as her corpse followed Naofumi all the way to his grave.
If you visit the memorial today and listen closely, you can still hear the sound of ineffectual clanging through the concrete below.
And there would never be another person as stubborn as Yomogi to live ever again.
Till Next Time
Allen
Chapter 10: It's Your Life
Notes:
Hey Norin, this is a quote I came across in the Doki Doki Mod: Another Moment With You. I quite liked it when I thought of this story and about Kyo and other villains. After googling the man, I found out he was a Russian Novelist. I know the world seems really crappy right now… but you know, there are still some good things to be found everywhere. No matter what.
I think it's important we never forget that going forward.
"Nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer; nothing is more difficult than to understand him." Fyodor Dostoevsky
"Don't disappear while I sleep… please don't be a dream." Sayori, Purist Mod
"Each person has good traits and bad traits. Ignoring one of them or favoring the other would not be love. I'm so attracted to you because you see me for who I really am. I want you to continue that." Sayori, also Purist Mod.
"No matter how much one might want it, the past will always remain in the past. So the only way forward is the future." MC, Purist Mod
"I want to say that I don't know what happens next. And we can't worry about the future. We have to focus on the present. And if you're in my present day, how bad could the future be?" - MC, Longer Roads Mod
"Home is where the heart is I guess." "Exactly! Wherever you are is home to me!" - Conversation between MC and Sayori, Longer Roads Mod
"Why do you do this to me?" "What do you mean?" "Why do you try to make me feel all flustered? It's like you're trying to make me speechless…" "Because the sight of you makes me speechless every day, so I have to return the favor." MC and Sayori, Longer Roads Mod.
"She used to tell me that it's not what's at the end of the road that draws us to it. It's who we find on the way that keeps us going." - Monika, Longer Roads Mod
"I can't guarantee that things will work out, but every day you try is another chance they will." - Quote from Mainly Fact on Youtube
I'm terrified at the thought of the world destroying another man who has the ability to love something so much and think for himself. You are only human. Even if there might be no excuse, learning and moving on to grow stronger and better is what Naofumi did, and it's what you should do too for yourself as much as anyone else. -MarineBean
Chapter Text
— Entry #9 —
And here, I thought I wouldn't be writing in this dumb thing again. And so soon after my last entry too.
A few days ago, the ████████████ sent out a recruitment notice to all████████████ to help slay ████████████.
That creature has truly grown into a nuisance during these last couple of months. It's been raiding ████████████ increasingly often now. Not only that, it has empowered four monsters that it calls ████████████ to do its bidding.
One of them destroyed a major source of investment I had ████████████ when it tried and failed to breach ████████████. Another ████████████, though it was a rather short-lived triumph on its part. The ████████████ younger brother as its ████████████ right away. The new ████████████ then proceeded to drive all the monsters out of his town. The last ████████████ have been wreaking havoc across other parts████████████. And that isn't including what ████████████ has managed to accomplish.
That ████████████ are really starting to become a threat ████████████ for world domination. ████████████ requested for us ████████████ to band together to assist the ████████████, who was ████████████ to save the world ████████████. Back then, I had no idea why he chose to hold off on announcing ████████████. Seemed like a foolish move if you asked me…
Thankfully, I am not one to keep all of my eggs in one basket. Despite the losses that I suffered from ████████████, I still have quite a bit to my name, so much, in fact, that I decided to have ████████████ and keep track of my lesser affairs while I'm gone. Since I have made her my ████████████, she even has the authority to show up in my place for ████████████ now.
I'm not afraid to leave her be for a while. She has proven herself to be trustworthy enough to not ████████████ while I'm gone. And she is smart enough to not mess everything up. Worst case scenario, she can always give me a call to discuss important matters if any come up.
Now, because of my ████████████, I'm going to have to play a support role in this endeavor. But I am fine with that. It's much more preferable to stay back and ████████████ throw themselves into danger in my place.
That's right, I ended up following up on ████████████. Not by choice, mind you. I would have preferred to deal with ████████████ by myself.
However, my... 'employers' have contacted me personally on this matter as well. 'They' told me that the ████████████ with quickly. It could prove to be a major obstacle in the way of the ████████████ years from now if it were allowed to ████████████. The ████████████ is not only the ████████████ in this world, but it also has humans loyal to it, as well as the ability to create ████████████ from amongst the living. If it were in control and summoned the other ████████████ by itself when the ████████████…
Well, that is why my 'masters' have told me to deal with ████████████ immediately. It's a no-brainer, but I wish 'they' had informed me about it sooner.
…
'They' have also ordered me to ████████████ if I get the chance. I'd have the perfect opportunity to do so as I could easily get close ████████████ under the guise of a 'support' ████████████. And since the war with ████████████ was going to impact my ability to ████████████, I thought, why not? And if I learned how it used magic to ████████████, that'd be an even bigger bonus for me when the time came for me to make my own bid ████████████.
So I decided to go along with their plan and went to meet this 'great' Hero everyone was talking about today. And ████████████ I'm writing in this damn thing again.
You see, I thought that if I integrated myself into ████████████, I could make a name for myself amongst the idiots there, and make it easier to ████████████ in attendance to boot. I could ████████████ in one fell swoop later on…
…
"Wow, mister! You look super smart! You must be the ████████████ that King Dad mentioned! I'm ████████████, nice to meet you!"
Those were the exact words the ████████████ said to me today.
The ████████████ is a little girl. Not even a teenager.
That was why████████████ had held off on announcing that her summoning was successful until now.
…
…
…
What the #$%& have I gotten myself into?
"Has that girl given out any info yet?"
"No, she refuses to speak to anyone."
Naofumi frowned at L'Arc and Therese as they walked down a long stone hallway together.
It was the day after the failed attack on Sickle's Dragon Hourglass. A few things had happened during that time.
The gates that the girls of Trash's former harem had brought crashing down during their raid had been temporarily replaced with a barricade. Efforts were being made to replace them, as well as to fix all the damage that'd been caused to the city.
It hadn't been too bad, fortunately. With L'Arc's castle being made of stone, the fire damage done to it wasn't very severe. And Therese and the others had managed to keep fighting in the streets from damaging the surrounding buildings too much. Miraculously, no civilians had been killed during the battle.
This was, thanks in part, due to Akane and Daitan's efforts to evacuate the people from areas of intense fighting.
It was still going to take weeks to repair all the damage though. Especially when it came to Kizuna's home.
The Hunting Hero's house was a mess. Last night had been entirely spent cleaning up broken glass in every room as well as patching up holes in the floor, walls, and ceiling.
Drapes were put up to cover the missing windows. The destroyed furniture had to be thrown out. The sleeping arrangements had to be redone so that none of the Heroes and their allies would be sleeping in a room with holes in the floor.
In all honestly, the clean-up felt more tiring than the battle they'd fought in earlier that day.
Kizuna was fortunate her house was so big. They could still stay there even after all the damage the front side had taken.
It'd be a while before the damage to the house itself was fixed though. And the entrance hall still looked like a war zone despite their best efforts to clean it.
It hadn't helped when Naofumi realized the holes in the floor were right above the Hot Spring in the basement.
He hadn't been the lucky one that made that discovery though. It was all thanks to Itsuki.
The Bow Hero had been checking the patch job on a section of the floor that morning to make sure it would handle his weight. But then he fell through, landing on Maya's lap while she and Aksel were bathing in the Hot Spring below.
On the bright side, the two had only been relaxing instead of having sex.
On the downside, they were still naked since they'd been in the Hot Spring. And Itsuki had landed on the raccoon girl's lap.
Naofumi had never seen Itsuki look so traumatized when he came racing back upstairs.
The Bow Hero was currently locked inside of his room, brooding once again.
As for the Shield Hero's family: Raphtalia, Filo, and Raph-Chan as well as Dou-Lon had been at the castle since early that morning after having breakfast at Kizuna's house.
Naofumi had been busy with other tasks before now. Like helping to heal L'Arc's soldiers and assisting with clean-up efforts inside the city alongside Daitan and Akane. He then went back to Kizuna's home to help clean up more of the damage around the kitchen so he could make lunch for everyone.
However, when lunch came and went and Raphtalia and everyone else still hadn't returned, the Shield Hero had decided to drop by the castle and see what the current situation was for himself. L'Arc and Therese were also on their way to get an update.
"That Male Bitch's 'retainer' sure is stubborn," Naofumi said through gritted teeth.
"Yomogi is not just Kyo's retainer, she is his childhood friend too. It'd actually be surprising for her to give up any information at all so soon." Therese replied with a sigh.
"... seriously, childhood friend? How the hell could anyone stand that piece of &^%$?" Naofumi snarked out loud.
L'Arc opened his mouth, closed it, and then looked to the side before replying in earnest. "Well, he wasn't always such a bastard."
"Mmm," Therese grunted weakly in agreement, looking similarly somber.
"Hmph, you all keep saying that, but I just can't believe it." Naofumi snorted dismissively.
"If you'd only met him when we had." L'Arc sighed.
The three continued to walk down the long hallways of the castle together.
…
…
"Have you considered torture yet?" Naofumi asked after a long pause.
"See, Therese! First Glass and now Shield Kiddo is suggesting it too! Maybe that's a sign that we should-" L'Arc began to say excitedly to the Gem Girl.
Slap! "Ow!"
"No! We will not slink to that level L'Arc!" Therese reprimanded the King harshly with another slap to the back of his head. "Don't you dare try to corrupt Master Craftsman any further with your antics!"
"Oh, come on! He's the one that suggested it!" L'Arc crossed his arms in frustration. Why did this always keep on happening to him whenever Therese was around Naofumi!?
"Good luck with that. I'd do it whether this boy wanted me to or not." Naofumi rolled his eyes.
L'Arc didn't speak and continued to pout like a little kid. This was so unfair! Why did he put up with this crap!?
…
When L'Arc didn't stop pouting, Therese held L'Arc's hand in hers as they walked.
Oh… yeah, that was why he put up with this. The dumb redhead's mood immediately began to improve at the action.
Hopefully, it'd be a few minutes before Therese started playing hard to get again. He'd enjoy the hand-holding either way though.
…
As the group of three walked through the hallway, Naofumi thought back on something that had happened the previous day after getting back from the battle.
"Rafu!"
"Hey, Raph-Chan! What are you doing outside?" Naofumi asked curiously.
"Rafu!" The familiar raised a paw and pointed at the two piles of melted… something on the ground outside the house.
At first, Naofumi didn't recognize what it was. Then, after he absorbed some of the remains into his Shield, he realized that they were the remains of mimic monsters. "Did they try to attack the house while we were gone?"
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan nodded her head happily. Then, she conjured an illusion of herself and Chris taking down the monsters.
Awwww, it was really adorable seeing Raph-Chan tear one of the monster's limbs from it. She was really growing strong under his care.
"Pen!" Even the illusionary Chris was annoying, trying to glare at him for attention.
Naofumi patted the real Raph-Chan on the head. Then, he picked her up and carried her through the destroyed front doors. He'd have to feed her an extra good dinner for this. As well as give her many pets and belly rubs. Not to mention, tail floofs.
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan already couldn't wait.
In the midst of Naofumi's entrance, Hoshi, who had been busy drawing at one of the surviving desks, looked at him and then stood up quickly. "Oh, you're back! Is it over then?"
"Yes, we managed to win." Naofumi then looked at the bound Yomogi. "She hasn't caused any trouble since we left, right?"
"No. She hasn't woken up." Hoshi noted.
Naofumi knelt down to check on her, and, fortunately, the girl was still passed out.
"Alright. I'm going to take her to the castle's dungeons at the capital then. Raph-Chan can escort me while I-"
"Oh, wait, before you go. There's something else!" Hoshi reached into his weapon's gemstone and pulled out a curious-looking rectangular wooden box.
Right as he did so, a buzzing sound came from it. Naofumi recognized it as being the sound of a communication ofuda going off. "Raph-Chan and Chris found this on that girl's person roughly an hour or so after you left," Hoshi explained. "I considered answering at first but eventually figured that it might be better to let someone else do it.
"I'm not… particularly good at talking to others." He added despondently at the end.
"Rafu." Raph-Chan jumped onto the Ofuda Hero's shoulder and began nuzzling the boy's cheek.
Hoshi's mood immediately picked up, and he started to pet the floofy shikigami. The pair both looked happier within seconds.
Naofumi frowned as he took the box from Hoshi and opened it. Inside was a communication ofuda that looked like every other one.
He touched the paper slip with his finger without hesitation.
The voice that immediately came out was expected but still made the Shield Hero's blood boil.
"Yomogi! Finally, why the hell did you take so long to answer?! What happened?!" Kyo demanded an answer as he continued to frantically speak.
"The mimics that I sent to Sickle in advance went dark almost immediately after I ordered them to look for you when you didn't report on time and I still can't send the troops through the Hourglass! Was the raid unsuccessful?! Did you have to retreat!? Did you run into unexpected trouble? Answer me, damn it!"
…
"Hey there, Male Bitch." Naofumi spoke with cold disdain. "It's been a while. How's that arm of yours? Does the stump still hurt?"
…
…
"... You." Kyo's voice was heard again after a long pause, dripping with malice.
"Yes, me," Naofumi responded with equal intensity.
…
…
…
"Hm...hm...hmhmhmhm." The book hero chuckled. "Funny thing for you to ask me about my arm. I actually grew a new one recently and I'm better than ever!
"Ah, but forgive my rudeness! What about you, Shield Hero? How's that pet turtle of yours doing? You know, the one that you murdered with your own two hands.
"Is it still dead?"
…
…
Naofumi's expression took on a very dark look. "Finger or ear?" Naofumi finally spoke out after another tense pause.
"...what?" Kyo's smug tone of voice made way for one of confusion.
"Which part of your retainer would you like me to send to Luvar's capital first?" The shield hero elaborated with a deathly calmness about him. "Or would you rather I sent her back whole, inside of a body bag?"
…
…
"You...! You wouldn't dare!" Kyo raised his voice in fear. "Kizuna would never-"
"Kizuna isn't here right now." Naofumi interrupted him. "So, which one? Or would you rather have something else instead? Maybe an eyeball or a nipp-"
Naofumi's voice cut off as his eyes briefly passed over Hoshi and Raph-Chan. Both of them were looking at him with absolute terror. In the reflection of their eyes, the Shield Hero saw a twisted, dark figure holding the ofuda box. The gemstone of its shield pulsated with a red, menacing glow.
…
"You, if you do that to Yomogi, then I swear that I'll-" Kyo's voice began to come through the ofuda again, dragging the Shield Hero out of his thoughts.
"Just kidding." The Shield Hero changed his tone of voice to a mocking one. "It's not like you'd actually care if I did that anyway."
…
…
"...You are one sick bastard." Kyo spat out.
"Takes one to know one," Naofumi responded drily.
…
There was another tense moment of silence between the pair. As if one or the other was about to explode at any moment.
"Oh well." Kyo broke the silence again, his voice returning to the familiar mocking tone. "The assault has failed then, I assume? It doesn't matter anyway. This affair was mainly a field test to check out the performance of the new guardian beast hybrids that I developed. Did you enjoy fighting them by the way? They are quite ferocious, aren't they?"
"Rabid is the word that I'd use," Naofumi said, a bit of anger finally leaking into his tone again as his hand balled up into a fist. "I'll look forward to making you suffer when I find you."
"Huh?" Kyo grunted. "Wait, hold on a second, are you... are you angry at me on their behalf ? Pfft, hahahaha! You clueless ape! You don't know anything, do you?! You think I forced them into this?! Those girls did it all willingly! They have no one to blame but themselves for what happened to them!
"Let me guess, did their animal transformations begin to take them over? I did warn them to keep a level head or else that could happen. Guess they didn't listen though, just like the rest of the test subjects." Kyo laughed in response.
Naofumi's face paled. "There's more of them?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Kyo chuckled maliciously. Naofumi's eyes narrowed at his words.
"Anyway, do what you will with those that survived. They are of no further use to me anyway." Kyo then added in a bored voice.
"... Were you telling them the truth when you said that you could bring Kenshiro's younger brother back to life?" Naofumi asked. He didn't know why, but he had to make sure.
…
"I'll look forward to seeing you all soon. Shield Hero." Kyo ignored the question. "Do be prepared to face off against a Demon Lord when you arrive."
…
"And if you do so much as touch a single hair on Yomogi's head, I am going to rip yours off and then skin your 'wife-friend' and daughter alive."
Before Naofumi could say anything else in response, the communication ofuda suddenly burst into flames, making him drop the box in surprise. It landed with a deafening clatter, the ashen remains of the ofuda spilling out of it onto the floor.
…
"Wow… that was really something, wasn't it?" Hoshi said awkwardly, standing off to the side with Raph-Chan in his arms.
"Yeah, it was." Naofumi picked the box up and absorbed it into his shield.
Raph-Chan leaped from the Ofuda Hero to Naofumi, nuzzling against his neck and cheek.
His coming wave of anger and frustration immediately receded back. Naofumi began petting her back while looking around the room.
"This place looks like a dump. Let's get started on cleaning up this mess before everyone else arrives. Someone else can carry this girl to the dungeons later."
"R-Right." And with that, Naofumi and Hoshi began cleaning the front of Kizuna's home together.
Naofumi shook his head and cleared it.
He hadn't imagined that being how he'd first get to talk to the Male Bitch after coming to this world. Nor did he think that was how the conversation would have gone.
He'd imagined they'd speak to one another on the field of battle. The Male Bitch would flaunt his superiority as per usual, and Naofumi would dryly roast him with one insult after another. He would have baited the bastard into fighting and beat him with both hands tied behind his back.
Having talked with him over an ofuda, however, and the way their conversation had gone…
The memory of his voice still made his blood boil.
What he'd give to be able to personally punch the Male Bitch in the face once or twice as Rishia had.
Picturing that moment of their earlier battle in his mind, Naofumi began to smirk again. Oh, how satisfying he'd remembered it being when Rishia had delivered all those punches to Kyo's face like they were on sale. His smirk widened even more when he remembered a punch that'd knocked a tooth out of his mouth.
Maybe when they battled him again, Rishia could deliver more of that kind of punishment to his face?
The Male Bitch clearly deserved it, after all.
"Hey, Glassy. How are things looking in there?"
Naofumi was abruptly brought out of his thoughts at the sound of L'Arc's voice.
They were now standing in front of a set of large doors. Glass was standing outside, her fans resting in her hands. A contemplative expression was on her face.
…
The spirit woman shook her head.
"That bad, huh," L'Arc said, his smile morphing into a frown.
"I would be angrier considering who they are. But…" The spirit woman sighed. "I can relate to what many of them are going through too well right now."
Naofumi found himself frowning again.
Right, what he was about to see wasn't any matter to joke about.
Glass looked at the Shield Hero. "I would suggest you not go in there… But Raphtalia was the one who landed the killing blow on that scum. And she has been trying to help them all out since getting here this morning. I believe you should be fine to go in."
"I couldn't care less about what they think about me… But I'll try not to aggravate them too much." Naofumi promised.
He'd only come here to check on his family anyway. He didn't have any plans on staying for long.
The spirit woman nodded, and she pushed the doors of the room open.
…
The sight that he was met with made Naofumi hesitate.
He was already rethinking his plans on leaving early after checking up on his party.
The surviving girls of Trash's former harem lay on cots in the medical ward of the castle.
And they looked absolutely destroyed.
It wasn't only the grievous injuries that gave off this feeling. All of them were bandaged or wearing casts thanks to the damage the loss of their half-beast transformations had done to their bodies. Some were missing one or more of their limbs. Girls like Tsugumi who had almost been completely taken over by their beast transformations were entirely bandaged from head to toe.
Many of these girls' eyes were full of tears. Muffled sobs could be heard from a few hugging pillows to their chests.
Others just stared at the ceiling, bodies unmoving as their chests slowly rose up and down. It was as if they were just existing. Not meant for anything but to lie there and do nothing.
They weren't dead. But they'd certainly lost the will to live after everything they'd gone through.
Suicide was definitely on the table for many of these girls. They had no hope left in themselves whatsoever. Even Naofumi could see it as soon as he'd entered the place.
"Oh, Gods…" Therese muttered to herself, putting a hand to her chest. Not even the waves and the war against the demon dragon had given her opportunities to witness such gruesome sights on such a scale.
L'Arc didn't speak. He was trying to keep his face stern since these girls had assisted Kazuki despite learning that he'd been responsible for Kenshiro's death and the death of so many others… but even he couldn't help but feel pity for those who'd been their enemy.
It was no wonder Glass said they hadn't reacted angrily to Raphtalia being there. They'd lost the ability to feel anything. Even rage.
Many of these girls were nothing more but empty husks now. And if they weren't helped, they'd wither away and die the worst death of all.
Not caring about anything anymore. Not even caring about whether they lived or died.
…
Tsugumi, the de facto leader of Trash's harem, lay on her side on one of the nearby cots, facing away from everyone. Naofumi saw Raphtalia sitting next to her, trying to coax her to eat the food on the tray she'd set by her nightstand. Naofumi began to slowly make his way toward her.
The leader of Trash's harem didn't talk back to Raphtalia. Nor did she eat.
The feathered girl called Sumi hadn't been the only one to perish. Trash had a far larger female following than any of them had thought. Of the group of at least a hundred girls that had led the attack on the Capital… only forty-two had survived.
Naofumi and the others hadn't been fighting to kill. These people were more valuable alive than dead for the info they could have possessed on Kyo and his plans. So of those who'd died, almost all of them had been at the hands of their transformed friends.
Those who'd lived were left with a deep sense of survivor's guilt and regret.
Naofumi saw out of the corner of his eyes that Filo, Raph-Chan, and Dou-Lon were there too. Filo and Raph-Chan tried to use their cuteness together to assist some of the women in eating or drinking… with only various levels of success.
The fact that even Raph-Chan in her cutest pose was failing to get a reaction from these girls really spoke volumes about the severity of their situation.
Dou-Lon was in his demi-human form. He walked amongst the cots, sitting down and talking with some of the girls. Trying to encourage them to eat, drink, or to even say something back.
Most didn't respond at all. Others turned their heads away.
One of them did cry a little at his kindness and hugged him for it. Dou-Lon gave her a small smile when that happened… though the smile would fall as he came across the next girl who was dead to the world and wouldn't respond to anything he did.
This place really was a place of misery. Naofumi felt his heart twisting inside his chest, and his shield's gemstone seemed to glow bright green in sympathy for these girls.
Even though they'd been their enemies yesterday, Naofumi felt the same as Glass.
He actually pitied the girls of Trash's former harem.
When he'd almost reached Raphtalia, he paused as he noticed something in the corner of the large room.
"So, how have you been Yomogi? Have things been going well in Luvar lately? Did you ever manage to make that salmon hot pot recipe that I gave you shortly before I disappeared?"
Kizuna was sitting next to the cot that held Yomogi. She was the least injured out of all the girls, as she hadn't had the same beast experiments done to her. She had a cast over her right arm though, and her skin still looked pale after losing so much blood.
The girl was awake. Unlike the others, she didn't look destroyed in the slightest. Yet she refused to address the girl's questions despite Kizuna's best attempts to talk to her.
"I remember you saying how Kyo really praised that dish since it was rich in nutrients that would stimulate brain activity. Kind of wish he would tell us what he thought about the 'taste' though, heh."
…
"Don't pretend like you're still my friend, you two-faced bitch." Yomogi finally replied coldly. "You aren't fooling anyone, especially not when you're allowing a bunch of otherworldly invaders to wander around your kingdom like they own the place.".
The green-haired girl's eyes landed on the Shield Hero as she said that, and her words were followed by a growl.
Kizuna's mouth tightened as she had no idea how to respond to that without sounding angry. But her eyes followed Yomogi's glare and she breathed in before addressing the girl again. "Yomogi, please listen to me. Naofumi and Itsuki aren't bad people, they're- Ah!"
The hunting tool's hero was cut off when the green-haired girl suddenly spat in her face, making Kizuna recoil back.
"Kizuna!" L'Arc shouted in concern and ran over to her immediately, closely followed by Therese.
The brown-haired girl looked dumbfounded at first before her expression shifted into that of hurt as she looked down at the furious Yomogi again.
"Damn it, I told you to not bother." The king bit on his tongue as he pulled a handkerchief out of his scythe and carefully cleaned his little sister's face. "Yomogi has her mind set about this already."
"You're damn right about that." Yomogi continued to glare at them, and the Hunting Tools Hero continued to sniffle while feeling a painful constriction in her chest.
"But- but it's just a misunderstanding." Kizuna protested weakly. "Yomogi doesn't know about what happened in Naofumi's world!"
"What's there to know?" The green-haired girl bared her teeth. "That Kyo risked his life going to a whole different hostile world to save ours, only for his friends to turn on him and try to kill him?" Her glare shifted at L'Arc and Therese near the end. The two looked at their former friend with hard eyes while trying to comfort Kizuna.
Glass, who'd still been standing by the entrance at that point, joined them as well. Hugging Kizuna tightly to her chest so her best friend would feel better.
"Is that what the male bitch told you is going on here?" Naofumi asked through gritted teeth. His fist was clenched at his side.
"No, he only gave me bits and pieces. He doesn't like to talk about his friends betraying him, go figure." Yomogi bared her teeth again. "But it doesn't take a genius like him to figure out everything that happened. But you know what's the funniest thing?" The girl then looked at Kizuna again with hatred.
"I would understand these three falling for such an obvious ruse, they are idiots who can barely follow the orders given to them. I would even buy Ethnobalt falling for it, since he can be rather gullible, despite being as well-read as he is. But you, Kizuna? I do not believe even for a second that you would believe these otherworld two serpent-tongued pieces of trash. You are far too smart and good at reading people for that.
"Which can only mean that you are genuinely in cahoots with them and want to kill us all and destroy our world. And for that, I despise you and curse your name a thousand times over! As soon as I kill those invaders, I will be going after you next, regardless of what Kyo said about not hurting you! Mark. My. Words!"
...
"I see." Kizuna nodded sadly, pushing Glass and the others away and giving her a grateful smile before turning to Yomogi again. "I understand why you are so angry, Yomogi." The girl then looked up with a determined look. "But you are wrong. Naofumi and Itsuki are good people. And I trust them explicitly. They mean exactly what they say. I can only hope that you will be able to see the truth of my words soon enough."
" #$% off, Kizuna." Yomogi grimaced again and turned her head away.
The conversation seemed to die at that point and Naofumi finally continued on toward his destination, pushing Yomogi's words to the back of his head. Raphtalia was looking gloomy on the opposite side of the room.
Her shoulders had fallen as she couldn't get Tsugumi to eat. So he hugged her from behind and breathed the smell of her hair deeply while ignoring the corner of the room where Yomogi was entirely.
"Hmmm, you still smell as good as ever," Naofumi whispered into Raphtalia's ear.
Raphtalia didn't respond or get embarrassed. She merely nodded her head while staring down at Tsugumi.
"Do you need a break?" He asked her worriedly. "You've been helping them out since this morning. I can take over if you need me to."
…
She gripped one of his hands and turned to look at him. Even though her face was sad, her eyes were resolute. "No. I don't want to leave them yet."
"Not when they're like this."
…
"Is it because you see yourself in them?"
Naofumi almost bit back on his tongue as he let the inappropriate comment slip out. However, instead of getting angry, Raphtalia just deflated visibly before his eyes.
"Is it that obvious?" She asked quietly.
…
Naofumi nodded slightly, with some hesitation.
"It's just... regardless of what that person might have done to others, he seems to have clearly cared about these women for them to go this far for his sake. And the more I think about it, I can't help but start to wonder if I would have been just as complacent as them if you'd suddenly started doing horrible things and hurting others." The half-tanuki pondered out loud.
"What? Raphtalia, don't be ludicrous! You would never allow me to-" Naofumi tried to protest.
"But I already have." The girl raised her voice slightly as she turned to face him. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes. "At the wedding when I- when I let those children die… I couldn't think of anything but you. I didn't care about them at that moment, because you were more important to me. And- and when you hurt Melty, I just stood there and watched. Because I was afraid that you would abandon me too if I spoke out."
"Even-" Raphtalia hiccuped. "Even when Fitoria t-took Filo, when she took my own daughter away, I didn't do anything! I just kept my head low and pretended like nothing was wrong!"
"How can I judge these people after that, when I'm no better than them!? When I'm just as spineless! When I would kill innocents for your sake, just as eagerly as them, if you ever ordered me to!"
...
"I... I understand, Raphtalia." Naofumi slowly, gently put his hands on her shoulders and leaned in, pushing his forehead against hers. "I disagree with you, but I understand. What you're saying, it's not something that I haven't noticed. But truthfully, I don't even know where to begin in addressing it. I would claim all responsibility, but I don't think that's what you want."
"No, no it's not." Raphtalia's breathing slowly returned to normal. She felt a soothing melody coming from the Katana at her side as if her weapon was attempting to comfort her. "Let's… let's talk about this later, okay? There are others who need help first."
"Of course. Let me stay and help too then." Naofumi nodded before picking up her hand and kissing it.
Raphtalia didn't look surprised at the Shield Hero's words. She merely gave him a small smile as he accepted what the right thing to do in this scenario was.
Dou-Lon really had been right before. Friend or enemy, no one deserved to suffer like this.
The two proceeded to go through the room together. Naofumi assisted with changing sheets. Preparing food for the girls. Replacing the bandages on some of them and using more healing magic where it was needed.
None of the girls talked to him. Hardly any acknowledged him or his actions. A few that looked more aware than the others stared at him as he helped them. Yet only one of them looked at him with any form of disdain.
They'd really been battered down that much before now.
He didn't let the one girl bother him. Nor did Raphtalia, or Filo, or Raph-Chan, or Dou-Lon, or L'Arc and Therese; as the latter two had joined in helping out after witnessing Naofumi start doing the same.
L'Arc had still been conflicted at first. His hands balled into fists.
Yet when Therese began to gently wipe away tears from a girl's face while speaking in a soft, comforting voice to her, he couldn't help it anymore. The King of Sickle grabbed a spare change of sheets off a nearby table and began assisting Naofumi.
At one point, to the Shield Hero's surprise, Akane, Daitan, and Hoshi entered the room as well.
Akane went and sat with Kizuna and Yomogi while the two boys followed Naofumi to assist him with his work too.
Well, Hoshi at least assisted with changing the girl's bandages. Daitan tried to help out by providing some humor at first. But…
"Hey, did you fall from heaven, cause girl, you could be an-"
Slap!
Yeah, he still wasn't that funny.
He at least got something of a reaction though.
"Seriously, check the mood of the room before something else comes out of that mouth of yours," Hoshi whispered to his fellow Hero after that.
"I was just trying to make a joke to help her feel better…" Daitan's head slumped.
He was forced to help Naofumi with the bedpans after that.
And Naofumi forced him to keep his mouth shut for the rest of his time there.
It was several hours after he arrived, and it was almost time for Naofumi to head back so he could get dinner ready for everyone when Naofumi and Raphtalia came to Tsugumi's bedside once again.
The layer of misery and depression still pervaded the room. But he couldn't say that he and everyone else there hadn't done their best to help out.
Even Daitan, after keeping his mouth shut, had done his part in alleviating their suffering the littlest bit.
Naofumi hadn't seen Tsugumi move at all during that time. She didn't move when Raphtalia helped her stand next to the bed, and she said nothing when Naofumi and Hoshi changed the sheets. She didn't open her mouth when Raphtalia tried to coax her to eat.
Yet, after Naofumi was finished changing the bandages around her head, her mouth finally did open.
"Why?"
Naofumi paused in his task. He had to look down at her face as if to confirm that was where the voice he'd heard had come from. It'd been dry, almost completely monotone, if not for the amount of pain held within it.
"Why…?" The girl spoke brokenly again. "Why are you helping us?"
"... I just feel like it," Naofumi answered plainly in response. "Do I need a reason?"
Tsugumi stared at him for a long moment. Raphtalia moved next to Naofumi, and Hoshi and Daitan moved back out of view to observe.
"You… you're our enemy. You killed… him. The one who saved us, the only person to ever care about any of us."
Naofumi didn't speak. He crossed his arms and frowned as the girl continued in her broken voice.
"Without… him, our lives are meaningless. We have nothing. We… are nothing." Tsugumi looked down at her limp, bandaged hands.
"What did he do for you?" Raphtalia asked softly. "What were your lives like before meeting that man to make you appreciate him so much? What has he done for you that'd make you stand beside him even after his death?"
Naofumi looked pensively, allowing Raphtalia to take the reins of the conversation.
Tsugumi's fist clenched. "Piss off." She said, a hint of anger reaching her voice as she turned her head towards Raphtalia.
As she was about to say more though, her voice died in her throat.
"I know what it's like," Raphtalia said, the most serious look ever on her face. "I know where you're coming from far better than you realize."
Naofumi nodded absentmindedly.
It was clear why this was so important to the half-tanuki girl.
It was just like this when he'd first met her in Belouka's slave tent.
It was just like this when they'd found Keel and the others inside Idol's cellar.
It was just like this when she'd failed to protect her village… those kids… from the Spirit Tortoise's minions.
"I know what it's like to have nothing. To be nothing. To just sit in a cell, a cage, with no hope whatsoever, merely waiting for the moment I'd die."
"That's why I'm here. That's why I'm trying to help you. I don't want anyone else to ever go through what me and my friends had to endure. Please believe me when I say that."
"Rafu." Raph-Chan landed on her shoulder. She nodded in agreement with her best friend.
…
Life left Tsugumi's eyes again. "You say you understand?
"For all I know, you aren't lying and you probably did come from the same situation as me."
…
"That isn't going to make me feel better though."
"That isn't going to make me want to continue living my life without him."
"..." Raphtalia began to tremble again. Her fangs began to show in her mouth. "How… could you care so much about such a piece of scum? How could you remain loyal to him after everything he did?"
"Attacking the populace because he wanted a weapon. Allowing him to kill his allies with a single command without even trying to speak up before that happened?!"
"To try and harm me and those I love all because the Katana chose me as its wielder instead of him! I can understand what you're going through right now, but I can't understand how anyone could value scum like him so much!?"
Tsugumi trembled in her cot. Raphtalia opened her mouth to continue her rant, but the girl's next words stopped her in her tracks.
"Do you think the thought never passed through my mind?
"That it didn't cross any of our minds at one point or another?"
…
Raphtalia shook her head.
The scarred, mauled girl continued to tremble in her bed. "I knew there were moments when I should have spoken up. When I should have tried to help him to change. When I should have left him since there was no doubt it'd lead to this.
"But… he was so kind to us. He treated us with love and care. And… when other girls did speak up when they saw him being cruel to others. When they tried to get him to change his behavior towards other people…"
"Those girls eventually left for one reason or another. And the lives that they returned to weren't happy ones.
"All of them were my friends. I didn't want the same thing to happen to me and the others." Her hand weakly lifted up and gestured to the others in the room.
Raphtalia became sad again upon seeing that. She was reminded once again of when Naofumi began hurting everyone around him. How she'd been too scared to try and speak up in their defense. How she'd blindly followed his orders, and hadn't tried to so much as stop him from burning every bridge he had until…
"If… if there was even a chance to bring him back. To ensure that all of them would be able to be happy again, then… … then… … …" Tsugumi huddled her hands to herself.
"I don't care about what happens to me anymore. Not only did I lose him, but I killed some of my best friends with my own hands. All because Kyo promised he would resurrect him.
"They will never live again, thanks to me.
"I don't deserve to live. Help them. They are the ones who deserve life. Not me.
"Please, just allow me to die in peace.
"It's more than what I deserve after everything I've done."
…
Tears leaked from Raphtalia's eyes.
She honestly had no idea what she could say to comfort this girl right now. What she could do to try and spark a reason to want to stay alive. Even if she did understand her situation somewhat, she was at a loss. And it didn't help that she still had so much fresh anger for Trash and for herself in her mind.
She may have accepted that she was now the Hero of the Katana, but it didn't make it any easier for her to move on from her past mistakes! She was far from becoming the perfect Hero her weapon thought she could become!
Naofumi rested a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him helplessly, not knowing what to do and silently pleading for him to help.
But what could he possibly do? He pitied these girls, sure, but it wasn't like he was anywhere close to forgiving them for siding with Trash.
But then, in moments like this, it was as if he could read her thoughts perfectly. And he understood every unspoken message she was giving him.
…
…
After another moment, seeing how Tsugumi hadn't moved at all after ending the conversation with Raphtalia, and with the latter's eyes pleading with him to at least try, the Shield Hero sighed as he rubbed a hand over his face.
"Well, if that's really the way you feel about it…" Naofumi turned the chair next to the bed sideways. He then sat down in it, rested his elbows on the back, and then rested his chin on his hands before looking down impassively at the dead-looking girl in the cot.
"... Then maybe you should tell the others to roll over and die too.
"After all, I bet they might listen to you if you told them to do that."
…
Her boyfriend's dry words stunned Raphtalia. At first, she was shocked at the cruelty of his words. She'd been harsh earlier too, yes, but she hadn't been that harsh.
Rage then boiled in her veins. She genuinely wanted to drag Naofumi from the room, slap him across the face really hard, and maybe even throw him out a window for good measure.
"WHAT THE HELL!? WHO THE &^%$ SAID THAT!? I'LL TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB!" Tsugumi turned over, a look of absolute rage on her face.
Naofumi smirked victoriously. "Well look at that, you do still have something that you care about after all." He said, gesturing to the other girls.
It was only then that Raphtalia saw why Naofumi had said what he'd said.
Tsugumi's shout had drawn the attention of most of them. Even some of them who'd looked dead to the world only moments earlier.
"OF COURSE I DO, YOU IDIOT! GODS, I SAID I'M THE ONE THAT DESERVES TO DIE! NOT THEM!" Tsugumi shouted in rage.
Had she not been so injured and bandaged up, she might have attacked Naofumi then and there with how furious she was at his suggestion.
"Alright then, tell me this." Naofumi's smirk dropped to a serious face as he leaned in close. "Do you really think that you rolling over and dying is going to help your friends out?"
…
…
…
…
The girl's mouth hung open. She had no words for the question he'd posed.
"Do know that I don't regret what happened to Trash. If I'd been capable of it, I would have killed him myself for what he'd done to me, my friends, and all those innocent bystanders in general.
"It takes one sick &^%$ to not only murder your entire family, but your hometown and countless others just because you wanted a stupid weapon. As horrible as his death was, he deserved far worse for his crimes.
…
"However, despite how horrible you're feeling about that bastard and what I did to him right now, that isn't going to change the fact that you're still alive. And that your friends here are still alive too." Naofumi said, his voice hard, yet still holding a touch of care in it.
He continued to stare down at Tsugumi as she looked up at him in shock. "That isn't going to change the fact that they look up to you. And that they care about what you're going through too. Honestly, do tell me, do you think that your dying will help them to feel any better? Are you not their friend as much as they're yours? Did they not stick around that &^*%%$^ for the same reasons you were?"
"I…" Tsugumi struggled to speak.
"Isn't that why you said you didn't speak up to that man? Why none of them spoke up to him either? Because you didn't want any of them going back to a horrible life like others from before? Because they didn't want the same thing to happen to you?!" Naofumi pressed. "Do you actually think they care so little about you that your death wouldn't affect them at all?!"
…
Tsugumi hung her head. Tears leaked out the corners of her eyes.
"Look. No matter how people treated you in the past, you still have each other. And without Trash or Kyo around to govern your lives, you're finally in a position to help each other out. To live the lives that you want, instead of blindly following someone else out of a sense of obligation and loyalty."
"You're obviously going to need to make up for the things you did first. I'm sure once you've all recovered and have processed all your trauma his Majesty here is going to have all of you work off your crimes." Naofumi's eyes narrowed at the ponytail girl before him. "But knowing him, he'll probably give you all a slap on the wrist and a waiver to do what you want in his lands since you're all cute girls in his eyes.
"Right, boy." Naofumi turned to look at L'Arc.
"Ki- Naofumi, urgh." L'Arc gritted his teeth at the nickname. "Obviously, I'm not going to enslave anyone. But I'm not planning on letting them off easy because they look beautiful!"
…
…
There was a long pause that made the Scythe King swallow. Even Therese didn't look like she believed him.
Come on Therese. He really wasn't that bad. He only flirted with the waitresses in bars because he wanted to make her jealous. He swore that was it.
He definitely didn't want to take any other girl to bed or anything like that.
Maybe the alleyway outside the bar? But not for anything more than making out.
"Well?" Naofumi asked when it took a while for L'Arc to respond. Therese's stare was only becoming more icy by the second.
"Well… I planned on having them help to fix the damage they caused to my city… But after that, I didn't plan on anything too drastic. Public work or military service, I guess?" L'Arc admitted, rubbing the back of his head.
"Our world still has to fight the Waves after we've dealt with Kyo. And, to be honest, we need every pair of hands we can get." The Scythe King continued. "Though they've lost their weapons, there's no doubt they're strong enough to be able to assist as our previous battles with them have shown.
"It would also lessen the sentences I'd give them after the Waves are over. When we all survive this mess."
"... see? Case in point." Naofumi turned to Tsugumi again. Though he didn't see it, Therese's stare had become soft towards L'Arc again.
The Scythe King breathed a sigh of relief as Naofumi continued to speak.
"It's probably not what I'd do if I were in his shoes. But it's his country that'll have to deal with this should it turn out to blow up in his face like his attempts to make a working accessory."
"Hey!" L'Arc pouted.
"Naofumi, please tone it back a bit." Raphtalia finally told him.
"Alright." Naofumi breathed in deeply before looking at Tsugumi again. She was looking down at her hands. "My point is, don't just roll over and die because you let yourself be used by others.
"It's your life. If you're going to do something. Do it because that's what you want. Even if what you want is to one day get revenge on me. Just do it because that's what you really want and not because someone else that gave you something good ordered you to do it.
"Because otherwise, people like Trash and Kyo are going to keep on using you and your friends until all of you are dead."
...
...
"Or, they'll use you until you lose it and burn every bridge you have with others... Including the friends that genuinely care about you."
…
…
Naofumi's eyes clouded over for a moment, lost in memories that felt so long ago but were far too recent for him to be comfortable with. Raphtalia rested her head against his back, as well as a hand on his shoulder. The action brought him back to reality. "That's what I think, at least." He said, his face looking off to the side as his hand rested over his girlfriend's.
"After all, it's not like you have to take the word of the man who helped to kill someone that loved you."
Tsugumi said nothing in response.
…
Naofumi and Raphtalia eventually moved on to the last few girls. Hoshi and Daitan followed right behind the power couple.
"Naofumi," Raphtalia whispered in his ear as he was bandaging a girl's arm again.
"If it's about what I said, I'm sorry for being so harsh-"
Raphtalia shut him up with a kiss on the lips. He was actually surprised at the action, and it was over too quickly for him to try and return it.
She gave him a small smile as she pulled back. "Thank you, for what you said. It only continues to prove to my doubts that I made the right choice choosing to stand by you before. And it reassures me that I was right to say you are kind at your core."
Naofumi grumbled to himself. He swore he really wasn't that nice.
"If… remember, we promised to talk about stuff that was bothering us." He whispered to her. "If you ever need someone to talk to or listen, I'm here for you."
"I know… I just need more time to process some things." Raphtalia admitted. "I'll let you know when I'm ready."
Naofumi rested his forehead against hers. "I'll give you as long as you need."
The two were silent for a moment. Their breaths mixed with one another…
…
"Naofumi…" Raphtalia pulled back. He wondered if she was feeling better now or not. However, he was caught off guard by the deadly smile on her face.
"Y-Yeah?" He questioned.
"It might have worked out this time, but… I just want you to know that if you ever say such harsh things to someone else in this situation ever again…"
"I will not hesitate to throw you out of the nearest window."
…
Naofumi sweatdropped at how scary his girlfriend suddenly looked. It wasn't the hot sexy scary either, which somehow made it even more frightening than it already was.
"Do you understand?" Raphtalia continued in a faux-sweet tone.
"N-Noted. I-I'll make sure we're outside when that happens-" Raphtalia's smile somehow became even scarier at his words. It literally felt like something was crawling down his back.
"Actually, I'll be sure to watch my words in the future." Naofumi quickly chose to live instead of burying himself any deeper into the grave he was digging for himself.
Just like that, the scary atmosphere disappeared. Raphtalia gave him another smile and a kiss on the lips that he was able to reciprocate before she and Raph-Chan bounded off to help Filo and Dou-Lon on the other side of the room finish up.
At least he knew she was feeling better for the moment. Though, he was going to be there to listen when she was ready to talk.
…
Hoshi shuddered as he walked up to Naofumi. "That… that was scary."
"Yeah… I don't have anything I can add to that." Daitan admitted after gulping heavily.
"... though, the smile she was giving off there would definitely be useful for a Yandere character I have planned for my manga." Hoshi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Man, sex with her must be great if Naofumi here is willing to put up with that," Daitan said with an inappropriately pensive look. "You're so lucky man!"
Yep, Naofumi definitely had it there.
"Glass, please bury this idiot in the ground outside," Naofumi asked the nearby spirit woman. "I doubt L'Arc wants any more damage done inside of his castle right now."
"It'll be my pleasure." Glass didn't even hesitate as she grabbed the scrawny dirty blonde haired idiot by the ear and began to drag him out the doors.
"Wait- ah! I'm sorry, it was just a joke-! Please don't, this is getting really old!" Daitan pleaded for mercy.
"Should have kept his mouth shut." Akane sighed to herself.
Hoshi sighed to himself too. The Blunt Weapons Hero really needed to add a filter for his mouth.
Either that or admit he secretly had a fetish for domineering women planting his face deep into the ground or a wall.
…
It honestly felt like that idiot would never change.
A moment later, his job finally finished, Naofumi headed to the doors to leave. He was going to head back to Kizuna's house and prepare dinner for everyone after the long, exhausting day they'd had.
"You can't possibly mean any of what you said, you bastard!"
Naofumi stopped and turned at the sound of Yomogi's voice. The girl was glaring at him angrily.
"What?" The Shield Hero asked flatly.
"You're an invader in our world. All you want is to destroy it! You don't care about us or anyone else here!"
"I know your type! You're only using Kizuna and the others to your benefit! You're deceiving them and that's why they believe you're the good guys!"
"No, that isn't it at-" Kizuna began to say rapidly beside her.
"Is that what Kyo told you?" Naofumi asked, interrupting Kizuna mid-sentence. Unlike earlier, he continued after his first question. "Did it really look like I painted myself as a good guy there?"
…
The stubborn girl scowled in response but didn't say anything. Naofumi held his hands behind his back while staring back at her with the same flat expression from before. "I honestly have no idea what that guy has told you. But if you really had a single brain cell inside that head of yours, you'd know what he's claiming isn't anywhere close to the truth."
"Don't call me an idiot! I know what you're really after here! I will not rest until all the pain and suffering you inflicted on Kyo is returned upon your head tenfold!" Yomogi screamed at him.
Naofumi merely shook his head, continuing to look at the girl with contempt. "Right. Because Kyo is obviously in the right about everything. Just like Trash was to everyone else here."
He didn't bother to look at the boarish girl any longer. He turned back to the exit again. "I think you'll find that if there's anything I want, it's the exact opposite of what that Male Bitch has said about me.
"Besides, I'm not the one doing something that risks destroying the world Kizuna and her friends care about.
"I can't imagine what kind of monster would do something even knowing it could destroy those closest to him."
Naofumi walked out of the room after saying that. He didn't even bother to note Yomogi's retort to it.
He'd done what he needed to do there. His healing magic and his 'kindness' were no longer needed right now.
There were other things he now had to do.
Where he stood at the other end of the room, Dou-Lon was still smiling to himself.
"Ah, Sir Naofumi. You never cease to amaze me."
It'd only been a few minutes since the Shield Hero had left. Yomogi was still screaming her head off in her cot. But Dou-Lon and the others were almost done with their tasks.
Soon, L'Arc's medical staff would be coming back to take over for the night, after a long grueling day of treating the wounded soldiers elsewhere.
Hopefully, the help they'd provided here would make their jobs the littlest bit easier.
"Even now… Sir Naofumi's wisdom continues to surprise me." He said out loud again.
"He… that jerk amazes you?"
Dou-Lon looked up at the girl he was currently helping. If he recalled correctly, this was the same one he'd shown the act of mercy to alongside her friend Tsugumi.
"How could he not? He is the great Shield Hero, after all." Dou-Lon's smile turned into a grin.
"..." Mayori didn't say anything at first.
She, and almost everyone else there, had heard what Tsugumi had said. They'd listened to her conversation with the Katana Hero, and then the Shield Hero.
Their reactions were obviously mixed. Some were angry about how harsh he'd been to Tsugumi. Others had simply sunk back into their depression again. A few of them hadn't even cared that it had happened.
…
A few, like Mayori, were already pondering the words he'd said in their minds.
"He seems sort of average to me," Mayori said after a moment.
"... yeah, in some ways, he is." Dou-Lon agreed, much to her surprise.
"Isn't he a Hero from your world though?" She asked.
"He is." Dou-Lon agreed. "But as I've come to learn, he definitely isn't perfect."
The girl listened intently as the hakuko man continued.
"Sir Naofumi has made his fair share of mistakes. He even hurt me deeply with his words in the past." Dou-Lon's grin fell just a little, a sigh slowly escaped his lips.
"But he is a very good person at heart. Whenever he does make a mistake, he tries everything he can to make up for it. And when others are suffering around him, he will lend them a hand even if those people hate him for who he is."
This wasn't the first time Naofumi had done this. Even way back when he'd been peddling as a Night Merchant, he'd still helped with healing those that'd hated the Shield Hero.
Dou-Lon hadn't been around for it. But it'd been one of the things that'd come up in conversation with Miss Raphtalia while they'd been traveling together with L'Arc, Glass, and Therese.
"I don't know… he still seemed kind of harsh to me." Mayori looked down at the pillow she was clutching to her chest again.
"Yeah. But then, I think what he said was exactly what your friend needed to hear, no?" Dou-Lon asked.
Mayori looked up at the hakuko again in surprise. For some reason, the light of the evening sun shone through the window on him at that moment. Making his figure glow with an otherworldly light.
"You can't just live your life by what others dictate for you because of your race. Or the hand you were dealt. Or your life circumstances or geography or whatever you want to call it. I have no idea about your circumstances just like Sir Naofumi. But like him, I can speak from experience.
"It's your life to live, not anyone else's. You should have the freedom to stand up for yourself and for what you want and not live under the dictates of someone else. And it looked to me like your friend needed something like that told to her in strong words in order for her to listen."
…
Dou-Lon chuckled to himself. "Of course, if what you want is to murder others or do drugs or something like that, you should probably find something else you want to do with your life.
"It's your choice how you want to live, obviously, but making yourself or others suffer probably isn't the best way to go about it."
Little did Dou-Lon know that as he was rambling, Mayori continued to stare at him with growing awe.
"Anyway, is there anything else I can help you with?" Dou-Lon asked, clasping his hands together in front of him. He seemed happier that one of the girls had truly spoken to him at last.
"I-I…" The girl had to take a deep breath before she spoke again. "No, I'm good…"
"Alright. If you or your friends need anything else, feel free to let me know. There's not much else I can do besides train and wait for the day we invade Luvar so we can deal with Kyo once and for all. So I'll be more than happy to drop by and help in any way before that happens."
Mayori continued to stare at him, and Dou-Lon continued to smile. He felt happy that despite all the previous failures and disappointments, he'd been able to help alleviate the suffering of at least one person in this room right now.
Sir Naofumi's words had really struck a chord in the hakuko.
Even after he'd left, following behind Raphtalia, Filo, and the ever-lovable Raph-Chan as well as Therese and L'Arc, who'd had to leave to handle some things with his ministers, Mayori still stared at the spot where the hakuko had been standing.
Akane and Kizuna were still in the room. Trying to work together to calm Yomogi down. And Glass returned to the entrance, waiting to escort her best friend and the Jewel Hero back home.
Even as the sun gradually set outside, Mayori's gaze didn't move.
…
At some point, tears entered her eyes again. She hadn't even registered the nurses in the room who'd arrived to watch over them. She hadn't registered how the Heroes had left or anything else that'd happened during that time.
She didn't know what this feeling was in her chest. Gratitude? Appreciation?... Love?
...
Regardless, due to the Hakuko's kindness, Mayori was the first girl to finally grab the plate of food resting on her nightstand and start eating on her own.
Perhaps… even though she and the others hated him so much for putting them in this position with Kazuki's death…
Maybe there'd been a grain of truth in the great Shield Hero's words after all.
Just know, Lyron hasn't made art-logs for every Otherworld character just yet, so the rest of these aren't going to be organized or all that really.
Till Next Time
Allen
Chapter 11: Final Preparations
Notes:
Just know, the last chapter marked when I took a year break from writing this story a while ago. We're almost caught up to ff.net by this point, so I'm copying and pasting most stuff as is.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
- ENTRY #10 -
Damn this brat! Just what the hell is wrong with her?! I thought I had seen some awful ████████████ in my time, but never in my life would I have expected for a goddamn ████████████ to be this much of a slave driver! That stupid brat's bossiness is matched only by her ████████████ and ignorance. She is stubborn, stupidly innocent, and idealistic to a fault and it's driving me up the wall!
In short, she's the worst possible person we could have ████████████ right now!
She's never happy with any of the plans or the suggestions that I put forward! Not one! And only because they involve a high likelihood of ████████████ during them!
Even the freaking ████████████, the only other person in the ████████████ besides myself who seems to have more than a single brain cell in his head, agrees with me about how ████████████ would not only work, but that they're absolutely necessary for curbing the ████████████ advances against ████████████!
Label has already lost half of its territory, and ████████████ is nearly entirely taken over! Its Capital is barely holding out! ████████████ and other nations around the world are struggling to do their parts while we're over here twiddling our thumbs! At least my ████████████ is holding the monster hordes off, for the moment. In no small part thanks to ████████████ using her charisma to force the useless cretins at the Parliament to actually follow the orders that I send back to the letter. But even then, it's only a matter of time before ████████████ forces figure out some kind of weakness to exploit or straight up overwhelm the defense lines I set up to protect my assets and-
Anyway, as I wrote earlier the ████████████ has been trying to convince the ████████████ that sacrifices are sometimes necessary, but it's been to no avail! And despite her being a brat, the ████████████ and most of the others besides ████████████ basically give her free reign to tell everyone what to do, with only the barest minimum of restrictions! And even when ████████████ is here to knock some sense into her, it only lasts for a short while since he's always ████████████ fighting the monsters back and trying to ████████████ liberate his country's occupied territories!
It's absolutely ridiculous! This War will never progress in humanity's favor so long as ████████████ is in charge! Maybe that's why ████████████ told me to ████████████?! We'll only be able to stall the ████████████ advances at best if we're never willing to ████████████ to gain an advantage!
Urgh! I'm so tempted to ████████████ her right now! If nothing changes during these next few days, I might just do it! Forget about her ████████████! She is not just useless, she is a detriment that ████████████!
- ENTRY #11 -
Looking back at this last entry makes me want to just erase it, but alas. Even I am prone to make the occasional miscalculation.
My frustration from before finally boiled over because of ████████████ asked me how I can proclaim myself as ████████████ when I can't even put together ████████████.
I got very angry, almost to the point where I was ████████████. I had never felt such a strong desire to prove somebody wrong before. So after writing down my previous journal entry, I spent all night working nonstop, fueled by my rage over how this ████████████ could call me out on my 'supposed' lack of intelligence when she was the one who was obviously in the wrong.
Anyway, I wanted to prove she was wrong just so I could rub it in her face. And in an interesting turn of events, the ████████████, visited me the following morning while I was beating my head against this problem and helped me out.
At first, he just appeared to be concerned, since I didn't show up for breakfast in the ████████████ mess hall. He'd found my workspace in disarray, with notes and maps I'd pored over that night sprawled all over the place. And he just happened to pick one of my notes up and ask me why I'd discarded it. The plan I'd written on it had been feasible and would not only push the ████████████ but simultaneously ████████████.
There was a problem with it, however. And I begrudgingly explained to him that the ████████████ was suboptimal for such a large movement ████████████, and that it wouldn't fit the ████████████ had set for me. After studying it some more, however, the ████████████ suddenly pointed out to me how the map of that area that I'd been using was actually somewhat inaccurate and outdated to boot. He then pulled a different one out ████████████ for me to look over.
The two of us spent the rest of that morning poring it over together. And he was right. The map I'd been using really had been outdated. It didn't account for hills we could position ████████████ from. Valleys that we could use to ████████████ while our other ████████████ distracted.
Suddenly, my job became a whole lot easier! And ████████████ helped me out a ton too, showing how his ████████████ could contribute to the plan in ways I'd never thought about before.
In the end, I was able to present a ████████████ plan to ████████████ that'd cut off a part of the ████████████, reclaim a ████████████ in the future, and alleviate pressure on ████████████. I still remember how everyone in the room was shocked at its elegance and simplicity…
…
I'd planned on mocking ████████████ for her tantrum from the previous day. Now that I'd clearly shown how I actually was the smartest person they had in that room…
But instead of getting angry at being proven wrong, she beamed at me after I was finished.
"Thanks, ████████████! This is a miracle! I'm sorry for calling you stupid before! To think you were able to come up with a plan like this in so short a time! You definitely are the smartest in the world right now!"
…
Those were her exact words to me.
I was so stupefied that I wasn't even able to get in how ████████████ had helped me out, since his gathering of sources and data had been the only thing that'd made my job of drawing this plan up possible. But even when I tried to do that later in the conversation, ████████████ interrupted and kept me from speaking, telling me later that he'd only brought me reference materials and pointed out minor issues. I'd been the one doing all the brainstorming.
…
What is up with everyone here?
- ENTRY #13 -
It's been a week. The plan that I put forward went off without a hitch.
The ████████████ suffered a crushing defeat. ████████████ himself almost killed another one of the ████████████ help. And while our foe got away with her wind magic in the end, she's definitely far too injured to participate in any future ████████████ anytime soon, so I'll count that as a win.
My plan went even better than expected too. All of ████████████ territory was liberated. What I thought had only been a weakness in the surrounding area had actually allowed ████████████. By the time they finally realized we'd cut them off ████████████, they'd been surrounded by ████████████ on all sides.
All the experts would say that our counteroffensive should have had double to triple the casualties than the other side. But that didn't happen. By the time it was over, we only lost ████████████.
…
I actually expected ████████████ to throw another tantrum and complain about the fact that people had still died despite my brilliant plan working so well, but… she didn't.
She thanked me again instead and hugged me after listening to the full report along with the other leaders of the alliance.
I really should have kept my mouth shut and just rolled with it, in retrospect. But my annoyance and anger at her ████████████ reared its ugly head again. I could not help but bitterly and mockingly ask why she was not showing any reaction to the news about all the deaths. She used to make such a huge stink every time anyone would even remotely bring up the possibility of such a thing happening before. So why did I even bother putting in the effort into this plan then?
All the eyes in the room were on her. The others joined me in solidarity for once, even the ████████████ who was the one responsible for letting ████████████ do whatever she wanted in the first place.
…
Her response made me rethink a lot of things.
It turned out that the reason why she was angry before was not because our actions would result in people's deaths. Rather, she was furious because we not only accepted such a thing as the norm, but were, in fact, actually planning around and for it, by using the lives of the soldiers as just another asset to use and gain an advantage.
She wasn't actually so stupid and ignorant that she thought that we could legitimately win without suffering any casualties. No, what she wanted was to eliminate this particular mindset at ████████████; that our people are simply pieces on a chessboard to move around and sacrifice as we see fit.
"We shouldn't be planning out how we are going to die." She said, "We should be planning out how we're going to smile and live together!"
…
While I personally disagree with such sentiments, I have to admit that the brat is not as stupid as I thought her to be. Even if it was done in a rather crude and hamfisted way, her actions inspired everyone, including myself, to act and put more effort into our work. Which in turn improved both its overall quality and quantity.
I'm still annoyed by her overly positive attitude… but I can't help but concede now that her presence here is bringing an overwhelmingly positive impact on everyone's morale.
…
I wonder if even Kenshiro is starting to take notice of that too?
The Katana Hero seems to be going just a tad easier on her compared to before as of late.
The next few days passed by quickly for the Shield Hero.
Label's Minister returned with his troops who'd managed to escape with the Katana Country's supply of Guardian Beast and Demon Dragon materials two days after the battle in Sickle. These materials were handed off to Romina as well as Kizuna, Naofumi, Itsuki, Raphtalia, and the other Heroes to unlock new weapon forms.
Along with the Guardian Beast materials, there were also the white tiger clone materials that Naofumi hadn't had a chance to absorb before from their battle at Label's Capital.
L'Arc and Glass didn't get anything besides some of the Byakko Clone material, as they'd already unlocked the weapon forms for the Guardian Beasts long ago.
The group of Heroes gained a variety of new weapons from absorbing them. Naofumi was a bit disappointed that the majority of them either gave bonuses to stats, access to new crafting and compounding recipes or increased his resistance to different kinds of attacks. None of them were near as powerful as the Spirit Tortoise Heart Shield either.
He wasn't expecting an attack increase, nor did he want it anymore. He did, however, want some new skills in his repertoire to better help everyone out, as well as a shield that had more defense to it. It hadn't helped that Label didn't have all the parts of the Guardian Beasts of their world, so the branch of weapons he and the others unlocked remained incomplete.
Thankfully, amongst the dozens of shields he acquired, Naofumi did get four Shields that had new skills for him to use:
Conditions Met! Black Tortoise Shell Shield Unlocked!
Equip Bonus: "E Float Shield"
Conditions Met! Byakko Pelt Shield Unlocked!
Equip Bonus: "One Hundred Shields"
Conditions Met! White Tiger Clone Shield Unlocked!
Equip Bonus: "Chain Shield"
Conditions Met! Red Vermillion Feather Shield Unlocked!
Equip Bonus: "Bunker Shield"
"Huh, it's about time," Naofumi muttered as he looked at the descriptions of the new skills he'd acquired.
"What did you get?" Itsuki, who was absorbing the new materials next to him, asked curiously.
"Let's see… it looks like E Float Shield allows me to summon a shield that I can either hold onto with my other hand or make it float around me wherever I need it. Nice, that's actually pretty useful." Naofumi muttered in appreciation.
"Then One Hundred Shields… hmmm, it summons a lot of shields simultaneously. I can either summon them to protect multiple areas all around me or focus them in one spot to make a multi-layered barrier. That's really good too!" With a skill like that, he'd finally be more capable of defending small armies on his own! Even if these shields weren't as strong as the Air Strike Shield series, it was still incredibly useful!
"Next up, Chain Shield… it looks to be like a different version of Change Shield. If I use Air Strike Shield, Second Shield, and other shield skills, I could then use Chain Shield to link all the summoned shields together in a chain." In short, it was basically a skill that he couldn't use until after he'd summoned two or more shield skills. But with it, he wouldn't be able to just trap targets between two shield skills, but also be able to squeeze them inside and restrict their movements even further thanks to Chain Shield.
It should make landing skills like Hope Asunder or Pandora's Box much easier for him to do since his Rope Shield had long since become obsolete. Very nice! He was going to keep that one up his sleeve for when they finally dueled Kyo.
"Lastly, Bunker Shield… … … …"
Naofumi glared down at the Shield on his arm.
"What does it do?" Raphtalia, who was also there, asked next.
"According to the info on it… Oh, come on! It nullifies defense-piercing and defense-rating attacks!" Naofumi yelled angrily.
…
The others looked at him in confusion.
Hadn't he just put a bunch of work into learning life force just so he could do that recently!? What the hell was with his Shield's sense of humor?!
"Seriously? Let's try it out, to make sure." The Bow Hero suggested.
Naofumi grumbled, but he equipped the Shield to his arm and turned to face Itsuki. The Red Vermilion Feather Shield was like a Tower Shield, only covered over with soft red feathers.
As the Shield Hero selected the skill, his HUD flared up, giving him options on where to place the barrier. He then selected the area in front of him. "Bunker Shield!"
A dome-shaped barrier colored with a lighter shade of blue than the Meteor Shield appeared in front of him. Itsuki looked it over for a moment and then held his bow up after shrugging once. "Eagle Piercing Shot!" He shot the skill at the barrier, expecting it to go through just like with Kyo's barriers.
Only, the arrow simply dispersed as the Eagle got absorbed into the skill. Besides waves of energy going over the dome-shaped barrier, the attack did nothing to it.
"That's actually… that's actually pretty good, Naofumi. I don't see why you'd complain about something like that." Itsuki told him. It was definitely nothing like his Bunker Shot skill, which only had a situationally useful feature of doing more damage the closer he was to a target.
Also, while it was meant for defending specifically against those kinds of attacks, it was still capable of protecting against regular attacks as well. So Naofumi could use it as an additional skill to protect others if he needed to.
"Maybe it's because I've literally spent the last couple of weeks training to do that without a skill." Naofumi grumbled. "... Although, if I can place it anywhere around me, then perhaps it'd be useful for protecting others who can't do that instead."
Raphtalia and Filo smiled happily. And it helped bring a smile back onto his face. Okay, maybe the skill wasn't entirely useless.
Still, he was never going to understand his Shield's sense of humor.
As for Itsuki, he gained the skill Tornado Arrow from a Byakko bow. It was basically the same skill his Wind Arrow had been turning into thanks to one of Naofumi's accessories. He also got Ranged Shot from a Black Tortoise Bow, which would allow him to not only launch the skill from miles away but give him enough time to use Change Arrow on it. Lastly, he got E Float Bow from a Red Vermillion Bow.
This allowed Itsuki to summon a Bow that'd float around him and act like an automatic turret
It was honestly pretty freaking cool.
Lastly, as Naofumi was absorbing materials from the Demon Dragon Kizuna had fought and killed years ago, he came across one more important Shield that offered an additional skill.
Conditions met! Demon Dragon Shield Unlocked!
Equip Bonus: skill: "Attack Support"
"Huh, I unlocked one more skill," Naofumi muttered. Five skills in one day, not bad.
"Oh? What is it?" The Bow Hero asked.
Naofumi used the skill, which summoned a dart into his hand. After examining it, he found out that it was just like Kizuna's Lure Needle. If he hit his target with it, they'd take double the damage on the next attack in the area where the dart hit.
He could only use it on one individual at a time, unlike Kizuna's version. But the fact that he could apply a damage multiplier to enemies too made him extremely happy as he informed Itsuki and Kizuna about it.
"Sweet! Maybe if we use both our skills together, we'll be able to put a x4 damage multiplier on a target!" Kizuna's eyes flashed with enthusiasm.
"No way! If I get one as well, then…" But when Itsuki absorbed the Demon Dragon materials into his Bow, a frown plastered itself onto his face.
"So? What did you get?" Naofumi asked impatiently. Kizuna stared at him as well.
"Grumble grumble."
"You'll have to speak up, Itsuki. I didn't catch that at all." The Shield Hero kept pressing.
…
"Nothing." The Bow Hero crossed his arms and turned to the side. It was plain to see though that the Bows he'd gotten were just stat and ability boosts like most of the other Bows he'd gotten absorbing the Guardian Beast materials.
Naofumi had no idea what he was complaining about though. He could dish out so much damage with his attacks now that a multiplier on top of that would just be overkill.
And that pretty much covered what he and Itsuki had gotten from their new weapon forms. Raphtalia, Kizuna, and the others had probably gotten some stuff too, but Naofumi didn't know what they got from their new weapon forms.
Regardless, thanks to the shipment of materials arriving from Label, Romina had also managed to finish their armor and weapons the day after their arrival.
"It's about damn time," Naofumi muttered as he saw the table laden with weapons and armor before them later when they arrived at the female blacksmith's workshop.
Raphtalia sighed but agreed with her boyfriend. They really could have used this equipment a lot sooner.
"I did as much as I could with the materials I had on hand. So this is probably some of my best work all around!" Romina laughed to herself after seeing the looks of awe in the eyes of the Heroes and their allies. Particularly in the hakuko's.
"How did you manage to finish these so quickly?" Dou-Lon asked, his voice filled with gratitude and respect for the master blacksmith. "I didn't think you'd make so much progress after I came by yesterday."
"Eh, I had the molds prepared for most everything beforehand. I did as much as I could without the materials for sections of armor. And then I stayed up all night making sure everything went together correctly." The tall woman shrugged. "Not too much work in the end if I'm being honest."
"Really?" Naofumi asked.
"Of course! Is it any wonder I wanted to spend so much time watching you work, Master Craftsman?! There wasn't much else I could do besides sit and twiddle my thumbs while waiting for the rest of what I needed to arrive!" Romina began to roar with laughter again.
…
Naofumi's left eye twitched in annoyance,
Still, as annoying as she'd been, he could not argue with the results of her work.
Raphtalia copied the two katanas she'd made, and then Dou-Lon got to keep one of the blades.
The other went to Rishia, who needed a replacement for her odachi. But both the hakuko and the green-haired girl looked appreciative of their new weapons.
"Is this really made from Guardian Beast materials? It feels so light." The hakuko said in awe as he looked over the blade in his hands.
Black Tortoise Katana
"It really does!" Rishia agreed.
Byakko Katana
Naofumi couldn't even appraise their stats. They were that well made.
Naofumi wished that they could bring them back to their original world later. Dou-Lon looked like he could cry from how happy he was.
"Ah, a perfect fit, just like always." L'Arc complimented the woman as he slipped into the samurai-like lamellar armor she'd made for the King. The individual scales moved perfectly with his body and would help to provide him decent protection while not sacrificing his mobility in the slightest.
"Yes, indeed." Glass also looked herself over in a mirror. While she preferred to make her own outfits… She couldn't deny that Romina was much better at making protective garments than she was. This was her most powerful kimono yet.
"Oooh! Filo loves Filo's new outfit!" Filo dashed around happily, wearing a new ocean-blue kimono that transformed along with her.
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan bounded after her sister, looking cute and adorable like always.
"Hmmm…" Raphtalia frowned and leveled a look at Naofumi after seeing what she was getting. "Is there any reason why Romina made me a new Miko Outfit instead of making me something like what L'Arc or Dou-Lon are wearing?"
"Nope. No reason at all." Naofumi grinned widely, already getting a slight nosebleed from how hot Raphtalia looked in her new Miko Outfit.
It really didn't look different from the old one. The stats on it were a bit better though.
And Raphtalia still looked as hot as ever in it.
"Hmmmm." Raphtalia continued to glare at her boyfriend suspiciously, but eventually pulled up the Byakko Katana she'd copied, and then muttered something under her breath. Afterward, a second katana appeared in her hands.
"Oh, you can dual wield now?" Naofumi asked in surprise.
"It looks like it." Raphtalia cocked her head to the side. "I wonder if this means that Ren will be able to dual wield too?"
That'd be something interesting to find out after they got back. They really had gotten a lot more than they'd bargained for from Romina.
Actually, now thinking about it, could Ren copy weapons from all of Raphtalia's weapon forms? That'd be super handy if he could, especially with the forms Raphtalia got from absorbing monsters. While Ren had shown that he could copy katanas before, he seemed to get nothing but European-style swords from absorbing monster materials. So if this worked, it could give Ren a whole new series of weapons he could unlock in his free time.
"Sorry Naofumi, but I can already tell you that it won't work." Itsuki butted in suddenly.
"Wha- stop reading my mind!" Naofumi shouted at the Bow Hero. "And what do you mean it wouldn't work?"
"Kizuna also has access to bows, and while we were in Lapis together doing nothing, I checked to see if we could copy each other's weapon forms or not." Itsuki shook his head. "Needless to say, it didn't work."
"Yeah, I might not use bows much, but Itsuki really had some nice ones I would have liked to use." Kizuna shrugged next to him. "Oh well, you live and learn, right?"
…
Naofumi groaned.
Great, there went another potential idea for strengthening the Heroes out the window. Not like he'd met any Heroes who used shields or gauntlets or the like yet. Still, it would have been so cool…
Maybe they could see about having Ren at least copy the two Guardian Beast katanas Dou-Lon and Rishia were wielding. Their stats might get scrambled up on the return home, but Ren might still be able to copy them then… right?
Overall, everyone seemed to love the gear the blacksmith had made for them…
…
"You've got to be &%$#%$# kidding me!"
Or not.
Naofumi finally found the armor Romina had made for him… and he had some very choice words for what he thought about it.
"Is there something wrong, Master Craftsman?" Romina asked, sounding hurt.
"How, just… how?! HOW?!" Naofumi demanded angrily. He hadn't even brought that armor set to this world! It had been &^%$&^% melted by the Spirit Tortoise into a useless pile of slag! It should have been IMPOSSIBLE for Romina to recreate it!
Barbaroi Armor (Cursed)
Equip Effect: Defense Up (Max), Impact Resistance (Large), Slash Resistance (Large), Fire Resistance (Large), Wind Resistance (Large), Water Resistance (Large), Earth Resistance (Large), HP Recovery (Low), Magic Recovery (Weak), SP Recovery (Weak), Magic Power Up (Medium), Dragon Emperor Revolt, Four Holy Beasts Power, Magic Defense Processing, Automatic Self-Repair, Growth Power
To be fair, its stats were phenomenal. The array of bonuses and resistances would have it be useful against any enemy in most situations too. It was THE BEST armor Naofumi had ever seen.
But its appearance… It was as if Romina had created his old Barbarian Armor and just changed its appearance slightly so it'd fit with the aesthetics of this world.
In other words, it would have made him look like a horny no good Japanese Bandit King.
"How what?" Romina asked again, growing even more flustered.
Naofumi was seeing red. There was no &%$# #$ way! He'd compared Romina to being a lot like Elhart before, but this was ridiculous! He knew he should have realized it when he saw what she was working on, but he'd written it off as absurd. There was absolutely no way.
But there was a way, clearly, as it was laying before his eyes right now in all of its glory. And despite how good it was, only one thought came to Naofumi's mind.
"I am NOT wearing that!" Naofumi finally stated with finality.
"Huh?!" Romina looked simultaneously crushed, distraught, and destroyed at the same time. "Is it because of the cursed attribute?! I didn't think it'd affect you due to your high defense!"
"I don't care! I'm not wearing that thing!" Naofumi stated angrily.
"I-It also only happened after I decided to put the Demon Dragon's core in its chest plate. I could remove that if you're not that fond of wearing cursed armor, though it'd get rid of a lot of the boosts that appeared with it-"
"NO! READ MY LIPS! YOU CAN REMOVE WHAT YOU WANT BUT I'M NOT WEARING THAT PIECE OF &^%$ EITHER WAY!" Naofumi roared in defiance.
"Naofumi, what are you talking about?! You need better armor!" Raphtalia said next to him in agitation.
She was also looking lustfully at the armor and imagining Naofumi in it. That might have turned Naofumi on in a different context, but that wasn't the case here.
"P-Please, I do not understand. Even without the core, this would look perfect on you Master Craftsman-" Romina began to say to him after Raphtalia raised her displeasure.
"No way! I refuse to budge on this!" Naofumi replied heatedly. "Get that &%$# far away from me this instant!"
Romina immediately paled at his words, and then she fell to her knees.
If one looked closely, one could have seen her soul leaving her mouth.
The great Master Craftsman hated her work and had called it &^%$, twice.
She clearly wasn't worthy of living anymore.
"Geez Naofumi, what's got your underwear all twisted up?" Kizuna asked curiously.
"Sir Naofumi! Put it on! It'd look so cool on you!" Dou-Lon pleaded.
"Rafu! Rafu!" Raph-Chan cheered on Dou-Lon's shoulder. Even she was all for her Daddy wearing the cool-looking armor!
"Please, Master Craftsman! Do it or else I fear Romina will die from despair!" Therese begged on her knees for her fellow Gem friend.
Naofumi's only response was a death glare directed at all of them. As well as everyone else in the room who stepped forward to try and convince him. Including Raph-Chan.
Naofumi absolutely refused to look like a bandit king ever again.
Not even Kizuna standing in the corner comforting a sobbing Romina made him budge on it.
...
Though, it at least made him explain the reasoning behind his actions in a slightly calmer manner.
"I'm wearing this new Miko Outfit since I KNOW how much you love it. And you won't wear a set of armor that I LIKE IN RETURN?!" Raphtalia's eyes were on the verge of turning red from anger.
…
He might have also had to explain his reasoning further so he could avoid getting defenestrated by his very pissed-off-looking girlfriend.
It still took a while for the blacksmith to recover and for the others to understand exactly why Naofumi didn't want to wear the armor despite how good it was. And when they did, Romina quietly brought out a backup set of armor she'd made in case the others didn't like the armor they'd been given.
After a quick refitting, Naofumi was able to put it on.
Byakko Samurai Armor
Equip Effects: Defense Up (Large): Wind Resistance (Max): HP Recovery (Low): Magic Recovery (Weak): SP Recovery (Weak): Ally Wind Magic Power Up (Large): Four Holy Beasts Power, Automatic Self-Repair
At the very least, it didn't look anything like the Barbaroi Armor whatsoever. Though its stats weren't nearly as good in comparison for some stupid reason. Wasn't this thing made from Guardian Beast materials too?! How the hell was it weaker?!
Oh well. At least it wasn't cursed. Sad how that was its greatest advantage over it.
Romina said the curse only broke the ribs of the wielder. But that shouldn't have affected Naofumi due to his high defense stat. Yet he still refused it because of the fact he'd look like a villain once again if he put it on.
"I'm truly sorry for the shame I brought upon myself, Master Craftsman." Romina bowed her head apologetically. "I shall strive to make a better creation for you in the future."
"It's not like we'll be in this world for much longer after we find… Kyo…" Seeing the look on her face continue to fall, and the others in the room now death glaring at him, Naofumi sighed. "Fine. You can do that in case I somehow ever need to come back here for some reason or another. Just DO NOT THINK ABOUT MAKING ME LOOK LIKE A BANDIT KING EVER AGAIN, YOU GOT ME?!"
"Yes, absolutely!" Romina's face immediately brightened as he stayed and gave her a sketch of what she could work on for him in the future. It would be similar to what Elhart was making for him back home, just modified to fit in the aesthetic of this world.
"I shall gladly work on this for months to come!" Romina declared proudly.
"Oi, don't shout that as if you expect me to come back!" Naofumi replied angrily.
It was overall a weird interaction and left his purse just a little bit lighter than before.
Meaning it was just like seeing Elhart all over again.
Only, he could have done with a lot less crying.
And a lot less of people trying to make him look like a freaking villain.
Seriously, what the hell was wrong with everyone?!
Alongside those… activities, Naofumi continued his compounding experiments with the various herbs and ingredients in this world. As well as crafting accessories for his friends and allies.
He felt he was really close to a compounding breakthrough that'd help Kizuna and the other Heroes out in this world. But he'd save that for another time when he actually finished it.
Accessory-wise, he gave Kizuna her lure and Glass her fan accessory at the same time. They both really appreciated them.
Kizuna especially. You could have sworn Christmas had come early for her with the way her eyes shined upon seeing the lure.
"I'm going to treasure this for the rest of my life!" Kizuna exclaimed after she hooked a monstrous Kraken of a fish with it as easily as she would a small trout.
She already thought it was the best thing ever. But as soon as it went back into the water…
"Eh? Already?" She then pulled out another large Kraken fish.
And then another.
And then another.
And then another.
And then another.
"Holy- is this thing attracting the fish to it!? AWESOME!" Kizuna now had stars shining in her eyes. If she'd thought it was Christmas before, it was now Christmas and her birthday combined into one awesome package. "THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFFFFFFFFE!"
"Oh no…" Glass groaned as she rubbed her hands against her face where she stood. She could already tell that Kizuna's new 'toy' would be a huge pain in the neck whenever the girl wanted to go fishing in the future.
Oh well. She at least appreciated the new additions attached to the handles of her fans. They didn't get in her way when she opened and closed them. And they were enchanted specifically for her race.
Fan Handles: Quality: Really Great
Spirit Race Energy Cap Up (Max)
Yes, Naofumi had learned that was an enchantment in this world. And it'd also been why it took so long to get Glass's accessories ready despite how simple they were.
He'd made at least a dozen other accessories just like them trying to get one with an enchantment that'd suit Glass best.
Romina certainly appreciated having the discarded ones on display.
Not that she ever planned on selling them. They were the work of the Great Master Craftsman, after all.
Yeah, she was still weird. But at the very least, Glass 'appreciated' the hard work Naofumi had put into her accessory to give her as great a power boost as possible.
"With this much energy, I won't tire so quickly in battle," Glass commented after she'd taken the time to rest and kill some weaker monsters to gather energy for herself.
"Meaning I won't have to spend as much time worrying about you Glassy," L'Arc smirked beside her.
"Whatever." Glass rolled her eyes in response.
"So, Kiddo, do you have something for me too?" L'Arc asked excitedly. "Something that will potentially power me up to perform even more extreme feats compared to before?"
"No." Naofumi immediately replied in a flat tone of voice.
…
The smile on the King's lips slowly died. "What?"
"If you wanted one, then you should have asked." Naofumi continued dryly.
"OH COME ON NAOFUMI! YOU MADE ONE FOR BOW KIDDO AND HE DIDN'T ASK FOR IT!"
Naofumi had also finished the accessory he'd made for Raphtalia. A sheathe for her katana that was made from multiple gemstones.
It allowed his girlfriend to carry her weapon around without wrapping it in cloth or having to resort to lesser sheathes that ripped and tore after having the katana stored in them. It also had a special bonus that when she sheathed it for a little while before pulling it out, it gave her a speed bonus similar to Filo's Haikuikku for a few seconds.
Yeah, he was a pretty awesome boyfriend. It not only looked pretty, but it was also practical. Just the way Raphtalia liked it.
"STOP!" L'Arc yelled. "STOP IGNORING ME!"
Naofumi had also made an accessory for himself. It was similar to what that Accessory Merchant at Cal Mira had gifted him. Except, unfortunately, it didn't offer him a defense bonus.
It instead offered him a Magic Up (Medium) bonus. This would make his support and healing magic more potent. The other bonus it had disappeared to provide an extra effect to his Meteor Shield skill. Naofumi wouldn't spoil what it was, but it'd definitely come in handy later.
"I'M RIGHT HERE!" L'Arc continued to scream. When that failed, he proceeded to start throwing random items off a nearby counter. "AHHHHHHHH!"
That was all he had to report on when it came to accessories. He'd managed to make all the ones he planned on making…
Which included an extra one for Therese.
"T-The pure joy coming from this gem Master Craftsman!" Therese exclaimed with awe and wonder in her eyes upon seeing the bracelet Naofumi had made for her.
Sapphire Flower Bracelet: Quality: Really Excellent
Ice Magic Up (Large) Water Magic Up (Medium)
It was very similar to the one he'd made for her at Cal Mira, only it was made from different materials, most notably from what was left of the Sapphire Flower that he'd used to finish up another accessory for someone else back home.
"The blue of this sapphire will go well with the one embedded in your forehead." Naofumi acknowledged with a smirk, his eyes glancing over at L'Arc who'd finally gone silent and stood in stunned astonishment.
"Naofumi…" Raphtalia warned beside him.
Naofumi didn't respond. He instead looked back to Therese again. "I noticed you used a sapphire before to cast that blizzard spell back in Label. Using this as a medium should help to make that spell even more potent." Once again, it was an accessory that was beautiful and practical.
Therese appreciated it far more than Raphtalia had.
"Y-YES! I WILL! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR GENEROSITY MASTER CRAFTSMAN!" Therese prostrated herself at Naofumi's feet and thanked him with all of her heart.
"If you're really thankful, you could let me poke through the treasury here and- Ok! Ok! That was just a joke, Raphtalia!" Naofumi's voice took on a slightly higher pitch when he saw his girlfriend start to pull her katana out of its shiny new sheath. It looked like she'd switched to her strongest weapon form too!
"That's it! You are sleeping on the couch tonight, mister!" Raphtalia scolded him. "And no tail fluffing for a week!"
"No, please, not the tail fluffing- OW!" Naofumi whined as Raphtalia suddenly lunged forward faster and chomped on his ear.
Meanwhile, L'Arc had fallen to his knees and was bawling his eyes out. Didn't Naofumi tell him earlier that he should have asked him for an accessory if he wanted one? How come he'd made one for Therese then without her asking him?! Didn't he know he'd been trying to make her an accessory in his free time?! Naofumi's looked so much better than his too!
Why!? WHY WAS THIS WORLD SO UNFAIR!? WHY DID FREAKIN' NAOFUMI HAVE TO BE SO GIFTED WHEN HE WAS NOT!?
"It's… it's ok, L'Arc. It's the thought that counts." He hadn't even registered that Therese had moved to rub his shoulder. But he didn't appreciate the pity in a moment like this!
"Mark my words, I'll become a better accessory craftsman than you Naofumi! No matter what it takes!" L'Arc yelled at the Shield Hero.
"Ow! Ow Ow Ow!" Naofumi didn't even have the chance to retort as his girlfriend was still gnawing on his ear to show her displeasure at his attitude.
There were more repairs made to the house. And Naofumi helped with cooking and other things. But besides that, there wasn't much for him to note for those few days after Kyo's failed attack on Sickle.
But eventually, Lapis's fleet had finally arrived.
"Naofumi, wake up."
"Ughhhh."
"Seriously, wake up!"
"Leave me alone Itsuki." Naofumi rolled over on his side.
"This is important! Get your butt in gear already!" Itsuki yelled loudly.
Naofumi groaned again as he rubbed at his eyes. He was currently laying on one of the few intact couches in the living room of Kizuna's home.
Raphtalia had actually kicked him out of their room for the last few nights. There'd been no tail fluffing allowed either.
Even worse, she'd kept Raph-Chan to herself. Meaning he hadn't been able to drown his sorrows in his daughter's sleek, warm, and loveable fur.
It was one thing to kick him out of the room, which he'd probably deserved if he was being honest. He also probably deserved to be cut off from sex, all things considered. But to take away the most adorable and pettable and cuddly daughter of all time was a crime in and of itself!
There would be retribution! A reckoning so grand that Raphtalia would be begging at his feet for forgiveness! And only by Raph-Chan's mercy could she ever hope-
"Yo, will you quit daydreaming about your shikigami and listen!?" Itsuki yelled angrily.
"I was not daydreaming about Raph-Chan!" Naofumi refuted immediately.
"Dude, you make the same expression on your face when it happens every single goddamn time! And it really gets annoying when I'm trying to tell you something important!" Itsuki responded heatedly.
…
Ok, maybe it was time he dialed back the Raph-Chan obsession a bit again.
Though it was really hard to do that for more than obvious reasons.
"Alright, what is it then, Itsuki? Am I taking up too much of the couch for you and your girlfriend's precious morning manga and hand-holding time?"
"No, it's-" Itsuki's eyes bugged out. And Naofumi smirked widely. "W-WH-WHA-WHEN DID YOU- NO, WE DON'T- - - WHAT?!"
"Did you really think no one noticed what you two have been doing lately?" Naofumi asked smugly.
…
Itsuki's face went through several shades of red. His fists clenched at his sides and he looked like he wanted to either scream or punch Naofumi's face. Or even both.
Ah, even though he really shouldn't have been enjoying this, Naofumi already felt much better. He felt ready to apologize to Raphtalia for his behavior and make up with her in bed for lost time and-
"That isn't important!" Itsuki finally yelled. "I just came back from the Capital! Lapis's fleet arrived a few minutes ago! I came to grab you and the others!"
…
Naofumi blinked.
Oh, it was finally time, huh?
"Why didn't you just say that from the start?" Naofumi asked as he finally stood up, walking towards the hallways where everyone's rooms were at.
"I DID! YOU WERE TOO BUSY DAYDREAMING ABOUT RAPH-CHAN TO LISTEN THOUGH!"
Meh, that was a pathetic excuse.
Nothing was more important in life than Raph-Chan.
Well, Except for this.
Maybe.
Possibly.
…
He'd better get a move on before he fell into obsession mode again.
Fortunately, it didn't take long to rouse everyone else up from their slumber. And within minutes Kizuna had sent a message to Ethnobalt, who came by the house to pick them all up.
"The house looks better than when I last saw it." Ethnobalt offered as they rode in his ship over the treeline.
"Yeah, but it's still going to take soooo much work to fix and clean up everything." Kizuna leaned limply against the ship's railing next to the rabbit man. "I haven't been able to fish as much as I've wanted to these last few days."
"You spent half of yesterday fishing with that new lure of yours!" Dou-Lon exclaimed in shock.
"As I said, I haven't been able to spend as much time fishing as I've wanted to." Kizuna moaned in agony again.
"It is fortunate that we have had Naofumi and his friends helping us out." Glass offered beside her best friend. "It has not been all bad."
"Hmph. It's still going to be a while before I forgive Yomogi for creating that mess in the first place." The young girl crossed her arms and pouted.
"Speaking of her, how's she doing?" Raphtalia asked curiously.
"She's stopped screaming and accusing us of turning against her, at the very least." Kizuna shrugged. "Though that's probably because of Naofumi not coming by to visit."
"Har har." Naofumi frowned beside her.
"Wheeeeeeee!" "Rafu!"
Though, he began to smile again when he saw his two daughters playing around on the deck.
There, now he felt tons better.
The others continued their conversations while Naofumi looked on ahead.
Sickle's Capital was coming up on their left. But when he looked at the airfields for Sickle's fleet sitting next to the ocean, he didn't see any activity there.
"Didn't you say Lapis's fleet just arrived earlier?" Naofumi asked Itsuki, interrupting a conversation he'd been having with Rishia and Hoshi about the monochrome Hero's manga.
"Yeah." Itsuki shrugged and turned around to face Naofumi.
"Where is it then?" Naofumi asked.
"Check the port side." Ethnobalt pointed out helpfully.
"Uh..." Naofumi raised his finger to ask.
"Ethnobalt means look out from the left side of the ship, Naofumi." Rishia chuckled slightly.
Confused, the Shield Hero moved to the railing on the other side of the ship to look out over the plains next to the city.
His eyes immediately boggled out from their sockets.
Naofumi had seen several ships in their time since coming to this world, mostly thanks to Ethnobalt. But while they'd been capable of flight, they at least had a medieval style to them!
These behemoths were like something out of a sci-fi novel!
The ships of Lapis's fleet were parking themselves on the plains. They were at least several hundred meters long, easy. And they were nearly as wide in the back. The ships were shaped like a wedge, so the width slimmed down the closer they came to the front. On top of that, they looked to be at least fifty feet tall, if not more.
The underbelly and sides looked to be embedded with many different gemstones, all of which were giving off a faint glow.
"Oh, wow. Corrin really brought the big ones out of storage for this one." Kizuna commented, awe filling her eyes as she moved next to the Shield Hero.
"Fueehhhhh…" Rishia whispered to herself in awe as she took the sight in as well.
"That's the fleet your friend sent to us!?" Naofumi shouted, sounding genuinely surprised.
"Seems like it." Itsuki was frowning. He didn't remember seeing these ships during his brief stay in Lapis. They must have been stored somewhere else and out of sight. Which would make sense, given that they were so big that not even Sickle's royal airfield could have accommodated them. And while he'd spotted them from a distance earlier thanks to his enhanced vision, he hadn't realized they were this enormous!
"Whoa…" Dou-Lon went slack-jawed at the sight. As did everyone else in their world.
"They're… so big," Maya said in awe.
Even Raphtalia was stunned. She'd lived next to the ocean her whole life, and she'd never spotted ships of this size.
"Ethnobalt, do you have that ship as a weapon form?" Naofumi asked.
"Of course. It is technically a boat, after all." The rabbit man replied with a shrug. "The Invincible is still more maneuverable and durable though. Size isn't everything."
No, freaking, way.
"Indeed, while they are big, they are little more than troop and cargo carriers." Ethnobalt then continued while looking ahead from his spot at the ship's helm. "They are not equipped to fight off other vessels on their own and have to rely on the ship escorts it carries inside its hangars for protection. Though the Gem Pilots they have are capable of converting the energy used for flight into shielding to protect the ship from most attacks when landing troops in an active war zone."
"Additionally, they provide a very large target for the enemy to hit. So their main purpose is to transport armies across long distances. Not to engage them directly in battle."
Aw, man. That could have been so cool. But then again, size really wasn't everything. And here, it was stats that mattered far more than anything else.
"Those things are carrying ships in them?!" Dou-Lon asked incredulously.
"Yes. Therein lies their advantage." Ethnobalt said with a grin. "They might not pack any punch themselves, but the smaller troop carriers they hold are capable of inflicting some damage and securing a landing area on the ground so its mothership can land safely and deploy the rest of the force it carries. Oh, and as well as shielding, the gem people piloting them are also capable of channeling the energy of the gems all over the ship to cast some pretty impressive magic."
"So… cool…" Dou-Lon reached out with one hand.
Why couldn't their world have something like this?!
"Was it a past Hero that designed it?" Naofumi felt to ask.
"I believe so, yes. It's an old but proven design a past Jewel Hero provided long ago." Ethnobalt confirmed.
…
Right. That was probably why it looked familiar to Naofumi. Even Itsuki looked despondent next to him.
"Why does this world get all the cool stuff while ours doesn't?" Itsuki asked pathetically.
"Hey, I'm still jealous that you guys have TV, you know!" Kizuna said angrily next to him.
"I've never seen the recording crystals used like TVs though!" Itsuki protested.
"Hmph. That just means your world has a very weak imagination." Kizuna grinned.
"Itsuki, what's a TV?" Rishia asked curiously.
"I'll… tell you about it later," Itsuki promised nervously.
Thus, Ethnobalt's ship continued on, passing over the fleet below, which was abuzz with activity.
Ethnobalt's ship descended with an ease that was almost unnatural. And then, they landed in front of one of the largest cruisers.
The ships weren't floating in the air. Instead, they rested on three large stilts that came out of the underside of the cruiser diagonally. One in the front, and two in the back corners.
Since they were closer, Naofumi could now see the top and bottom of the ship were also wedge-shaped. With the thickest portion being near the back. There, a ramp descended all the way down onto the ground.
People marched up and down it, carrying supplies, weapons, and other things that'd be necessary for the coming battles. Not only that, there was a gap in the side of the cruiser, from which smaller ships went in and out.
These smaller ships were designed to hold a squad of soldiers and open up quickly on both sides, allowing them to charge out onto the field of battle. There were also two turrets on the front with soldiers sitting inside them.
Yes, they also seemed to have been designed by a past Hero as well. A past Hero who must have had an obsession with the franchise this fleet was referencing.
…
Naofumi was just going to call them LAATs, even if they were covered in gems. It'd make it far easier than having to label them as troop carriers or whatever every time they made an appearance. As for the larger ships, he couldn't remember their name since they were shadowed by the larger Venators from that era of the franchise. So Naofumi would just call them Assault Cruisers or something.
It wasn't like anyone was around to lynch him for his opinions. Though he was pretty certain everyone would agree that whoever the past Jewel Hero was that designed these ships, they were definitely a huge NERD.
Naofumi and the others exited Ethnobalt's ship. Then, one of the LAATs landed in front of them.
The side doors opened, and King Corrin stepped out alongside a group of heavily armored and armed soldiers.
Naofumi didn't react. Itsuki, however, did a double take as he took in the soldier's armor and weapon designs. "No… no way…"
"Ah, I thought that was you, Kizuna, Itsuki." Corrin greeted the two formally.
"Corrin! It's so great to see you again!" Kizuna said cheerfully.
Itsuki, however, continued to stare in shock at the soldiers the King had brought with him.
They were covered head to toe in polished plate armor, which included distinct Corinthian-styled antique helmets with t-shaped visors. Gemstones, specifically Chrysoberyls, were embedded all over said armor. The metal itself shined like it was made of diamond. And they gripped what looked like two-pronged pikes in their hands as if they were ready to go into battle at a moment's notice.
Corrin was dressed in the same armor. He held his helmet in his hand though, and while he had a weapon similar to his guards on his back, he also had a long blade sheathed at his side. There were also some slight differences in his armor in various areas that made it look more regal than the others.
However, even with all that, Itsuki would know the design of their armor and weapons from anywhere. After all, it'd been a very popular show that'd aired in his world before he was isekaied. Even people that weren't fans of the franchise would have easily recognized it.
"That past Hero… brought freaking M*ndalorian armor to this world?! Why couldn't I have been summoned here instead?! THIS IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE LAME DESIGNS OUR WORLD HAS!" He harshly whispered to himself. Also, while it looked like several components of these 'pikes' were made from gems, they looked very much like the rifles the warriors in that show used.
Could they fire like them as well?!
"Fueh?" Rishia tilted her head beside him curiously. "Did you say something, Itsuki?"
…
The Bow Hero sweatdropped and turned his face away before his blush became noticeable to the fueh girl. "It's nothing." He lied. He then remembered they were doing something right now. "Anyway, it's good to see you again as well, Your Majesty." Itsuki said politely. "Are things going well in Lazuli?"
"Yes, the majority of my people have given their backing towards this war. And the rest are remaining neutral towards it." Corrin frowned.
Despite the number of soldiers Naofumi saw, Kizuna frowned as well. "You brought so few soldiers with you?"
"I noticed that too," Glass spoke in agreement.
The majority of the men marching around the ships weren't Gem soldiers. Rather, they were made up of soldiers from Sickle and other countries which had offered their support. The gem soldiers were recognizable, as they wore the same armor Corrin and his guards were wearing. But if the Heroes had insider knowledge of Corrin's military, they would have found out that he only brought a fifth of his nation's total soldiers along with him.
"I brought more than enough pilots with me. As well as several divisions of noblesse commandos." Corrin responded grimly. "But I needed to make sure there was enough room for your army and the armies of the other countries to fit when I arrived.
"And after the attack on my Capital, I wanted to make sure I had enough forces left in my nation to protect my people in case Kyo tried attacking there again."
Naofumi frowned. He understood Corrin's cautious approach to an extent, but did it really make any sense to leave a lot of fighting power at home when it was important to take Kyo down?
"What about Hinoka? Has she recovered well from her injuries?" Kizuna asked, sounding concerned.
"Of course. She was more than angry when I told her that she would be in charge of overseeing our country's defenses. But she'd prefer flying one of the royal airships than any of what we brought." The King grimaced. "Damn Kyo. My people are plenty motivated to bring him down, but I had to leave most of them behind to help with repairs and defense."
"Don't worry. We'll make sure he pays when we see him again." Naofumi said grimly. He then studied the armor of those with Corrin curiously. "Also, I must say, that looks very well made. I can't even tell what metal is underneath those gemstones, but it looks tough. I wish Romina could have made something like that for me."
"What? But I thought she did?" Therese turned to face the Shield Hero with a confused expression.
…
…
"What?" Naofumi replied back dumbly.
Therese tilted her head curiously. "You know, the Barbaroi Armor that you rejected and called &^%$? She didn't embed any chrysoberyls into it, since only gem people can draw power from it, and she might have diluted the process with some of the materials from the Guardian Beasts and Demon Dragon instead of what's normally used, but she used the same smithing process that's used for making Lapis's adamantium armor to make the base of the armor you rejected."
…
…
Naofumi sweatdropped, and while Corrin was trying to keep a straight face, his right eyebrow was twitching. "Your blacksmith friend… made an unregistered set of Adamant Armor? The process of making which is one of my country's most closely guarded state secrets?... And this hero here called it $%^&?"
Naofumi grit his teeth and wanted to facepalm. Had that been the reason why its stats were so high? He was probably going to have to apologize to Romina… and possibly see about her using that same smithing process for that next armor set of his.
"Naofumi, now isn't the time for that." Raphtalia frowned next to him.
"Yeah yeah, whatever." Naofumi rolled his eyes. "Sorry, I didn't know. It was very well made, I just didn't like how it'd make me look like a villain."
Corrin opened his mouth to speak again, but then one of his soldiers, the tallest of the bunch who had long dark hair spilling down his back from his helmet, stepped beside the King.
"I'm sorry to interrupt. But I'm afraid the others will grow restless if we stand around for much longer, brother." The man said.
"... Of course, Ryoma. I'll leave the organizing of our forces to you." Corrin said to the man, who gave a slight bow before stepping back. Corrin then turned towards another soldier, who was also covered head to toe. "Cole, I know you are normally my advisor during times of peace, but will you be alright with coming along with me to finish our planning? I believe your counsel would be useful regardless."
"Of course, my liege." The brown-haired man gave his King a curt bow while taking off his helmet, revealing a young face. "I live in service to you."
Corrin nodded to himself. "Where is King Berg? I do believe we have some plans to finalize before we depart?"
"He and everyone else are waiting inside the castle," Itsuki answered promptly.
"Then let us hurry. We have a lot to go over and not much time." Corrin stated seriously. "Also, I'd like to hear more about this… armor issue later, if we have time for it. I'd like to know what convinced Romina to make an unregistered set of adamantium armor for another one of our otherworld hero allies."
Naofumi grimaced. He really hoped this wouldn't come up again in the future and get Romina in trouble. He'd rather forget that it'd ever happened at all at this point.
The group reboarded Ethnobalt's ship, now along with Corrin as well as his armed advisor and two of his honor guard.
And then, just like that, they left in the direction of L'Arc's castle.
Another hour passed as the sun rose in the sky.
Naofumi and the others were gathered around the same square table where they'd talked with Sickle's various ministers a couple of weeks ago. Only, everything that'd been on it had all been cleared off, allowing for a map of the world to be placed over it. On which they were planning out their invasion of Luvar and the territory it'd captured.
Before the meeting had started, Corrin had all of them prick their fingers with a small knife. This was to check and make sure that none of them was a Mimic Familiar.
While Kyo's monsters had managed to wreak havoc in other nations, it hadn't taken long to find out how to expose them. Unlike normal people, the mimics didn't bleed. It'd surprised Naofumi, but the logic of it made too much sense and made him wonder why he or the others hadn't thought of it first.
Anyway, after that, the planning meeting had gone on in earnest. As everyone had proven that they weren't a mimic familiar secretly spying for Kyo.
"From my understanding, some of our coalition allies began their march through Mikikage shortly after the attack on our city." Minister Stone explained while using Earth Magic to move a set of figurines on the map outside Mikikage forward. "They have been encountering stiff resistance from Luvar's ground and air forces since then. But it hasn't been anything they claim to be unable to handle."
"Good. Hopefully, it's enough that Luvar has focused the majority of its forces out of Label." Corrin stated evenly. "That should make our jobs easier."
"I'm afraid our spies stationed in Label have reported Luvar having considerable forces inside of Label's Capital. They also report Luvar moving soldiers en masse from Hourglass to Hourglass." Glass cautioned.
"Yes, but that means they can only amass forces around the Hourglasses. We could capture most of the forts and towns outside Central City that fell in the time it'd take for them to march against us." Label's Minister supplied.
"The majority of my army, as well as Label's remaining forces, are already awaiting orders at the border to begin their attack." L'Arc then said, gesturing toward figurines of soldiers and ships resting by Label's border. As he spoke, Minister Stone moved them around with his magic.
"By the time we move in with Lapis's airfleet to reinforce, Sickle and Label's ground forces should have most of the border towns and forts already liberated. If we use the ships Label managed to escape with to launch attacks on Luvar's remaining forces outside Central City, that should allow Lapis's airfleet to fly by unimpeded while Luvar focuses on what they believe to be the main assaults through Mikikage and Label."
"At least, that'll be the hope." L'Arc grimaced as the figures were done moving to their various positions. "If it's true that Kyo has his newly developed airships on the front lines but they're not being seen in Mikikage, then it's likely we'll be confronting them in Label. If that ends up happening, I'm not sure how long our own air fleet will be able to hold them off for."
"Maybe our allies are doing a good job because these airships aren't very effective?" Naofumi suggested. "They were invented by Kyo, after all."
"Yes, but I helped with designing them too," Ethnobalt spoke up hesitantly. "It might not have had as high an attack stat as I'd hoped. But that doesn't mean the ships they're using don't have high stats of their own."
Right, because when their weapons copied something, the weapon assigned the copied weapon stats. It didn't matter what the stats of the original were. The Legendary weapons were the ones who said how powerful the copied forms were in the end. And while Ethnobalt's Boat might have lowered its attack stat, these new ships wouldn't be suffering from such an issue.
"Tch." Naofumi clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Unless they or their pilots are stronger than a Guardian Beast, there's no way they'd have attacks capable of breaking through my defense stat."
"Or defenses high enough to withstand my attack stat," Itsuki said, a hand resting on one of the Guardian Beast bows he'd gotten. He had it out so he could unlock its equip bonus.
"True, which is why you two will be with Ethnobalt at the front of the fleet," L'Arc stated seriously. "Me and Glassy can follow along in smaller dropships on the sides of the fleet as additional protection."
"Our goal will be to break through to the Capital, where Kyo said he'd be awaiting us," Kizuna said, her voice unusually low and serious. "He's a master strategist that helped us bring down the Demon Dragon with minimal casualties, so if we manage to cut him out, then the rest of his forces should fold."
"Are we certain that he is in the Capital City?" Cole, Corrin's advisor, asked cautiously. "For all we know, he could have lied so we'd walk right into a trap."
"If he did lie and he isn't there, then we can always wrangle the information out of Luvar's leaders," Naofumi noted calmly. "I'm sure if it came between their lives and his that they'd give him up in a heartbeat."
"Don't be so certain." Cole shook his head. "Loyalty makes people commit incredible mistakes. And if there is anything I can say about Luvar, it is that they are loyal to what they believe is right. They might bend under the right circumstances, but it'll take far more to make them break. May I?" Cole asked his King.
Corrin nodded, and Cole set a new figure on the map in the center of Luvar. "One of the enemy generals we're bound to encounter is a former ally of ours named Xander. Intelligence reports him currently residing in the Capital city of Luvar."
In the description of the man he gave, he described him as a tall, intelligent soldier. A gem person born into the royal family that used to be close to Corrin and his other siblings in the past.
However, after a disagreement between him and Ryoma, one of Corrin's other close confidants, he left Lapis's military and was recruited into Luvar's.
In battle, he was described as a brutal man, one who'd sacrifice almost everyone below him if it meant achieving victory.
"According to our intelligence, Kyo has him appointed as the head of all his forces. If he knows that Lapis has gotten itself involved, then he may have countermeasures prepared for us already. And if all goes well and we do manage to break through to the Capital itself, he'll have all the important leaders evacuated before our arrival. It'd make it that much harder to find Kyo and put a stop to his ambitions should he not be there."
Naofumi frowned as he and the others thought to themselves.
"Have the girls you captured talked yet?" Label's minister asked L'Arc.
The redhead shook his head. "No. Their conditions are improving, but none of them have given any info yet."
"So, we are risking flying in blind to find one rogue hero before his actions potentially destroy our world." Corrin sighed as he stared down at the map.
"Indeed, I wish we could have more time to prepare." Minister Stone said somberly. "Yet what choice do we have?"
"None, I'm afraid," Cole said as he stepped back. "I'm sorry if the info I put forward derailed our confidence in this plan. I'd rather we know what we were getting into though, so we can be prepared for the worst-case scenario instead of going into a trap with false confidence on our side."
"Thank you, Cole. I'm glad I'm able to see you this time around." Kizuna smiled at the young man.
The man smiled back humbly before giving the Hunting Tools Hero a respectful bow. "I'm afraid I was busy with the Hourglass project Corrin assigned me to and couldn't find time to visit Lazuli. But I think you'll be pleased to hear that it finished shortly before I had to leave with his majesty. Kyo won't be able to use our hourglass for his ambitions anymore. I am most certain in it."
Kizuna clapped happily in delight.
It didn't, however, decrease the gloom in the room very much. Even as everyone around the table struggled to think of any ideas in case Kyo was, in fact, not at the Capital like he was claiming to be.
After several moments, however, Minister Stone eventually shook his head. "If it turns out that our enemy isn't where we think he is, then we will just have to scour Luvar brick by brick until we locate him. Even if their leaders manage to get away, someone there is bound to know something."
L'Arc nodded his head. "Agreed. Our plan is already as sure as we can make it. We'll deal with any hiccups as we go along, right Naofumi?" The King smirked at the Shield Hero.
"Well, if worse comes to worst, I can always throw you at the problem. You're probably headstrong enough that you could bust through whatever it was by yourself." Naofumi said dryly.
"Heh, thanks- … … HEY!" L'Arc began to fume.
Naofumi smirked while Raphtalia sighed beside him. Therese was laughing next to L'Arc though, and the tense atmosphere finally gave way to a bit of brevity.
Everyone stood from their seats. It was time to face off against Kyo. And then…
"S-Sir Naofumi!"
At that moment, Dou-Lon rushed into the room, alongside Raph-Chan and Filo. The hakuko looked out of breath.
"Oh, hey Dou-Lon. We're just about finished, so it's a good thing you're already back from-" Naofumi began to say.
"One of our captives finally talked! Kyo isn't in the Capital!" Dou-Lon exclaimed.
…
…
…
The people around the table stiffened.
Naofumi's face turned serious once more. "Let's go."
He and the others immediately rushed to the infirmary, where Trash's former harem was still at.
"TRAITOR!"
As the Heroes entered the scene, they were very surprised by what they found.
"Urgh, how is she this strong?" Akane asked through gritted teeth.
"I-I don't know! This is unnatural!" Daitan yelled beside her.
The two Heroes were holding back Yomogi, who'd broken out of the restraints on her bed and was currently trying to throttle the member of Trash's former harem named Mayori. The girl was pressed up against the wall behind her bed, looking absolutely terrified by the murderous look on Yomogi's face right now.
Cole and the soldiers with him immediately raised their weapons at Kyo's retainer, but Itsuki quickly rested a hand on one of the pikes, gesturing with his other hand for them to lower them. "It's fine. I don't think you'll need to interfere or anything."
The soldiers looked unsure, but, after a quick nod from Corrin, they all lowered their weapons. Though, when Itsuki touched one of the pikes, a new notification popped up on his HUD. "Huh?" He pulled it up.
Weapon Copy Activated!
Gem Lightning Rifle Unlocked!
…
…
Wha-…?
"Guys, I'm slipping!" While Itsuki stood in his spot, looking absolutely confused; Hoshi, who was on the ground trying to hold Yomogi's legs, had eyes wide with terror as the boarish girl began to break out of his grip.
"No, can't, hold, on!" The tiny muscles in Daitan's arms strained, but couldn't handle the raw power the girl was exerting.
"Air Strike Shield!" As the three Heroes lost their grip on Kyo's childhood friend, and as she rushed forward to pummel Mayori with her bare hands, a green translucent Shield appeared in front of Yomogi.
Her face comically slammed into it.
Oof, too bad it wouldn't hurt. Man, it was weird how the world worked at times still.
"Huh- YOU! YOUUUUUUUU!" Yomogi howled in rage as she turned to face Naofumi and the others.
"So, Dou-Lon told me that you had some info to share?" Naofumi turned to Mayori, completely ignoring Yomogi's existence. He had the Black Tortoise Shell Shield equipped at the moment.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Yomogi howled in rage again as she charged the Shield Hero. Hellbent on beating him with her own fists if she had to. Before she could even get close though…
"E Float Shield." The summoned Shield appeared in front of Naofumi.
Yomogi's body impacted against another one of his shield skills again, and then she started beating her fists uselessly against it.
"You think this is enough to stop me?!" Yomogi roared furiously. Seeing how the barrier was not breaking, she attempted to charge around it.
However, as she tried moving to the left, the Shield moved along with her. Surprised, she then tried moving to the right. And again, the Shield moved with her to block her path.
"I'd rather not deal with a bunch of ineffectual clanging again, thank you very much." Naofumi directed a glance at her before looking back at Mayori again. The girl in question slowly started to sit up on her bed again, staring at the Shield Hero curiously.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" Yomogi tried dashing left and right around Naofumi, trying to get past the floating shield Naofumi had summoned. But unlike his other skills, Naofumi found that all it took was a thought from him to make it move around him.
While it felt unnatural, Naofumi found it easy enough to do. And eventually, Yomogi began to tire herself out from all the running as well as from beating her fists uselessly against the barrier.
"Sigh, Yomogi, please stop before you make a fool of yourself." Kizuna pleaded.
"You mean she isn't doing that already?" Akane asked as she walked up beside her. Rubbing her sore hands while staring in surprise at the Shield Hero.
It was seriously something else. She and her other two friends could barely even hold the powerful girl back. Yet Naofumi was defending himself from Yomogi with ease. He made it look so easy too.
She seriously wondered how it was possible for Naofumi and Itsuki to be so strong. Was it really that easy and sharing the power-up methods would make them that powerful too?
She looked at her own methods listed in her HUD's help menu unsurely. But before she could ponder on it more…
"You know, as aggressive as she is, I think it's kind of hot," Daitan commented next to her.
Boom!
The floor of the infirmary was ruined by the crater Akane subsequently made by driving Daitan's face into the ground.
"Seriously, how does he not get brain damage from all the times that happens to him?" Itsuki asked. He'd looked over the weapon he accidentally copied on his HUD. And it appeared that the 'pikes' Corrin's elite soldiers were carrying were anything but.
The armor had looked like those commandos from that show, but after examining it, the weapon matched up too. Whoever that past Gem Hero was that managed to bring all of this into this world, Itsuki didn't know whether he wanted to kill them or hug them for making a dream of his reality in such a bizarre manner.
Why had he not seen these weapons and armor before? They had to have also been part of Lapis's wartime kit! That was the only explanation that made any sense!
"Oh, I actually take reduced damage from blunt attacks." Daitan helpfully supplied as he dug his head out of the hole. "I think it's a perk from my weapon or something?"
"I could always ask Glass or Raphtalia to do it for me if you'd prefer that." Akane threatened.
"Guys, I'm pretty sure something important is going on right now." Hoshi meekly commented behind the pair. "Maybe we shouldn't interrupt?"
…
Oh, right. There was a reason the others had come here, after all. And it wasn't to watch Yomogi finally collapse on the floor, panting as she tired herself out against Naofumi's float shield skill.
Kizuna sighed as she walked over to her and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Yomogi, you're really making this harder than it should be."
"Gurghhhh…" Yomogi growled tiredly on the ground and pushed Kizuna's hand off her shoulder. But it appeared that she was finally out of energy.
Glass moved next to her, and helped her to stand up again. Though she kept a tight grip on Yomogi's wrist in case she had any other funny ideas.
"Um… um…" Mayori sat on the edge of her bed hesitantly. "Tsugumi, is it really ok for me to tell them everything?" She asked her best friend, who'd been watching what was going on from her cot.
The girl scowled but then nodded her head. "I already said the choice was up to everyone else. I'd personally rather this idiot there just run off to Luvar's Capital and get himself killed… But then it'd be a lot harder for us to have our revenge on Kyo, wouldn't it?"
"Much as I hate to say it, he's probably our best chance at avenging our friends… and the best chance we'll have at coming to terms with what we've done with our lives."
"No one forced you to take that experimental drug from Kyo," Yomogi spoke through gritted teeth. "He warned you what could happen. You have no one to blame but yourselves."
"Oh? Did he warn us that the weapons he gave us would turn all of us, including you, into suicide bombers too?" Tsugumi glared at Yomogi hatefully and for the first time since coming here, the green-haired girl's expression grew troubled as her rage receded somewhat and was replaced with uncertainty.
"That's what I thought. Go on, Mayori. Tell them what you want to say." Tsugumi turned to the youngest member of their group and urged her in a soft tone of voice.
…
Mayori sighed. She then looked at Naofumi and the others again. She even smiled a little as her eyes fell on Dou-Lon. "Um, first off, I do want to say thank you for sparing me and my friends. Even if we didn't deserve it."
Naofumi almost groaned and wanted to motion for her to get on with it. But Dou-Lon smiled in return as he stepped past Naofumi's float shield barrier and stood opposite the girl. "You are human, just like all of us. You made mistakes, and you've acknowledged them. You deserve a chance to repent and atone just like anyone else."
…
The girl sniffled again, but her smile grew just a little bigger. Yet Naofumi found himself staring at Dou-Lon instead.
He sighed but didn't interfere. After all… it wasn't like he couldn't relate to the hakuko's words.
Mayori looked at them again, this time, with a more resolute look on her face. "Kyo lied to you when he said that he was in the Capital." She started. "His base of operations is far away from it, actually."
Over the next few minutes, the girl described Kyo's actual base of operations. A mansion in a forest that he'd purchased long ago.
It was near Luvar's border, far from the path they would have had to take to get to the Capital. Along with that, it was hard to reach because of the fog in the surrounding area.
"It's some kind of illusion spell. Me and the others don't understand how it works or who cast it, but the area is known as "The Misty Forest". Those who enter it without a guide are thrown off course, no matter what they do. Even if you try to follow landmarks in the fog, you'll end up on the forest's edge over and over again."
"Hmmm, that could be bothersome." Naofumi looked to Raphtalia. "Do you think you and Raph-Chan would be able to break the illusion?"
"I don't know. We'd have to get there first before I could figure that out." Raphtalia admitted.
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan nodded in agreement where she was sitting on Raphtalia's shoulder.
Naofumi got to thinking again. "Actually, couldn't Filo just blow the fog away with her wind magic?" Filo asked curiously.
"I doubt it." Mayori shook her head. "It was a pretty windy day when Yomogi brought some of us there on a small airship for negotiations. But the fog didn't seem to move at all even when the trees were rustling from the wind."
"Meaning the illusion could be more than just the fog itself." Naofumi frowned even more deeply at Raphtalia's insightful words there.
"And besides the illusion, Kyo also has these weird turrets set up around his mansion that fire magic beams at anything that comes close… those poor birds." Mayori's eyes briefly fell before her next words left her lips. "The rest of our friends were supposed to be brought there later to train and help Kyo, so they're likely guarding the mansion as well."
She looked up at them. "I want to hope that they're still human, but..."
Kizuna walked up to the girl, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, if I have to, I'll cut their beasts out of them just like I did with you girls. I'm not going to give up on anyone that can still be saved."
Mayori sniffled but smiled gratefully at the Hunting Tools Hero.
"Hmmm, for all we know, she could be lying and this could be a trap," Cole suggested beside Corrin.
"Weren't you the one that mentioned earlier that Kyo might not actually be in the Capital?" Itsuki asked.
"Yes, I did," Cole answered. "I'm not sure if our source of info here is trustworthy, however."
"I think she is saying the truth." Dou-Lon stood up to the girl's defense. "From my talks with them, they're plenty motivated to want revenge on Kyo too."
…
Naofumi thought about it as he looked at Corrin and the other leaders. And after a second, he nodded to himself. "The plan doesn't need to change much. You all can distract Kyo's forces, making them think the main axis of attack is still Luvar's Capital while me, Itsuki, Kizuna, and several others take Ethnobalt's Boat to try and infiltrate this mansion and take Male Bitch out. If this intel that we just got turns out to be false, we can message you via Ofuda and then group up later when you arrive in Luvar."
Cole opened his mouth to protest further, but his King held his hand up, shaking his head at his advisor. "Remember that the fate of our world is at stake. I don't like this either, but the Heroes stand a better chance at putting down another Hero than any of us do. And if Kyo really isn't at the Capital, it'd be better to have them focus on their task while we focus on ours."
Cole closed his mouth and stepped back. Corrin looked at the group of Heroes again. "Having said that though, I'd still like to ask for at least one Hero to accompany my fleet so that we can retain an edge over our enemies. If necessary, we could also make it appear that the majority of our Hero power is still concentrated with the fleet by basing the Hero on one of Sickle's Invincibles." Corrin stated.
Naofumi frowned, looking over the gathered Heroes there. The Otherworld Cardinals were easily out of the question. Though if it came to leaving Glass or Itsuki behind, or especially Raphtalia…
"Eh, sure, I'll go with you then." L'Arc cracked his neck to the side. "As much as I'd like to make Kyo pay for what he's done, the King should be the one leading his soldiers to battle. And as much as I dislike this mantle, that would be me when it comes to Sickle's forces."
…
Naofumi smirked, feeling relieved at the redhead for stepping up and volunteering himself. "You mean you'd rather have all the fun in case we're wrong."
"Laugh all you want, Naofumi." L'Arc actually chuckled in good humor with a similar smirk on his face. "This war is a problem between countries anyway. And it should be resolved by countries.
"I'll leave it to the rest of you to resolve our problem with Kyo." He said, smiling resolutely as he looked at Naofumi and the rest of his friends.
Naofumi's smirk turned into a smile. As good as Sickle's soldiers were, as he'd come to find out after the attack on L'Arc's Capital, he did feel some relief knowing they'd be even more motivated having their King leading them off to war. If he was lucky, it'd keep their casualty rates lower as long as they didn't break before the enemy.
Therese smiled next to her King. "Kizuna, would it be alright if I went along with L'Arc as well? Just to make sure he doesn't get himself killed?"
"Of course. Just remember to keep yourself safe as well." Kizuna hugged her friend.
"Knowing this boy here, I'm going to be more worried about him than Therese when it comes to a battle," Naofumi smirked again. "Are you sure you'll be good without me there to protect your ^%$?"
"COME ON! I'VE DONE SUCH A GOOD JOB OF NOT CALLING YOU KIDDO LATELY!" L'Arc bristled. "START TREATING ME LIKE AN ALLY FOR ONCE!"
"I tolerate your presence, don't I?" Naofumi smiled smugly.
The group laughed together in good humor.
But one person at its edge was not laughing.
Instead, Yomogi's eyes were focused on the floor while she furiously thought about everything that'd happened. Her face grew more and more troubled as it went through several conflicting emotions.
At last, some sort of conclusion appeared to have been drawn in her mind and the green-haired girl opened her mouth again. Her voice was devoid of the anger from before and was instead replaced with what felt like desperation.
"Mayori, what happened to your sword?"
…
Everyone turned toward her in confusion at the sudden change of topic. Mayori herself did not seem to understand the question either.
"I'm sorry, what?" The girl replied hesitantly.
"Your sword, or, my sword, I guess," Yomogi spoke quickly, the words coming out of her mouth hoarsely. "We swapped our weapons shortly after we crossed Sickle's border, remember? You said the weapon that Kyo gave you was too big and heavy, and you felt nervous wielding it, so I offered you to switch it with mine since the Sword I had was smaller and had higher stats."
"O-oh, yea! Yea, I remember, but what about it?" The girl nodded stiffly in response.
"Did..." Yomogi licked her dry lips and swallowed hard while giving the girl an intense stare. "Did it explode too? During the fight?"
…
"No, it did not."
As Mayori stared back at Yomogi, not knowing how to respond to the question, the Boat Hero spoke up first and floated forward while pulling something out from the gem of the platform that he was riding on.
Naofumi's eyes widened and he almost lunged forward with the intent to cover up the familiar-looking black sword.
"Peace, Naofumi. This one is of no danger to us." Ethnobalt waved him off promptly and then gestured at the weapon's handle. At that point, everyone was able to see that, unlike the rest of the weapons that the other girls had wielded, this one had no pulsating eye in the handle.
Instead, it had a breathtakingly beautiful sapphire gemstone embedded in the hilt, making it look like a true Replica of Ren's Sword down to the smallest detail. And, the more Naofumi studied it, the more he calmed down. It might have been the same color, but this sword was clearly made from a different material than the other replica weapons.
"This… this is made from pure Adamantium," Corrin said in shock as he walked up to the blade. He rested a hand on it, and almost recoiled. "How did Kyo get his hands on this?! Lapis is supposed to control the output of all the Adamantium mines in the world! I can understand how Romina would have some on hand as a licensed expert, but a non-gem blacksmith!?"
Yomogi remained silent, not answering the King's accusatory stare.
"Yomogi, this is your weapon, right? Or it was meant to be yours anyway. It has your initials carved into the bottom of the pommel." Ethnobalt turned to the green-haired girl.
He flipped the sword sideways, revealing the two symbols underneath for the letters E and Y.
"E? Naofumi narrowed his eyes as he took a closer look. He couldn't read the local language freely yet, but he could understand the letters at least.
"Ethnina, Yomogi." The green haired girl said shakily.
Kyo's retainer sagged down on the floor helplessly as if a great weight had been removed from her shoulders.
"Wait… isn't that Male Bit-" Naofumi's eyes widened in realization.
"Kyo inducted Yomogi into his family and made her nobility by his authority as Luvar's Book Hero," Kizuna explained sadly. "I told you she was his retainer, right? She would not have been allowed to become one if she was just a slave with no last name."
"Wait, slave?" Raphtalia tensed up.
"It's a long story, but like I told you, Kyo is not a bad person." Kizuna looked away.
…
"As for the weapon." Ethnobalt coughed into his hand and turned it upwards again. "As I said, it's perfectly safe and a remarkable piece of alchemical craftsmanship to boot. It is richly imbued with soul energy, which I can only assume came from Naofumi and Itsuki's world. And it possesses functionality similar to Vassal and Cardinal weapons, such as being able to change forms and grant the wielder the ability to use certain skills associated with what it was based on, which I believe is the Cardinal Sword of the other world in this particular case.
"Go ahead, give it a try, you'll see what I mean." The rabbit man then offered the weapon to Dou-Lon. "I would do it myself but, you know? Hero weapon restrictions."
The Tiger man swallowed hard and cautiously grabbed the weapon by the handle and blinked a few times.
The sword suddenly transformed into another shape. "I have a new section available in my HUD." The hakuko spoke out hesitantly. "I can see several skills that I can select, it's sort of like a magic spell list?"
"Wow, this really is an improved version of Balamus'es replica," Itsuki said in awe.
"Does it mean that it'll be useless once it runs out of juice and will require an army's worth of magic power to use just one skill?" Naofumi sneered.
"Is that how the replica you mentioned in your stories worked?" Ethnobalt cocked his head. "Regardless, supply of power won't be an issue. That shield of yours drained it of your world's soul energy during the battle. But it already has more energy now because it's self-recharging."
"... What." Naofumi blanched.
"It doesn't just operate on Soul Energy." The wizard tapped the gem in the hilt with the tip of his staff. "It can also tap into the Earth Veins of our world by using this sapphire here as a catalyst. On top of that, it can also draw power from the user's own pool of magic. Its supply of power is not infinite, and because it doesn't have an SP bar, soul-healing water from your world won't do anything to recharge it, but I estimate its full capacity to be pretty close to a regular hero's, power-up methods notwithstanding, since they do not apply to Replicas."
"So while this will by no means make someone a Hero, it will definitely make them more powerful as an individual than before."
...
"Holy %^&^," L'Arc muttered.
"L'Arc!" Therese hissed next to him.
"No, no, Therese." Corrin waved her off. "I am of the same mind as the good king of Sickle here. And I am sure that everyone else is too. Holy $%^&, indeed."
Dou-Lon, looking self-conscious, handed the weapon back to Ethnobalt. Even if it was a Replica of a weapon Siltvelt didn't think highly of, it still felt sacrilegious to him to have held something akin to a hero's blade. His sigh of relief couldn't have been more prominent than when the new weapons and skills menus that'd appeared on his HUD disappeared simultaneously at the action.
Minister Stone looked at the weapon with a grim expression. "I know this is an awful time to bring this up, but I really hope that the Book Hero did not arm his army with a bunch of these."
"I doubt it." Ethnobalt shook his head. "This particular mastercraft aside, it must have taken Kyo a lot of resources to make this replica. I also studied what was left of the other weapons, the ones that Tsugumi and her allies wielded before Naofumi absorbed them. Each one had a lot of soul energy stored within them.
"I can't imagine Kyo being able to just make them en-masse with his limited supply. Otherwise, our allies in Mikikage would have already gotten overrun by soldiers wielding these weapon-shaped guardian beast familiars long ago."
"Yea, he absolutely did mindlessly spam all kinds of familiars when he had access to the source." Naofumi scowled before turning away. "Whatever, we got the info we needed. So let's move out."
"Wait…" Yomogi shakily stood back up. "Please wait, you... you are going after Kyo, right? Please take me with you!"
…
…
"What? Do you really expect us to just bring you along?" Naofumi asked flatly.
"Of course, Yomogi." Kizuna cut Naofumi off before he could continue. "But I'll need you to put on an Order Ofuda to make sure you don't turn on us. Will that be alright?"
The green-haired girl nodded stiffly. "If that's what it takes."
"Wait? WHAT!? KIZUNA, ARE YOU MAD?" The Shield Hero turned to face his unlikely otherworld comrade in arms.
"Gonna have to agree with Naofumi here, lil sis. This is a bit..." L'Arc nodded next to Naofumi while looking at Yomogi suspiciously.
"That's what the Order Ofuda is for L'Arc. And with how quickly Yomogi agreed to it just now, I am pretty certain that she is finally realizing that something is horribly off here. I am going to guess you did not sign up for Kyo sending in suicide bombers?" The Hunting Tools Hero turned to face Yomogi again. All the other girls in the room that were awake and aware turned to look at Yomogi as well.
The girl shook her head in response. "I..." She closed her mouth and grimaced again before resuming her speech. "No, I did not. I don't know what's happening anymore. I still refuse to believe most of what you're saying but... but something is seriously, seriously wrong here and I need to know what it is. And Kyo better have the best excuse in his life to explain it to me." She finally gritted her teeth in anger again though it was not directed at anyone in the room this time.
"You want to navigate the Misty Forest, right?! Here, I can use this to guide everyone to his mansion!" Yomogi's hand dove into her pockets, and before Glass could stop her, thinking it was a weapon, Yomogi pulled out a… bell?
No, seriously, it was a bell. A regular old bell with something etched into the metal, hanging from rope similar to what Dou-Lon had tied around his waist.
Naofumi's anger turned to confusion as he looked at it. "That… thing, is supposed to guide us through the illusory fog, to Kyo?"
"Yes! It's how I am able to leave the mansion whenever I need to handle affairs for him in the Capital before coming back! And you'll need me to use it if you want a straight shot to Kyo's mansion!" Yomogi fiercely defended it. "That illusionary fog has been there ever since Kyo and I moved into the place! It stretches for miles in all directions! It's why locals call it the Misty Forest! If you want to get through it as fast as possible, this is your best bet!"
Naofumi continued to stare at it. He couldn't sense any sort of magical properties with his appraisal skills whatsoever.
For all intents and purposes, it looked like an ordinary bell.
Raphtalia shook her head as well. It appeared she couldn't sense anything coming from it either.
"You've got to be kidding me." Naofumi drawled.
"I'm not! I can prove it once we get there!" Yomogi stubbornly clung to it.
"Hmmmm, it could work, actually." Kizuna thought to herself. "I've never been to Kyo's home before, but I have heard stories about the Misty Forest. I've always wanted to try fishing there. Is there a lake in the area?" Kizuna thought some more to herself before shaking her head. "Either way, Yomogi would have definitely needed some way to get to and from Kyo's mansion while he was helping us face the Demon Dragon.
"Plus, no offense Naofumi, It'd probably be best not to rely on just your wife friend and daughter getting us to Kyo since the Misty Forest has fooled many travelers before. The place's latent illusion magic might turn out to be too strong for them."
"That's fair." Raphtalia sighed. Raph-Chan also deflated on her shoulder. "I don't know everything when it comes to illusion magic yet and I have been fooled before." She recalled her battle with Victoria in the halls of Mirellia's castle as she said it.
Sure, she'd learned a lot since then, and she even had Raph-Chan to help her out with more difficult illusion spells now. But that did not mean she was infallible just yet. She still required a lot more training before she could see herself reaching that point.
"Are we seriously doing this?" Naofumi asked Kizuna with a pained grimace.
"Oh, now that I think about it, Yomogi did use that bell before to guide us to Kyo's mansion," Mayori said on her bed. "The bell only works when she's holding it though. None of us could sense any magical power coming from it, so she allowed us to hold it and test it out for ourselves. It didn't work for any of us, but when she rang it, a path leading straight to Kyo's mansion appeared through the fog."
…
"Well, at the very least, we can assume that if she overcame that ofuda somehow, she'd only attack you, Naofumi. And we know how well that'd go." Raphtalia smiled slightly beside Naofumi.
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan again nodded in agreement with her best friend.
No, Raph-Chan, not you too! Was Naofumi going to have to deal with Inneffectual Clanging for the entirety of his trip?!
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-
"Would we even be able to trust her?" Naofumi looked at the young, green-haired woman with suspicion. "Her attacking me would just be annoying, but what if she were to attack someone else?"
"That's what the Order Ofuda is for, Naofumi. We'll just slap in onto her to make sure she stays obedient and doesn't do anything we don't want her to do." Kizuna shrugged.
"Order Ofuda?" Naofumi looked confused. The girl had mentioned the term thrice already, but his mind was having trouble catching up to Kizuna's antics and complete disregard for common sense.
But then, Kizuna took a very familiar-looking ofuda out of her weapon's gemstone and slapped it onto Yomogi's back.
It looked very similar to the Servant Ofuda that Filo had attached to her as a baby chick. And a glow surrounded Yomogi's form as it took effect. "There, now she won't attack anybody now, including Naofumi, righttttttt~?" The Hunting Tools Hero asked Yomogi playfully.
"... yes." Yomogi reluctantly agreed with a sigh.
"Eeeee!" Kizuna hugged the girl tightly in excitement, and Yomogi sighed again. She didn't make a move to reject the Hunting Hero's affectionate gesture this time.
Glass finally let go of Yomogi's arm, but the girl didn't make a move to attack Naofumi or the others. She was being, in all sense of the word, obedient to the order Kizuna had just given her.
"And you couldn't have just slapped that onto her or the other girls earlier because?" Naofumi asked Kizuna with a very noticeable tick in his right eyebrow.
"Because these are normally used for slavery, so it would have been unethical! I don't want to make anyone my slave, you know!" Kizuna rebutted with a pout.
"... Then why the &^%$ are you doing it now?!" Naofumi yelled angrily.
"Because she gave her consent, so it's not really slavery anymore. Now come on everyone, let's get going! There's no time to waste!" Kizuna skipped away happily.
OH MY FREAKING GOD! EVEN IF IT WAS USED FOR SLAVERY BY OTHERS THAT DIDN'T MEAN IT WAS SLAVERY IF YOU WERE USING IT FOR SOMETHING BESIDES ITS INTENDED PURPOSE! WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE!?
ARRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHH!
"Fine then, she can come along as well. Though I'm heavily against that decision!" Naofumi stated through gritted teeth. He was going to have to punch some boxes after this.
The boarish girl did not reply and just kept on looking ahead contemplatively as she followed Kizuna.
"Wheeeeeeee!" Filo ran around happily, unable to wait for their coming departure.
After that, they went back to the planning room, ensuring that everything was in order while tweaking their plan of attack since only L'Arc would be accompanying the fleet, and then they began their final preparations for departure.
During that time, Naofumi disappeared to find and punch some level one box monsters outside the castle, as promised.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Too bad their stats were higher in this world than the level one Orange Balloons he was used to. All he got was Ineffectual Clanging for his efforts.
Man, it was a good thing he hadn't been summoned to this world as the Shield Hero. Otherwise, he would have been COMPLETELY screwed without allies helping him out since he couldn't even take out the level one monsters by himself!
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Naofumi then vented out his frustrations in a healthy manner through a very loud and prolonged scream while box monsters chomped uselessly on parts of his body.
Thus, the nations of the world were finally prepared to move against Kyo and his forces.
Hero Clips!
She is That Stubborn, Part Two
"I WILL KILL YOU!"
"Yeah, sure you will." Naofumi snarked.
This time, after Yomogi had woken up from her injuries, she'd tried throwing herself at Naofumi again. Only to faceplant into his E Float Shield once again.
"Why doesn't it produce Clanging sounds when she hits against that?" Itsuki asked curiously. "Isn't she not doing any damage to it either?"
"Hell if I know." Naofumi shrugged. "Ask Allen."
Itsuki looked conflicted. Did he really want to risk that kind of fourth wall break again after the previous few instances? What if he ended up getting bullied again with 'subtle' foreshadowing from the author?
Regardless, as Yomogi screamed and tried to move to the side, Naofumi redirected the barrier with a single thought to keep it in her way. Yomogi beat her fists against it and tried moving to the side again, but the Shield followed along with her.
"Damn, this is so much better. Why couldn't I have gotten this skill sooner?" Naofumi asked.
"Hell if I know. Ask Allen." Itsuki snarked.
Har har.
"Don't be so smug! I will overcome this barrier of yours eventually and kill you!" Yomogi screamed viciously again.
"Yeah yeah, keep dreaming. Anyway, let's kill Kyo already." Naofumi said to Itsuki.
"Sure." Itsuki shrugged.
"Reeeeeeeeeee!" Yomogi continued to uselessly beat against the barrier while trying to move around it to get at Naofumi.
Eh. She'd realize how useless this was eventually.
After the last time this happened in an omake, there was no way she'd prove to be this stubborn when she couldn't even touch him this time around.
"Uh… Naofumi? Is everything okay?" Raphtalia asked at the dinner table. The half-tanuki girl was experiencing a strange sense of deja vu.
"Rafu?" Raph-Chan tilted her head.
"Yeah. Daddy's still being attacked by Boar Girl for some reason?" Filo shrugged while eating the meal she'd cooked for her family.
The Shield Hero wasn't paying Yomogi much mind. Even though it'd been a few days since this had started and she was still uselessly screeching and running around in vain to get past his E Float Shield.
Did that thing even have a limit to how long it could be out? Naofumi didn't know. Regardless, it was still working for him.
"I'll get past this thing eventually!" Yomogi vowed.
"Sure thing." Naofumi drawled.
Raphtalia and their daughters looked at each other unsurely. But just like before, they didn't try to interfere.
"You've got to be kidding me." Naofumi sighed through gritted teeth.
"Ha! Is your mind finally starting to get tired from directing that shield around, bastard?!" Yomogi yelled just as energetically as she had at the start.
Even though Naofumi had dealt with Kyo. Even though he and the others had returned to their world. Even though they were, once again, in the middle of the NEXT FREAKING PLOT ARC.
The stubborn green-haired girl had followed them to their world and was still trying to run circles around the Shield Hero in an attempt to get past his shield skill and try to strangle his neck.
It'd once more made fighting Kyo himself very awkward. And Naofumi still had no idea how they'd even gotten through it without Kyo laughing his butt off every other minute at the insanity of what was going on.
"You're going to tire out eventually! You'll need to pause to eat or sleep soon enough!" Naofumi yelled in frustration at the girl.
"Until Kyo is avenged, I will not rest!" Yomogi promised.
… There was no way she actually meant that, right?
"Why couldn't Kizuna have just slapped an Order Ofuda on her when I asked her to?!" Naofumi yelled at the sky.
"Because it would have been considered slavery you pea-brain sized-" A random bystander started to retort from the side of the screen.
"NO! IT'S NOT SLAVERY! GO READ A SLAVE AUTOBIOGRAPHY IF YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO KNOW WHAT SLAVERY IS YOU IGNORANT-" Naofumi started to scream.
"Aha-" Yomogi thought she finally had an opening, but Naofumi barely moved the Shield in the way in time.
"Yes, soon, I'll have my hands around your throat!" Yomogi promised.
No, why was this his life now?! AHHHHHHHH-
It was near the end of Naofumi's long life. The Waves were over. He'd raised a nice, loving family and gotten to witness the other Heroes do the same as well.
Yet he felt so mentally exhausted. And the reason for it was more than obvious.
"Soon! Soon I'll have my revenge!" An older Yomogi yelled, looking as spry as Granny.
"JUST EAT SOMETHING AT LEAST! THIS IS TOO WEIRD FOR ME TO HANDLE ANYMORE!" An old Naofumi yelled at her.
Naofumi was legit starting to believe that Kyo had experimented on her so that she'd not only need food or sleep ever again but was also endowed with infinite stamina to annoy the hell out of him. There was no other explanation to explain what was going on… besides crack.
"Never! Now die!" Old Yomogi howled with fury.
Old Naofumi once more tried to direct his E Float Shield into Old Yomogi's way to prevent her from getting close, but somehow...
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Yep, he'd been too late.
Yomogi's hands were now firmly wrapped around his neck. Producing the infamous ineffectual clanging sound he was well known for.
"NO! NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Naofumi screamed in horror.
"AHAHAHAHA!" Yomogi howled with glee. "AT LAST! YOU SHALL RECEIVE YOUR PUNISHMENT FOR YOUR MISDEEDS!"
Thus, Naofumi lived out the rest of his life once again, unable to pry an old, stubborn Yomogi from around his neck. And even though he managed to outlive the girl by a few years once more…
Well, let's just say that one was still able to hear the sounds of ineffectual clanging below the concrete of his grave. And that his E Float Shield skill never disappeared, staying floating above the grave site to signify Naofumi's failure to out stubborn the most stubborn girl in all of existence.
"You see, young ones, this shield here proves that the Great Shield God is always watching over us." An old Dou-Lon smiled at his many strawberry-haired grandkids.
"Whoaaaaaaaa..." Their wide innocent eyes matched exactly with their smiles and wagging tails.
You know, in a way, you could see it like that… somehow.
Either way, Naofumi had long since been driven insane in the afterlife.
Just like the author after realizing how easy it was to write out the rest of this chapter after months of hiatus and working on other stories.
Hero Clips!
I AM NOT WEARING THAT!
Barbaroi Armor (Cursed)
Equip Effect: Defense Up (Max), Impact Resistance (Large), Slash Resistance (Large), Fire Resistance (Large), Wind Resistance (Large), Water Resistance (Large), Earth Resistance (Large), HP Recovery (Low), Magic Recovery (Weak), SP Recovery (Weak), Magic Power Up (Medium), Dragon Emperor Revolt, Four Holy Beasts Power, Magic Defense Processing, Automatic Self-Repair, Growth Power
The array of bonuses and resistances offered by this armor set made it useful against any enemy in most situations. It was accompanied by several powerful noteworthy enchantments that'd grow more powerful with the wearer. It was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, THE BEST armor the author had ever thrown at the Shield Hero. And even though it was cursed, the curse itself wouldn't affect Naofumi due to his high defense stat.
"I am NOT wearing that!" Naofumi stated in a venomous tone.
Yet despite that, the Shield Hero was choosing to be stupid because of how the armor would make him look like a villain. And this would likely screw with him later down the road.
What an idiot.
"&%$# off, Allen!" Naofumi made a middle finger at the sky.
A cloud formed a hand waving a middle finger back in response.
"Naofumi, why are you being even stupider than normal?" Raphtalia asked him, looking beyond agitated.
"Yeah, Daddy's being even more stupid than Book Idiot." Filo agreed.
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan nodded her head on her best friend's shoulder. His whole family was glaring at him with hatred.
"Wha-! I'm not being stupid, I'm just stating my preferences!" Naofumi fiercely defended his choice from his family.
"Man Kiddo, for someone who says he's supposed to be focused on defense, it is kind of stupid to not grab the armor set that'd make you the perfect defense." L'Arc shrugged where he stood in his new lamellar armor.
"Shut up boy! Nobody asked you for your dumb opinion!" Naofumi yelled at him.
"Master Craftsman, I have to agree with L'Arc. You really are being kind of an idiot right now." Therese admitted.
"Yeah! Come on, bro! Why you got to do my friend Romina dirty like this?!" Kizuna asked where she was busy comforting her sobbing blacksmith friend.
"And to think people thought my canon self was stupid." Itsuki shook his head off to the side.
His friends weren't saying anything, but it was easy to tell that they were also judging Naofumi for what he was doing right now.
"OH COME ON! The armor is cursed! I'm definitely not wearing that!" Naofumi howled angrily at the otherworlders.
"But didn't Romina say the curse wouldn't affect you because of your defense stat, Sir Naofumi?" Dou-Lon asked. "That definitely makes that a poor excuse not to wear it since it's clearly meant for you."
…
No way, even Dou-Lon was looking down on him for his decision.
Text appeared on his HUD.
Obviously, you're really being an idiot. I go through so much effort to make you become a defender and you won't take the armor that'll make your job a hell of a lot easier?
"NOT YOU TOO YANDERE SHIELD!" Naofumi yelled at his Shield.
Yandere Shield? What the hell are you talking about?
Anyway, not even your ten-year-old self was nearly this dumb. I can't believe I'm wishing to have him as my wielder again. Shield-Chan sighed inside of the Legendary Shield.
WHAT THE HELL WAS THIS EVEN REFERENCING?! NAOFUMI WAS SO CONFUSED AND ANGRY AND-
"Please Shield-Senpai! Please wear me so I can be a part of the plot!"
…
Okay, had that voice just come from the Barbaroi Armor?
How was that now the strangest thing that'd happened in this scene?
"What the hell?" Naofumi stared at it in confusion as well as everyone else.
"PLEASE! I PROMISE I'LL BEHAVE AND NOT GET IN THE WAY OF YOUR CHARACTER PLOT POINTS LIKE IN CANON! I'LL EVEN MAKE SURE TO TONE DOWN THE FLIRTING SINCE YOU AND YOUR WIFE FRIEND GOT TOGETHER!"
"Hey, I recognize that voice. Hi Mr. Demon Dragon!" Kizuna said cheerfully from the side.
"That's the Demon Dragon you fought- Wait, flirting?! I thought it was supposed to be male?!" Naofumi was so confused right now. He didn't even know what to pick to be confused about anymore.
"Well, yes, I did start out as male," The Demon Dragon started, "But in the LNs you changed my gender to female when you gave my core to a dragon hatchling meant for Kizuna!
"Besides, if you really don't swing that way, I'll just break time and space to become a female early!"
"… what?" Naofumi said out loud.
"PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR WRATHFUL BABIES, SHIELD SENPAI!" The Demon Dragon yelled desperately from the core of the armor. "I WANT THEM SO BADLY!"
"... I suddenly understand why you don't want to wear this armor, Naofumi." Raphtalia sweatdropped. She was no longer staring lustfully at the trap armor set.
"Rafu." Raph-Chan sweatdropped in agreement.
Naofumi seriously hoped the Demon Dragon wouldn't try to burst its way into the plot in the future.
And that was actually the main reason why he didn't choose the armor. As it would have cursed him with having to deal with a very horny lizard for the rest of his life.
…
Not that it'd work in keeping said horny lizard out of the later part of the story, lol. There was no way in hell a simple action like this would prevent it from forcing itself into Naofumi's life one way or another.
"Wait- wha-" Naofumi tried to speak.
Till Next Time
Allen
Notes:
I… I've had writer's block on the halfway point of this chapter for the longest time. Just… how did the rest of this write so easily when I spent months BANGING MY HEAD AGAINST THIS FRICKING CHAPTER BECAUSE I WANTED TO FIT &^%$&^% STAR WARS REFERENCES NATURALLY INTO THE SETTING?!
Urgh, this is why it's easier to write with the source material without an overload of references. Oh well, at least everything is good. I've even written ahead to 77 right now.
Thank you again, Norin, the end of this chapter wouldn't be so fantastic if it wasn't for you remembering the detail about Mayori's weapon. I cannot believe I forgot about it.
I'll look forward to seeing you all again in two weeks!
Chapter 12: Departure, Start of War
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
- ENTRY #14 -
It has been several weeks, but the war continues.
My skills as a strategist have been more critical than ever. While ████████████ still grates my gears at times, I've learned to get used to her antics.
The plans I am producing now are my best attempts to reduce casualties among our soldiers as much as possible. It has helped that ████████████ were able to go and personally clear the airspace around ████████████ help, freeing up their surprisingly superior ████████████ in the process.
I have visited ████████████ several times in the past, but not even my title as the ████████████ could grant me the credentials necessary to get access to the ████████████ famed armaments. The reputation and quality of their enchanting and crafting techniques is only matched by how zealously ████████████ protects the process of their manufacturing from outsiders. And while I could have used [Search Engine] to figure out all the details on my own, the engineer in me wanted to study these things for myself firsthand.
Even with the ████████████ threat hanging over us, I would have found the probability of the ████████████ spilling their secrets unlikely. But through a stroke of luck or perhaps something more, ████████████ somehow managed to gain the empire's full support by helping to end its succession crisis that started when one of the ████████████ generals slayed its previous emperor. Out of all the successors available, she seemed to favor the one known as Corrin for some reason and derailed a good chunk of our resources into putting him and Hinoka on the throne.
He seems like a mediocre pick to me. Overly hesitant and with no ambitions to speak of. His military leadership skills are lacking too. When the matter was discussed I had suggested for ████████████ to take the throne instead. He would have been a far more useful ally in a military campaign, but my proposal was rejected because he was 'a big meanie'.
I sometimes forget that we are being led by a literal child. Normally I would be more angry, but ████████████ has turned out to be rather open-minded compared to his predecessors. He actually granted me and the ████████████ full access to his country's weapon designs at ████████████ urging which brought up some... 'intriguing' developments. Beyond the obvious applications, it has also helped me with a fun side project me and ████████████ are working on to see if we can make him ████████████ with a high enough attack stat to allow him to support ████████████ on the battlefield.
Perhaps the designs will prove useful for my ████████████ too.
Anyway, with ████████████ available to assist us, we've been steadily pushing the ████████████ forces back on all fronts. It is only a matter of time before we've recaptured all the territory lost to that vicious beast. And then, we'll have to conduct an invasion of its continent to ensure that it doesn't come out against the world in battle ever again.
I look forward to when that happens. I've still been tasked with killing ████████████ if given the chance. However, since her weapon is our best way to slay the worm, I'm holding off on it for now. And besides, it's not like she'll be able to resist later on, no matter how high her level gets.
The ████████████ prevents the user from ████████████, making them easy pickings. Not to mention, she is still a child.
I'd still rather not kill a child if it came down to it. But orders are orders, and 'they' are not the kind of people you want to disobey.
Not without a death wish, at the very least.
Fortunately, there is still time.
- ENTRY #15 -
I… am unsure where to begin here, but let's give it a try.
There is an old holiday from ████████████, one that my parents never participated in called ████████████. Granted, not many families in ████████████ participated in it for obvious reasons outside of the money it raked in for ████████████.
But anyway, it appears that the world ████████████ came from also celebrated ████████████. And she told ████████████ about it, and he invited the rest of us to participate. Granted, I can see why, since we need all the morale we can get while we plan out the invasion of the ████████████ homeland.
No plans I've come up with have been able to calculate how we'll be able to perform an aquatic or air landing without losing a lot of people. But then, I don't think such a thing is possible. Not without being able to fool a beast capable of seeing through every illusionary tactic out there. At this point, all of us know that this won't be a low-casualty affair and that there will be a lot more death ahead than ever before.
But still, even with that in mind, I wasn't sure if such a festivity would be worth going to or not.
I went anyway, I even made sure to get ████████████ a gift that'd be useful. Though only if she learned how to read. It was my way of picking at her lack of intelligence since she still hadn't learned the language since being summoned. But…
She accepted it. No, she LOVED it. She thought it was the greatest gift ever and was inspired to learn how to read because of it.
And of course, she hugged me again. She seems intent on giving those out like candy for some gods forsaken reason. I don't think that even my ████████████ had hugged me as many times, back when I was just a baby ████████████, as ████████████ has done in the last few months.
It feels awkward and uncomfortable every time she does it because it always brings a reminder up to the forefront of my mind that I am supposed to kill her. And that makes something in my chest twist horribly every time, despite me being perfectly healthy.
…
Why does she do it? Why does she always seem to only see the best in everyone around her? I would dismiss her as just another idiot but she has displayed ruthless cunning far beyond her age in other ways.
So why? I'm still going to have to kill her when this is all said and done.
I can't disobey my orders.
Because if I do. Then I'll…
- ENTRY #16 -
The war is over. We've won, which was inevitable with my contributions. The lizard had a few tricks up his sleeve right until the end, however.
Unlike previous battles, there were a lot of casualties. We were not only fighting the monsters, but the people serving under the ████████████. Kizuna couldn't do anything to them and had to focus solely on her battle with the ████████████ while the rest of us fought the humans and monsters, as well as the hordes of undead serving under the ████████████.
It was a rough campaign. From the initial landings all the way to the final confrontation. Not even the Gem People using the power of their ships to form a massive and honestly astounding illusion landing elsewhere on the continent diverted the ████████████ or its forces from our real landing spot.
Kenshiro got an ugly burn scar on the right half of his face from being forced to take a blast of dragon fire to protect Kizuna. He is growing alarmingly soft and complacent compared to before, but I suppose it doesn't matter anymore since we've already won.
The ████████████ both died during the battle. But in the end, ████████████ managed to slay the beast together with ████████████, and the Demon Dragon's remaining Generals and monsters all scattered while the humans and undead fought to the bitter end.
It was a massacre and all of them had to be put down. But now, even if the ████████████ is revived by some idiot, it'd take it hundreds of years to amass the forces it once had to launch an attack on the world again.
Hopefully, by the time that'd be possible, another dragon will have grown up and found its core. If the dragon's personality is strong enough, then it could overcome the Demon Dragon's personality and erase it from existence. Eliminating such a threat entirely.
I will probably consider this if I feel it becomes important enough for me.
Anyway, the war is over, and I am now back in my ████████████ at my mansion for the first time in what feels like years.
My trip was not without its rewards. I have plenty of materials from the beast for future experiments if I so desire. Along with that, while having ████████████ alongside me while exploring its old castle, I found information relating to the Core Method of ████████████ weapon. Information that she herself did not have till she read it alongside me due to 'their' interference prior to her summoning.
Had she had it, that fight could have been so much easier, but oh well. It allowed me to learn that Heroes were capable of sharing methods with each other. Something ████████████ have not realized as of yet. This could fit in well with my future plans. And while I might not have many offensive options still, being able to inflict double damage against monsters is a nice boon.
Besides what I took from my trip, I found that Yomogi kept everything clean and pristine, just the way I like it. She didn't interfere with any of my ongoing experiments either. She handled all my affairs to the letter while I was gone, and even somehow used her political influence as my proxy coupled with her natural charisma to discreetly secure me the rights to a mine in ████████████ that had recently unearthed an adamantium ore vein. The mine is close to the Misty Forest too.
I went to check on it immediately since it sounded too good to be true, but it was real adamant ore and of high quality too. Normally, I would have to report this discovery to ████████████ and sign a forced exclusivity contract to sell the ore only to them. It was part of a bunch of old international treaties.
I will do no such thing.
Besides having had enough bureaucratic red tape in my ████████████, I am not planning to sell the ore to anyone on the black market in the first place. I already have plenty of perfectly legal sources of income. Oh no, something like this warrants to be kept for personal use.
Yes. Yomogi has done very well. She exceeded my every expectation for her…
…
Before I left ████████████ said she wanted to honor me for all the hard work I put in to save everyone with my ████████████. I'd felt envious of the others being honored when it was my hard work that made them so successful. And yet, when she said that…
I couldn't bring myself to accept it.
Thinking back on it now, this was also the perfect opportunity to kill her. She was far away from everyone else. I could have easily done the deed and made it to the hourglass before they could capture me. But the thought never crossed my mind.
All I could focus on was her indirectly calling me her ████████████ when she invited me to go on a celebratory fishing trip later.
…
I said that I would think about it, but the answer is a firm no.
Planning out how to kill her is becoming hard enough as it is.
In the courtyard, Itsuki and his friends were getting themselves ready to go while they waited for Naofumi to return from his box eradication tantrum.
The Bow Hero made sure he had everything he needed in his Bow's inventory. He then checked his outfit to make sure that the armored kimono Romina had made for him fit him snugly before finally pulling out the weapon form he'd copied earlier.
His Bow transformed into the same weapon that Corrin's guards wielded. As Itsuki looked it over and brushed his hand across its length, stars appeared in his eyes.
"Seriously… this is so freaking cool." He said excitedly to himself.
"Wait, huh? You were able to copy one of those pikes? But I thought that was Sir Motoyasu's thing?" Aksel asked curiously.
Itsuki shrugged. "I don't know. It's called the Holy Bow, but I found out early on that it was also capable of copying guns and such."
"Fueh, does that mean that thing is also a gun?" Rishia leaned in closer to examine the weapon form too.
"Actually, I haven't tried firing it yet…" Itsuki turned to the side, facing a target that'd been set up. "Is it actually a gun?" It called itself a rifle, but he didn't see any firing mechanism or anything for it.
He lifted the long weapon to his face and looked down the sights placed near the pointy end of the two-pronged rifle. As he pondered how it might work, he had the subconscious thought of making the weapon fire.
Phoom!
What could only be described as a laser blast fired from between the two prongs at the end of the rifle, going right through the center of the target that Itsuki was aiming for.
The Bow Hero pulled his face away from the weapon, floored by what he'd just witnessed.
"That… that looked a lot like lightning magic," Rishia said, looking even more awed than before. "Only compressed into a longer round than what I've heard the guns of Faubley are capable of!"
"What- I didn't even see that!" Aksel yelled.
"Do it again! Do it again!" Maya chanted excitedly.
Itsuki aimed down the sights once more and began to rapid-fire it.
Phoom! Phoom! Phoom! Phoom! Phoom!
The rifle repeatedly shot out rounds of lightning into the target. The bolts themselves traveled incredibly fast, though Itsuki found that the projectiles weren't actually much faster than regular arrows that he usually fired from his bow. Then again, that might have something to do with how high his stats had become as of late.
Unlike most of his other weapons, it appeared that this rifle was meant to inflict magic damage instead of physical damage.
He didn't know how it'd work for the soldiers using them, but Itsuki himself would be capable of shooting a practically endless stream of magic attacks with this rifle for as long as he had it equipped.
His party members watched him continue to shoot it with awe written on their faces. "Whoa…" Aksel began to grin madly. "Kyo is so screwed if you face him with that!"
"Hmmm, no, I don't think that I'll be using this for our fight with Kyo," Itsuki said as he observed the damage done to the target.
"Ehhh?! Why not?" Maya asked, sounding disappointed.
"Because it's not as powerful as some of the bows I have already." Itsuki sighed in equal disappointment. "That's a problem with a lot of the awesome weapons I tend to copy, actually. At one point, they might have been useful. But then I absorb a Wave Boss or another powerful monster or I reach a high enough level to use a better bow and the copied weapon becomes obsolete. Not only do Bows from Boss Monsters have higher stats, but they're normally accompanied by some awesome special effects that make them better choices to use in a fight.
"The Ballista that I copied from Mirellia's ships was pretty strong during our trip to Cal Mira as an example, but then I finally hit the level needed to use some dragon bows I couldn't use before for the battle against the Spirit Tortoise and their stats far exceeded what the ballista had."
"No way, so that's why we haven't seen you pull that weapon out since?" Aksel's face became downcast. "I found it really cool how you could just plop a siege weapon down out of nowhere."
"That's just the way it works, I'm afraid." Itsuki rested a hand on the knight's shoulder and nodded in sympathy. "But I could see about having Mirellia make one out of Guardian Beast materials after we get back. It might just prove to be powerful enough for me to use."
His friends all looked disappointed. But hey, what could he do? He'd rather not be stuck with the same weapon all the time…
Well, besides maybe the rifle he'd just copied. But he was sure the nostalgia would wear off eventually!
Either way, because of the stats his weapon had assigned to it, the Gem Lightning Rifle was far from being the strongest weapon form available to him. Meaning that it probably wouldn't be a good idea to use it in their final battle with Kyo… Still, it had some pretty high stats for a weapon, and it was a cool weapon to copy regardless!
Its equip bonus increased the damage of any lightning-based attacks he used in the future, so unlocking it would increase the damage of his skill Lightning Arrow!
Finally, it was about time that something good had happened to him!
…
The others finished getting dressed. Maya checked over her kunai one last time while Aksel tested his ax to make sure it was still sharp. Rishia checked her supply of ofuda while taking another moment to admire the katana she was holding now.
"Hey, Itsuki."
A familiar voice made the Bow Hero pause and turn around.
"What is it, Daitan? Me and the others are about to leave, so…" His eyes slowly widened at what he was seeing.
Hoshi and Akane flanked Daitan's sides as they approached. However, the three Heroes were not dressed in their usual casual attire.
Hoshi was wearing a battle kimono, much like the one L'Arc had worn previously. Its color scheme was all black and grey, just like his normal outfit. It'd help with raising his defense, but it also gave him a big increase in his mobility and his magic. And while he still looked timid, he was standing taller than he ever had.
Akane was dressed in a fiery battle dress as well. The torso was mainly red with blue on the sides, and her sleeves opened up around the shoulders, letting a long line of white cloth the same color as her skirt cover her arms. Sapphires hung to her skirt and went up the middle of her padded, frillless chest. Gold ribbons were tied around the tops of her arms, and other gold accents were on various parts of her outfit.
More than ever, she looked like a princess. And unlike Bitch, the look fit her perfectly.
It'd been a while since she'd last worn it, but it still fit as well as ever. The Sapphires really complimented her eyes and brought out the fire in them as well as the surrounding rubies.
Daitan himself was dressed in full plate armor just like Corrin's soldiers. Gemstones encrusted his suit from his boots all the way to the helmet he held in one of his hands. The other hand hefted his mace, resting it on one of his gem-encrusted shoulder pauldrons. "You mind if we come along as well?"
"Wait- what!? Aren't you three planning to stay in Sickle while we're doing all the fighting?" Itsuki asked in surprise. "Why are you dressed for combat?"
"That was the original plan when we came here, yeah." Hoshi looked down at the ground for a moment, before looking up at Itsuki again. "B-But we've decided that we want to come along too!"
"Even… even if we're still not all that strong, we're not entirely useless," Akane spoke after Hoshi, looking to the side for only a moment before looking confidently at the Bow Hero. "Besides, I think it's about time this Kyo guy realized that the Cardinal Heroes he looked down on aren't as stupid and useless as he thought them to be.
"We've talked with Kizuna some more and we're thinking that maybe if he sees that we're willing to fight again, he'll consider giving us a chance to save the world on our terms."
"Yeah, what she said!" Daitan voiced boisterously.
...
Itsuki just stared at them for a moment longer. Then, he shook his head. "I don't think it'll be that simple. He killed hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people in our world for his goal. You three coming along isn't likely to make him change his mind."
…
"Well… even if he doesn't." Akane breathed in deeply and stood tall, standing above the two young men beside her. "Ken-Sensei told us to live, but I can't help but feel that he'd be disappointed in us if we didn't at least try to help when the world needed us!
"I'm tired of being useless and pathetic! I'm tired of just sitting around doing nothing all day except making and designing pretty dresses! I want to make a difference beyond helping young girls to smile!"
"Me… Me too." Hoshi breathed in deeply before speaking in a more confident voice as well. "I agree with Akane. I don't want to just draw manga for the rest of my life. I want to help out others too. Allow us to help you out, please!"
…
Itsuki looked from them to Daitan again. But the Blunt Weapons Hero shook his head. "I know I'm an idiot, Itsuki. I still have a lot I have to learn.
"But I'm not going to just stand aside and let my friends go into battle on their own. Even if we're not that strong individually, we should be strong enough to fight together. We won't cower or get in the way like we did last time with Ken-sensei."
"We want to finish this and then get to work putting this world back on track. We'll do whatever it takes in order to make that happen!"
…
Itsuki didn't know how to answer. The three looked entirely sincere in their desires, and he looked at his friends for help, but before any of them could answer.
"Absolutely not." Naofumi appeared then, dressed in the Byakko Armor Romina had made for him.
He had a box monster munching uselessly on his side, as well as a scowl on his face.
"Boo, why not?!" Daitan asked angrily. He and the others had given cool speeches too and everything!
"For one, this isn't some fun little field trip. This is a serious threat to both of our worlds that we're facing." Naofumi remarked, taking the box monster off his side so Rishia could dispose of it for him. "There isn't any room for dead weight."
Rishia helplessly shrugged to the Otherworld Heroes as she walked up to Naofumi. Slashing through the box with her blade. It fell to the ground in two large pieces.
"For another, your survival is still necessary for the safety of this world. You might be stronger now, but you're still nowhere close to our level of strength. Even if you don't plan to get in the way, I'd still have to protect you three in the middle of a battle. And it's harder for me to protect those who aren't capable of protecting themselves." The Shield Hero concluded harshly.
"We… well…" Daitan tried to come up with a response, but it wasn't like Naofumi's argument was without merit.
"Lastly, Sickle is probably the safest spot for you to be in right now. Coming with us will not guarantee that we'll be able to keep you all safe." Naofumi said, his tone calming to one with more care in it than with the previous reasons. "Even if your lives weren't important for the safety of the world, it wouldn't rest well on my mind if I led you into a situation where you would get yourselves killed."
…
Daitan pouted, but Naofumi was already moving towards the courtyard's exit, where Ethnobalt's boat was waiting outside. "Come on, Itsuki. We need to get going. Ethnobalt said it's going to take us at least three days for us to get to Kyo's mansion."
"Wait, three days?!" Maya raised her voice, looking surprised. "I thought we'd be facing him today!"
"Because all the hourglasses nearby are either locked or compromised, Ethnobalt needs to travel further at his Boat's normal cruising speed to find an Earth Vein that can get us into Luvar safely," Itsuki told his friends. He then shrugged helplessly at the Otherworld Heroes. "... Also, I'm sorry guys. Maybe next time."
With that, the Bow Hero and his friends followed behind Naofumi.
The three Otherworld Heroes were left in the middle of the courtyard, all dressed for combat but with nothing to show for it.
…
…
"Well, that could have gone better." Hoshi lamented miserably.
"You can say that again." Akane deflated next to him as well.
And to think they'd psyched themselves up to go off to battle too…
…
"Heheheheh."
However, Akane and Hoshi turned their heads as Daitan began to chuckle to himself. His hand was resting against his forehead as he cackled evilly. "So, they think we'll just stay behind because they told us to do that, right?"
"Uh… did you hit him a little too hard on the head earlier, Akane?" Hoshi asked.
"Not any harder than usual." The girl looked just as confused.
Daitan's hand fell, and he grinned at Akane and Hoshi. "Come on guys, since when have we ever listened to people in positions of authority?"
…
"Kenshiro." Hoshi and Akane said simultaneously in a flat tone of voice.
…
"Well, when have we listened to people in positions of authority besides Ken-sensei!?" Daitan said, still trying to sound cool but failing miserably at it.
"I'm starting to think I slammed your head into the ground a little too hard after all." Akane, though shaking her head, couldn't keep the smile off her face. "But fine, I can already tell what you want to say. I still want to go too. Whether they say we can or not."
"But how? Only Ethnobalt's ship is going to Kyo's mansion. We'd have to sneak aboard that one if we wanted to come with them." Hoshi pointed out. "I doubt they'd let us enter it after what Naofumi said. And even if we did get on board, if they found us, wouldn't they just drop us back off here?" Hoshi pointed out.
"Details details." Daitan winked mischievously. "We'll just improvise. One way or another, we're getting on that ship."
Akane felt her heart skip a little in her chest at the action.
"Plus, who cares what Naofumi thinks? All we have to do is convince one very important individual to let us join and we'll be on our way with them." Daitan began to laugh.
This was incredibly stupid… but for once, the Jewel Heroine was all for it! Even she could tell who Daitan was referencing there!
"Kizuna." She said with shining eyes.
Daitan gave her a wink. "Yep, we all know that she's the one who's really in charge around here."
Hoshi's eyes brightened in understanding as well. For some reason, he'd assumed they'd have to convince Raph-Chan, but Kizuna sounded like a good choice too!
Thus, the three immediately snuck out from the courtyard to board Ethnobalt's ship without permission.
"Do we have everything we need?" Naofumi asked.
"Huff! Just finished loading the last of the crates!" Aksel wiped off some sweat from his face as he set one last large crate down on the deck of Ethnobalt's ship. "Do we really need to bring all these supplies? I could have sworn you Heroes could absorb everything in your weapons."
"Yeah, but it makes it a hassle going through the menus to locate every single thing we need amongst hundreds of different items." Naofumi rolled his eyes. Plus, thanks to Ethnobalt's ship being nearly indestructible, it made more sense to have items like healing and magic crystals in easy-access crates in case of emergency.
At least, up until they would arrive at Kyo's mansion.
Not to mention, this allowed them to have food without everyone having to bother Naofumi or the other Heroes whenever they wanted a freaking snack. The Shield Hero glared at Aksel.
Aksel began to pout in response. "I don't get hungry 'that' often."
"And with that comment, you've just volunteered to drag those crates down to my room." Naofumi pointed to the stairs leading down into the ship.
"Wha- NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Aksel began to scream as Naofumi walked away to make sure that everything else was ready.
The poor knight had no choice but to haul every last crate down the steps inside Ethnobalt's ship.
…
The boarding process was soon concluded, with Naofumi double-checking that all the supplies they needed for the journey to Luvar were loaded. Then, after L'Arc gave the go-ahead from the rest of the fleet, Ethnobalt's ship took to the sky, flying alongside the giant Assault Cruisers that definitely weren't a rip-off from some popular sci-fi franchise or something.
Hours later, after flying with L'Arc and his forces to the border, Ethnobalt's boat split off from the large invasion group, disappearing from view as Kizuna and Itsuki used their stealth skills together to make the ship and everyone on it invisible to the naked eye.
The invasion force began their initial landings a mile away from the wall that marked the border between Sickle and Label.
"Do you remember the plan?" Naofumi asked L'Arc over a communication ofuda as they flew over the camps of soldiers marking where the frontlines were currently at. The ofuda that the Shield Hero was holding was specially modified with tiny gems in the corners. While a regular communication ofuda could only contact a single other one, these ones were military grade and capable of contacting multiple ofuda as long as they had the same gem sequence on them.
"Yeah yeah, we've gone over it a million times by now. I'm not going to repeat it back to you again, you jerk!" L'Arc's voice yelled back from the ofuda.
"Alright, just want to make sure, because if things go to &^%$ I'm not going to be around to bail your &^% out this time, boy." Naofumi drawled in response.
"Don't worry Master Craftsman!" Therese's voice came onto the line next, keeping L'Arc from being able to retort. "I'll make sure that L'Arc survives whatever happens with minimal injuries!"
"Come on Therese! Have a little more faith in me!" L'Arc whined.
"Enough, we will be awaiting word of your successful subjugation of the rogue Book Hero, Naofumi." Corrin's voice came on the line next. "We will use that info to make Luvar surrender if we have to."
"Got it. Remain in contact with Ethnobalt in case anything changes. Over and out." Naofumi said, before closing his line of communication on the ofuda.
Ethnobalt's ship ascended higher and higher up, gradually displacing the clouds at this altitude. But before they were out of sight entirely, Naofumi looked back and saw that the battle had already begun as the gem-encrusted LAATs from before came out of the large ships.
Gem spells began to launch from the turrets on their fronts into the opposing fortifications, alongside a hail of bolts and large rocks launched by catapults and other ranged weapons Sickle and Label's soldiers had set up along the front line.
The defenders quickly began to rally with their own magic and siege weapons, though it was obvious they were completely outnumbered by the sudden invasion force at their doorstep.
Within moments, the counterattack against Luvar's forces was beginning in earnest. And sections of the border wall were already beginning to crumble under the onslaught.
Naofumi continued to watch the start of the first battle between Sickle's coalition and Luvar's forces fade from view. Until, eventually, he couldn't see anything below him at all besides the clouds they'd flown into.
It would be another two days before they would reach the ley line that Ethnobalt had pointed out on his map of the world. Either way, Naofumi wanted to double-check that everything had gone well.
"Everything good?" Naofumi asked Ethnobalt as he approached the rabbit man standing at the wheel.
"Yes. I believe that Kizuna and Itsuki's stealth skills did a great job of hiding my ship from view. If we're fortunate, Luvar's forces will believe my ship is still with them in the form of the Invincible L'Arc is currently on." Ethnobalt said happily.
"Good. Are the two planning to keep the skill active until we reach the ley line?" Naofumi asked.
Ethnobalt nodded. "Even if most of the journey will be over friendly territory, I'd rather not take any chances."
"Better safe than sorry." Naofumi nodded and looked around the deck.
His party had gone below deck for the takeoff. However, Itsuki and his party were still topside. With Itsuki studying the distant horizon while Rishia and Maya were conversing with one another.
Kizuna and Glass were also topside, with Yomogi standing near them. Kyo's retainer was currently brooding, with her arms crossed over her chest and her face deep in thought.
Naofumi took note of what was being said.
"It's been so tiring lately." Maya sighed sadly. "And here I was hoping me and Aksel would finally have time to hit the city this morning."
"Fueh? What for?" Rishia asked, almost sounding suspicious.
"Mmm." Maya looked at the clouds. "Before that one attack, I found a stall with some nice smelling flowers in it during one of our dinner dates. They helped me to feel relaxed and happy.
"We didn't have enough money after dinner to buy any then, so I was hoping we could try to find it again. That way I could ease my anxiety about what we'll be going through up ahead…
"Hehe… Guess that didn't end up happening though…" The raccoon girl deflated sadly. "I could really use something to calm down."
"Oh, um…" Rishia looked unsure how to respond.
"Why would you want some lame flower," Aksel suddenly appeared from behind, briefly surprising his raccoon girlfriend as he hugged her to his chest and spoke playfully. "I could have sworn you said you loved the way I smell too."
Maya's eyes went wide with shock for another second. It wasn't often that Aksel was the one managing to sneak up on her. However, when she'd recovered, a large smirk popped onto her face and her bad mood disappeared entirely. "You mean when you aren't all sweaty and covered in gore from monster hunting?"
"Heheh, fair. Though, I still love how you smell amazing even after we spend a full day grinding monsters together." Aksel gave her a wink, causing her to giggle.
"Oh? And what else do you love about me, Axie-Poo?" She asked teasingly.
"The feel of your hair. The sound of your voice. The way your cheerful personality just sets my heart ablaze as well as the annoyance I feel whenever you call me that nickname." Aksel listed off, smirking as he brought his head down to sniff her hair deeply. "You just really know how to push my buttons and I love it."
"Ehehehe." Maya giggled some more. She looked far more relaxed than she had earlier. "Thank you, I'm feeling better already."
"You're welcome…" Aksel suddenly looked off to the side, then grinned at Maya as he reached out with his hand to open a nearby crate. "But since you did bring it up."
…
…
Maya was visibly stunned.
Aksel had done the impossible. Somehow, without her knowing, he'd gone and found that stall again. He'd bought the bouquet of violet-colored roses that she'd been admiring as well as a vase to put them in.
The smile on his face couldn't have been bigger and more genuine than when he gave it to her. "I planned on giving this to you tonight after dinner... But I figure now might be a better time, if it'll really help to lower your anxiety for Kyo."
"I… I…" Tears began to escape Maya's eyes. She brought the vase full of flowers to her nose and sniffed it deeply.
The tears really began to flow after that. "Thank you!" She proceeded to hug her favorite knight, and he chuckled as he hugged her back.
"Of course. Anything to help you feel better, babe." He told her.
Maya began to giggle in happiness. And Rishia was also smiling in her spot.
"Hey, go to your room if you're going to get so lovey-dovey with each other." Itsuki pouted bitterly nearby. "I told Ethnobalt to assign you the soundproof room for a reason."
"Eh? But me and Aksel wanted to save that space for you in case you and Rishia needed some privacy for your picture books." Maya smiled smugly at the Bow Hero.
…
"Wha…" Itsuki looked confused at her response.
Aksel had to hold back a laugh. "I think he calls it a manga, Maya."
"Oh, is that what the books he and Rishia read together are called? I guess I was just too busy watching them hold each other's hands to notice what they were reading." Maya began to giggle again. Her smile became a little bigger though as she put her nose to the flowers she was holding.
This had really made her day. She was going to look forward to setting these in their room later.
…
It finally clicked for the Bow Hero, and his face burned a fierce red, as did Rishia's. "WILL EVERYONE JUST STOP TEASING US ABOUT OUR MANGA TIME?!" Itsuki screamed.
"FUEHHHHHHHHHH!" Rishia screamed as well.
First Naofumi, now their own friends?! WHO ELSE HAD NOTICED THEIR INNOCENT ACTIVITIES!?
Naofumi chuckled in his spot. Little did the poor couple know that the entire household had been aware of what they were doing.
And if they hadn't known before, they were definitely aware now.
"Awwwww! So that's what you two were doing in the mornings?" Kizuna sighed in disappointment. "I thought it'd be something more physically intimate than that."
"Do not tease them too much," Glass told her best friend, though there was a hint of a smirk on her face. "I think they are just fine moving at their own pace."
"STOP ASSUMING THINGS THAT HAVEN'T HAPPENED YET!" Itsuki screamed at the pair.
"OH! YET?!" Kizuna asked hopefully.
...
Itsuki realized his slip of tongue, and he and Rishia both put their hands to their heads. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
They ran downstairs without another word.
Man, teenagers really were idiots.
If they'd wanted some privacy they should have just read together in their room instead of out in the foyer where everyone could see them.
Though, on the other hand, they'd probably be dealing with a lot more sex jokes if they'd done that.
Maybe, possibly.
…
Knowing Naofumi, that was definitely a real possibility.
Ethnobalt had remained silent next to Naofumi for all that time. After the young couple's disappearance though, he sighed to himself. "It'll probably be best not to bother them for a while."
"What do you mean? If we strike now while the iron's hot, then I'm sure we could finally get the pair to confess and make love before we land at Kyo's mansion!" Kizuna drove her fist into her palm determinedly. "My Squishy will know true happiness or my name isn't Kizuna Kazayama!"
…
"What?" Kizuna asked, seeing the stares directed at her.
"Nah, I agree with Ethnobalt," Naofumi spoke flatly. "There's only so much teasing that Itsuki and Rishia can take. Let's ease off for now and see what happens."
At the very least, those two knew everyone was aware of their growing relationship with each other. And while they jested and teased, they were all for it.
Kizuna began to pout as she crossed her arms. "Boo! Nobody ever likes my relationship advice!"
"To be fair…" Glass sweatdropped. "Your relationship advice involves rushing people into relationships far too quickly."
"Ehhhh?! I mean can you blame me!? Just look at L'Arc and Therese! I was missing for years and they still haven't gotten together!" Kizuna argued.
"That… is a fair point, but still." Glass sighed.
"What about you, Yomogi?!" Kizuna turned her head to look at the green-haired woman excitedly. "Did you and Kyo finally tie the knot while I was gone!? Don't think I didn't notice the look in your eyes when you revealed your last name to the others!"
…
…
"Yomogi?" Kizuna tilted her head to the side curiously as the girl looked away, an even more pained expression on her face.
"No… Kyo still doesn't feel that way about me." The girl admitted in a crushed voice.
"... oh." Kizuna stood by awkwardly, suddenly unsure of what to say.
Yomogi balled up her fists and looked up at the Hunting Tools Hero. "What does it matter anyway? You all are going to kill him after we arrive, right? That's what Kyo was expecting last time I talked to him, at least."
"No." Kizuna shook her head firmly. "That's not what we're going to do. And I think you understand it too, otherwise, you wouldn't have offered to help us."
Yomogi looked away without saying anything and Kizuna continued to speak.
"This might be selfish, stupid, and utterly disrespectful to both my best friend and my new friends, but I won't let anyone kill Kyo. I know he has done some terrible things and is playing with power that no man should wield, but I don't care. He is still my friend.
"I will try my best to try and convince him to stop again when we talk in person, but if he refuses, then I'll just have to get him tied up and dragged back to Sickle to decide on his punishment if that's what it takes. But I won't let anyone kill him.
"I still believe that the friend I knew is there."
"... … …" Yomogi's silence stretched on far longer than it should have, but eventually…
Yomogi sighed again. "You really make no sense sometimes, Kizuna."
"Eh? What do you mean?" Kizuna asked curiously.
"I mean… Kyo's told me most of what happened." Yomogi glared at Glass. "How he went to a hostile world to gather the soul energy he needed to save our own. How Glass and the others acted to stop him. How they allied with these… fiends, and cut off his arm before he could escape."
"Yet here you are now. Allied with those same fiends and treating them like 'friends'. You haven't changed one bit in the years you've been gone."
Kizuna's smile faltered. "Do you realize how bad it is to suggest that killing off an entire world full of people to save everyone here is an acceptable solution to our problems?" The Hunting Hero asked.
"It wasn't so hard after seeing how badly they hurt Kyo." Yomogi glared at Naofumi for a second, before turning back to Kizuna. "Besides, weren't Glass and L'Arc already going to other worlds to murder their heroes too? What makes what Kyo was doing any different? Was it because he wasn't meeting the Heroes in 'fair' and 'honorable' battle?"
"That shouldn't matter anymore." Kizuna frowned. "I'm here to fight off the Waves now, and I will fight them off!"
"Just you?" Yomogi chuckled. "The other three Cardinal failures won't be joining you?
"And even if they do wake up, what about what was said at that international meeting? Do you truly believe that all of the nations of our world want you to fight off the Waves for them?"
…
At Kizuna's silence, Yomogi continued. "Either way, whether the other nations agreed on it or not, the worlds we collide with are our enemies. The waves are happening because of their existence. And before you returned, we had no Cardinal Heroes in our world participating in the fight against the waves at all, so how was it bad to do the next best thing by going to other worlds to kill them off instead?
"After all, wasn't it Ethnobalt who discovered in the ancient texts found in the infinite library labyrinth that this was a possible answer?
"Tell me, how was what Kyo was doing any different from what the rest of your friends did?"
"Because whether they only attacked the Heroes or not. The results would still be the same. A dead world consumed by the Waves of Catastrophe."
…
Kizuna opened her mouth, ready to fiercely defend her friends. To say how she would unite the world against the Waves like she did against the Demon Dragon. And how soon, the other three Cardinals would be participating again once they were made strong enough to do so! But before she could do so…
"It is fine, Kizuna." Glass rested a hand on her shoulder. "I already know what I did is unforgivable. Yomogi is not wrong in that regard."
"Glass…" Kizuna deflated sadly.
"I could try to make my case with how different my approach was compared to Kyo's. How me and L'Arc only wished to fight with Heroes and not the friends and people supporting them. But she is right. The end result would still be the same. Their entire world would die because of our actions."
"You see?!" Yomogi turned to face the spirit woman. "You two as well as Therese were going off to other worlds, killing Heroes on other worlds! And then Kyo goes off to do the same and is considered an enemy?! How is that fair to him?!"
"It is not." Glass shook her head. "Under normal circumstances, it would not be fair at all. And I would not be so quick to judge him if these were normal circumstances."
"Then… why?" Yomogi asked, looking confused.
…
"When we first met Kyo again in Naofumi's world, we had already decided to throw in the towel at that point. That in itself would already be plenty of reason to try to stop him from repeating our mistakes. But there was something more..." Glass thought to herself, looking out at the sea of clouds surrounding them. Her eyes held a far-off look to them as she stared at nothingness.
"Do you know how the Vassal and Cardinal Weapons sometimes try to communicate with their wielders?" The spirit woman asked.
Yomogi nodded hesitantly after a moment. "I do. Kyo occasionally complained that his was frequently being a nag. "
"When I first started my crusade against Heroes from other worlds… my weapon kept on telling me to stop." Glass continued to speak. "To stop what I was doing. To stop killing Heroes on other worlds. But because of my anger, I stopped listening to what it wanted and instead placed my own personal desires above my duties.
"What I did was not in line with what our world wanted." Her head looked down at the deck before her. "I get the feeling L'Arc's weapon was telling him the same thing. But I never allowed for him to talk me out of it either."
"I have no doubt that there will come a time when I will need to pay for what happened. After all, some of the Holy Heroes on those worlds we visited are still alive."
…
Glass turned back to Yomogi. "But that feeling, that soundless voice coming from my fan that I heard every time I ended another Hero's life. Its volume, its magnitude, its desperation was nothing compared to the agonizing pleas and screams of desperation and terror that came from the Vassal Book that day when we met Kyo again in Naofumi's world."
"What? Kyo's weapon…?" Yomogi blinked, and deep within her eyes a dark, suppressed memory could be seen briefly.
"We happened upon him by chance, but now I wonder if we had somehow been led to him by my fans and L'Arc's scythe." Glass looked down at the gem of her weapon with a frown as she recalled the events. "So we could hear that horrible, blood-chilling scream that came from the book that reverberated in our own weapons.
"It spoke of absolute and total annihilation beyond even what the Waves could do. It pleaded its siblings in our hands to stop its wielder, to stop Kyo, from harvesting the soul energy from Naofumi and Itsuki's world and bringing it back over here, before it was too late.
"And since then, not a day goes by without the echoes of the Book's voice passing through my fans to remind me about that encounter. And I am sure the same goes for L'Arc too."
…
"Yomogi." Kizuna turned to the girl with a grim expression. "Did Kyo tell you how he is planning to use the soul energy he took to save our world?"
"First off, what the Book is saying is that it 'can' bring about the end of the world. Not that it 'will'. Kyo is not an idiot, he is well aware of how volatile and dangerous the substance that he is working with is." The green-haired girl countered weakly. "But you need this kind of fuel to power up the device that he's designed to end the waves of destruction once and for all!"
"... is... is that really what he's using the soul energy for?" Kizuna asked hesitantly.
"YES!" Yomogi cried out in exasperation. "And before you ask, the only reason why he hasn't activated it yet is because he's been spending all this time calculating and testing out its limits to make sure that it doesn't backfire and kill us all like your stupid weapons keep blabbering about!"
"Then what the hell is up with the whole Demon lord thing and trying to kill the other three Cardinal Heroes?!" Kizuna interjected.
"That..." It was Yomogi's turn to back off a bit again. "That is something that I do not approve of either, I admit. But with the way things are right now, it's necessary to deal with the coming fallout."
"What fallout?" Kizuna's eyes narrowed.
"..." Yomogi stayed quiet for a moment, looking hesitant. "Of the waves suddenly stopping abruptly, instead of gradually over time."
"...Yomogi, what exactly does this device that Kyo created do?" Glass asked, her voice tense.
"It won't destroy our world, if that's what you're asking. At least, not if he gets everything right." The green-haired girl looked away. "But it will cause some...instabilities for a short while. Stuff like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, tornadoes. Among other anomalies. Things we've already had for a while, due to the waves, but on a much larger scale.
"That's why Kyo wants to consolidate his power and put the rest of the world under Luvar's heel. So that it would be easier to manage everything and keep everyone safe when it is time to activate his magnum opus."
"But, but, that would still cause insurmountable damage, no matter how well we prepare!" Kizuna shouted, sounding distraught. "And besides, none of this matters anymore! He doesn't need to do any of it! I am back! We can fight the waves back normally now like our world always has! Even the other three cardinal heroes are now willing to participate! Yomogi, please, you should be able to see and understand this much at least!"
The girl did not respond and simply looked away.
"Okay, fine, think what you want." The Hunting Tools Hero sighed and shook her head. "What about Kyo's stay in the other world? Did he tell you anything about it?
"I can tell you know quite a bit of what's happened, from his time in our world to the International Meeting held in Lapis. But I want to know the specifics. Did he tell you only about how he fought the Heroes? Or did he mention how he treated the Heroes that he captured? How he made the Guardian Beast rampage, destroying many cities and ending many lives?"
"I… he has told me some of it, yes," Yomogi answered with a grimace.
"Did he tell you about how he treated the Sword Hero of that world?" Glass then asked, cutting Kizuna off from speaking further. "The one whose blade you held a replica of until recently. Did he tell you how it was that particular Hero who had spared my life and the lives of my friends when I foolishly tried to attack him and the other Heroes before?
"Did he tell you of how he tortured Hero Ren and the Spear Hero Motoyasu physically, mentally, and emotionally? How he was killing them to make the Spirit Tortoise of their world more powerful? How Hero Naofumi allied with us not only to save his comrades but because he and the Bow Hero had already agreed that our world needed to be saved alongside theirs?!" Glass's rant turned more heated at the end.
"That's a lie! There is no way Heroes from another world would want to help-" Yomogi began to retort.
"Then did Kyo tell you how we didn't want to fight him at first?!" Glass raised the volume of her voice even more. "How we were first there to try and talk him out of what he was doing?! Only for him to greet us with a mimic assuming the guise of Kizuna and attempt to convince me to commit suicide for not being able to help her in her hour of greatest need?!"
…
"He… he did what?" Yomogi's expression froze. She looked to Kizuna for clarification, but the girl looked off sadly to the side.
"R-regardless if what you are saying is true or not." Yomogi shook her head. Her voice was sounding much more hollow when she looked up at Glass again. "Did you not consider their world the enemy before?"
"At one point, yes. But I was wrong to assume so." Glass deflated as well. "I was wrong to trust in an incomplete translation Ethnobalt gave me only so that I'd have something to hope for. Something that could drown out my sorrow for the loss of my best friend and the slow descent to hell that our world was facing because of the Waves.
"I know all too well that feeling you and everyone else have been experiencing these past few years. And I was unwise to do what I did. I am sorry that my decisions have led to this.
"I do not wish to wage war with other Heroes anymore. I do not wish to stain my hands with more of their blood. I…" It looked like she wanted to say something more, but cut herself off.
"But you still want to stop Kyo." Yomogi finished for her.
…
Glass didn't answer at first. She simply looked at the Hunting Tools Hero before looking back at Yomogi again. "I will do what my best friend wants. If Kizuna still believes in... that man, despite everything he has done. Then I will follow her wisdom, no matter what. Regardless of my personal feelings on the matter."
"It is the least I can do, after all the other mistakes I have made in my life."
…
…
Yomogi sighed again and leaned against the deck.
…
…
…
"Did you really try to talk to him first? Before… before you fought him?" The green-haired girl asked after a long bout of silence.
"We did. L'Arc was especially adamant about it." Glass looked sad. "You know how nice and forgiving he is to others. How thankful he was to Kyo for his help against the Demon Dragon, and then when he lent his assistance again when we had to deal with the Guardian Beasts of our world.
"We would never turn on one of our friends without a good reason for it."
"We've had enough allies who've turned on us as it is."
…
Yomogi didn't say anything anymore.
Glass looked down at the deck again. Tears were forming in the corners of her eyes.
Kizuna, upon seeing her tears, grabbed Glass by the hand. "Yomogi, will you be alright by yourself?"
"I'm under orders not to attack anyone here." The girl sighed. "Don't worry, as long as no one bothers me. I won't do anything to cause further trouble."
"Alright." Kizuna began leading her best friend back down below deck. Hopefully, she'd be able to find something they could do to distract the spirit woman.
Naofumi was frowning after witnessing the whole exchange.
The Shield Hero then saw Aksel and the others coughing into their hands, pretending to have not been listening in to what'd been going on. At some point during that conversation, Dou-Lon and Filo had also come up from below deck as well. Though the two had wisely kept their distance up till then.
"So, um, do you want me to keep an eye on Yomogi for now, Sir Naofumi?" Dou-Lon asked.
"If you wouldn't mind." Naofumi sighed. "Even with that Order Ofuda, I'm not entirely sure that I trust her yet."
"Alright. I shall do so then. You want to join me, Miss Filo?" The tiger man asked happily.
"Mmhmm! Filo wants to work on Filo's singing!" Filo declared happily.
Yomogi groaned nearby. "I'd rather just sit in silence."
"Nonsense! Filo is an excellent singer! Even you will feel calmer if you listen to her soothing voice!" Dou-Lon said excitedly. "It really helps make meditation all the better!"
"Oh?... You practice meditation?" Yomogi asked curiously.
Dou-Lon nodded as he pulled his meditation mat out from his pack. He set it on the floor of the deck and sat down on it cross-legged.
Yomogi, though hesitant, sat down opposite the hakuko man.
Yomogi tensed up a bit as if recognizing the melody. The rabbit man standing at the wheel likewise seemed to freeze for a moment and looked over his shoulder at the girl.
And then, Filo opened her mouth and began to sing in earnest. That humming melody continuing in the background.
You are the ocean's gray waves
Destined to seek, life beyond the shore, just out of reach
Yet the waters ever change
Flowing like time, the path is, yours to climb.
Aksel and the others were already moving below deck and Ethnobalt turned his head back around to continue to make sure that the ship would stay on course. A small smile had appeared on his face though.
And as the peaceful feeling settled over the deck, Naofumi couldn't help but linger for a bit to stay nearby to listen to the sound of his daughter's voice. However, it was not she who began to sing the second verse as Filo continued humming the background tune.
In the white light...
A hand reaches through…
Yomogi had opened her mouth and began to sing along to Filo's humming, sounding somewhat subdued but sincere.
A double-edged blade cuts your heart in two
Waking dreams
Fade away
Embrace the brand-new day
...
Sing, with me, a song
Of birthrights and love
The light scatters, to, the sky above.
Dawn, breaks through, the gloom
White as a bone
Lost in thoughts, all alone...
...
Naofumi blinked in surprise, not expecting the bullheaded girl to have such a splendid singing voice.
"Oh? You know this song too, Miss Yomogi?" Dou-Lon smiled at the green-haired girl.
"Of course." The young woman nodded and looked to the side at the ocean of clouds passing by them as Filo began to sing the repeat of the first verse again. "It was humanity's rallying song during the war against the Demon Dragon.
"Everyone knows it... at least, I think they still do."
Dou-Lon nodded.
As Filo reached the part in the song, he began to sing the next verse while Yomogi sat and listened.
Embrace the dark...
You call a home...
Gaze upon, an empty white throne
A legacy
Of lies
A familiar, disguise
...
Sing, with me, a song
Of conquest and fate
The black pillar, cracks, b eneath its weight
Night, breaks through, the day
Hard as a stone
Lost in thoughts, all alone.
...
"I must say, it's quite lovely," Dou-Lon added when Filo took over again. "Miss Filo learned it from one of the bards in Sickle during her stay and taught it to me too. I had no idea that there was such significance to it."
"I haven't heard it in years." Yomogi sighed as she watched Filo sing. "I am surprised someone still performs it regularly."
"Sickle is one of the few places in the world that still remembers the last war and all the sacrifices that were made during it." Ethnobalt suddenly joined the conversation from his spot at the helm. "Even if many of our old allies act like the sacrifices made that day meant nothing, it still means something to the people of our country."
"Hmm, now how did it go again…?" He pondered out loud as Filo's singing readied the next verse. And then, suddenly, he began to sing the next verse in an unexpectedly deep and sorrowful voice.
A burdened heart...
Sinks into the ground...
A veil falls away without a sound
Not day nor night
Wrong nor right
For truth and peace, you fight
...
Sing, with me, a song
Of silence and blood
The rain falls, but can't wash, away the mud
Within my ancient heart dwells
Madness and pride
Can no one, hear my cry?
...
"It is said to have some sort of mystical power to it," Ethnobalt spoke up again as Filo took over once more. "Historical accounts point towards it having been composed by one of the Musical Instrument Vassal Heroes. Though we do not know which one. It can apparently weaken dragons and even put them to sleep.
"We never did end up learning if there was any truth to it, since the Demon Dragon showed how it could counter all sorts of magic while we were fighting it. Perhaps if we'd blindsided him with it… Oh well." The Boat Hero chuckled at the end.
"It's still a splendid song, regardless." Dou-Lon smiled warmly again. "I'll make sure to share it with people from my world when we return home." Yes, even if it had come from a Hero, it had been a gift given by him to the people of this world. The tiger man felt more than comfortable enough with sharing such a wonderful gift with his friends.
He knew Chen would love it. Though, he wondered if Eclair…
Ha! Who was he kidding? That muscle brain wouldn't be interested in music even if she was forced to listen to it! He had no idea why the idea even came to mind in the first place!
"Shall we sing the last verse together, Yomogi, Dou-Lon?" Ethnobalt offered and turned his head back again.
The green-haired girl shrugged with a sigh while Dou-Lon grinned widely. "Sure, it's a good song."
And thus the three of them as well as Filo began to sing together.
In endless dreams
Countless realms collide
Hope falls only to rise like the changing tides
But all dreams come
To an end
Just whispers on the wind.
...
Sing, with me, one last time
For light's sacrifice
Endless dawn, came but not, w ithout a price
Lost, in the waves, there glimmers
A pale blue stone
I think of you, all alone
…
Filo continued to sing by herself after that for a while, helping for a peaceful feeling to permeate the scene.
Yomogi and Dou-Lon settled into a peaceful meditation together while Ethnobalt looked ahead again. Humming along to Filo's voice to himself.
Naofumi smiled, and despite how much he would have liked to stay above deck and continue listening to his daughter's beautiful voice, he turned around and went below deck himself to take a much-needed nap.
After the stress of that day, the Shield hero wanted to get all the rest he could get. And thankfully, the tune of Filo's song would follow him to his room inside his mind. And make it that much easier for him to fall asleep.
Little did he realize the symbolism of that song... as well as those who'd participated in singing it at the time.
"Itsuki, is everything ok?
The boy sniffled loudly. "Leave me alone Jaylee."
"Itsuki, show it to me."
…
…
"Why… why do you keep on healing me?"
"What do you mean?"
"They'll just come back to hurt me again. Just like every other time."
"But you are my best friend, Itsuki. And what kind of best friend would I be if I didn't use my powers to heal you?"
…
…
"Jaylee…" The boy sniffled again. "Please don't go."
"Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere, Itsuki."
…
…
"Jaylee… what are you doing with that knife?
…
"Don't worry… Ï̴͚͑̎̏́̾'̵̜̮̜̜͎͓͔̺̗̳̰̀̃͗͐̀̔͌͒̌̒̔͐͘͜͝ͅm̷̡̻̟̱͉͉̥̻̮̟̖̪̫͒̎́̒ ̶̛̪͙̱̱͈̑̔͆̉̔͐͌̈͆̌̆͐͜ņ̸̛̛͈̻͈̅̈́̑̏̾̐̓͘͝o̴̧͉̥͓̖̮͉͎̫͇̤̩͕̽̉̿͂̿̓͛̊̄̚̕͜͜t̴̨̺̠̪̹̮̜̹͉̩̰͈͍̎͋͂́̍͋̆̅̇̾̚͝͝ ̴̡͕̥̙͂̎͋̐̎͘g̶̩̻̔̏̔̃̓̌͗̅̉͠ó̵̳̩̭̖̜͎͍̄̍̃͛̃̅̌͂́̅̒͝͝i̶̡͎̙̪̘̗̝̜̪̥͕̗͎͓̰͌́̒ņ̴͓̲̖̹̖͈̟̠̩̬̥̥̥̔g̵̺̩̙̃͆̐̆̈́̈́̔́̔̈́͌̍̚ ̵̲̺͖̱̹̈̇̀̌̆͊̌͝à̴̠̙̦̺͐̏̿́͐n̷̯͚̗̺̓̒̀̇y̴̨̨͙̮͈̭͆̃̇̏̈́̈́͠ͅw̶̢̧̧̭̦̺̟̤̪̙̪̘͈̻̺̒̔͑̌͑̓̐͒̐͌̂̒̾ḫ̴̡͇̬̟̪͍̣̘̈́͐̈́̔̽̆̀͂́ė̴̡̛̛̩͓̰̙̖̖̦͖͆̍̊̒̈́͑̀̕͝r̸̩̰͔̮̤̥̙̠̾̄̈̍̊͐͑̏̏͘̕̕͝ê̷̡̙̰̭̣͍̼̞̍̾̿͝,̵̞̼̥͒̀́͑̈́̈͝ ̴͚̘̘̾̓̔̊͠I̵͈͓͎̗͌̏̌́̏͒́̑̅̔͝t̷̹̹̙͕̊͝͝s̷̨̡̨̛̠̤̩͎̼̞͎̪̞̏̈͒̒̇͊̀̆̓́ͅͅu̴̝͍̭͎͚̗̺͒̆̐̂̈́͠k̵͇̙̫̦̺̺͐ḯ̸̢̨̠̼̩̱̝̣̣͚̭̣̹̘̙̏̿̍͋̑̄͒̌̀͐͠.̷̨͉̲̫͔̖̫̭̳̍̀͒̑͝ͅ"̶͖͖̣̬͛̓̇͆͂́̾͠
"Jaylee, wait! Stop!"
"Jaylee?!"
"JAYLEE!"
Itsuki shot up in his bed, sweat adorning his face.
He breathed in and out heavily while clutching a hand to his chest.
'What… what the…!'
…
His labored breathing continued for a while. Gradually evening out until, eventually, he was able to breathe normally again.
…
…
The Bow Hero's gaze shifted to the side.
Where she lay in her bed, Rishia was still sleeping peacefully.
'Jaylee…'
A shudder passed through him. What an awful time to suddenly have that twisted painful memory from his old world resurface.
It wasn't a real memory. He had not seen the moment when his former best friend had slit her own throat. He'd only arrived as she was lying on the ground dying… yet his mind…
The Bow Hero stood up and walked to the nearby window to look outside.
He saw nothing but the stars in the night sky overhead. As well as some fields and hills down below. In the distance, the lights of a village lit up the ground.
Still, despite the signs of life, he felt as if a chill wind was passing through him, and he hugged his Bow to himself. Switching it from the weapon he'd been unlocking to one of the more fiery dragon forms he had in an effort to warm himself up.
'It… it keeps on happening.'
'Why does it keep on happening?'
This hadn't been the first time thoughts of his old best friend had haunted his sleep. Ever since his return from Lapis, it had been happening again and again. Almost every night without fail.
He didn't know what to think. A month ago, he would have thought he'd finally been getting past that horrible event. That he was overcoming his curse and learning to trust more in his friends.
And yet, now…
Tears were on the verge of appearing in his eyes. He hugged his bow more tightly to himself while trying to hold it in.
But then, one of the ofuda at his side suddenly buzzed. Itsuki looked down at his belt in surprise, wondering if it was an emergency message from L'Arc or Corrin.
However, when he grabbed the one that'd buzzed off his belt, he was confused.
Rishia: Is everything ok?
…
He slowly turned around and saw the green-haired girl he was crushing on hard was now awake and sitting up in her bed.
As he stared, a blush began to appear on her face. "S-Sorry, I just thought it might be better to try the ofuda first."
"W… What made you think that would be better?" Itsuki asked curiously, having to swallow a nervous lump that'd appeared in his throat.
"Well… it looked like you were troubled by something… and I thought it'd be easier for you to talk about it if it was over ofuda? Like… like with other things?" Rishia said, her blush going back and forth on her face.
While there was clearly nervousness on her features, there was also concern. Concern for him, and a desire to help.
…
Itsuki sighed again, sitting down opposite her on his bed. One of his hands did reach out though, and she gripped his hand with both of hers. Smiling at him in a wholesome way that almost made him feel like everything would be okay.
"It's just bad memories… bad memories from long ago," Itsuki answered vaguely.
"I thought I was getting over them… but they've been coming back more and more as of late." He answered honestly.
"…" Rishia kept a grip on Itsuki's hand.
The two teenagers stayed silent for a while. With Itsuki's gaze moving down to the floor. And Rishia's hands massaging the knuckles between his fingers.
The tears had disappeared. But Itsuki didn't know if he should divulge more than that or not.
Not because he didn't trust her… he trusted her more than anyone on the ship, even more than Naofumi…
He just didn't want to burden her with this. Not after everything else she'd gone through in her life.
…
…
"I'm… going to try going back to bed." Itsuki eventually said. "I'm sorry that I woke you up."
"Wait, Itsuki?"
Itsuki looked up to ask what Rishia wanted, only to pause.
The girl leaned forward, pressing her lips lightly against his own.
…
The action was so subtle and so quick, that he almost didn't think it'd actually happened.
But Rishia pulled back, her face an even brighter crimson than before. But a soft smile was still on her lips as she looked at him with pure unadulterated happiness. "H-Hopefully that'll help to banish the nightmares." She said softly.
"I… I… Uh…" Itsuki's mouth refused to work. He was left completely speechless by what Rishia had just done.
"Just know, whenever you need help with something, I'm here for you," Rishia told him. Echoing all the past times she'd told this line before. Yet, now, it almost seemed to hold new meaning for the young girl.
Or, perhaps, it was her way of being more honest and open with her feelings for Itsuki. Not the Bow Hero that'd saved her all those months ago. But the individual she'd gotten to know under that persona, the boy she'd fallen in love with. "I'm here for you, ok? If you ever need help, all you have to do is ask."
"I'm willing to share your burdens. You don't have to bear this alone any longer."
…
Itsuki could barely do more than squeak out a "thank you" as his face was blushing a bright red.
He didn't know how he even got himself under the covers while turning his back to the girl behind him again. All the neurons in his brain were fried.
'What… what the hell just happened?!'
His mind was an absolute mess…
And yet, his smile had come back, if only a little bit.
Did she… did she actually mean it?
…
He eventually convinced himself that he was just overthinking things and tried to get some sleep… but before he did, he used a skill from the bow to look above himself down at Rishia's bed.
The girl was facing him, and though she was still blushing, she was still smiling softly and looking at him with the tenderest look he'd ever seen on her face.
It… it was like the way Naofumi and Raphtalia looked at each other…
When they weren't horny, that is.
The intrusive thought made him blush again, and he deactivated the skill. Still, it was comforting for him to know how genuine her care for him was.
He felt the same way about her… and he was seriously thinking about what she'd told him.
Could he… could he really burden her with this?
…
…
He eventually fell asleep again, and after a moment of watching him, Rishia fell asleep too. Believing that there would be no more problems for her favorite boy that night.
…
"..."
"..."
"Jaylee… no…"
Yet Itsuki fell back into the same nightmare as before.
His problem was far from being resolved.
And it would only grow worse in the coming months.
Hero Clips!
Nostalgia Never gets Old!
"Itsuki, what the…" Naofumi trailed off, staring in shock at the Bow Hero.
"Yeahhhhhh! Star Wars for the win!" Phoom! Phoom! Phoom! Phoom! Phoom!
The Bow Hero stood at the edge of a forest, decked out in a full set of M*ndalorian armor and firing his Amb*n Sniper Rifle at level 200+ monsters in front of him.
No, he wasn't using those cheap adamantium gem knockoffs those gem wannabes were wearing earlier, but TRUE BESKAR M*ndalorian armor! He'd be using an actual M*ndalorian rifle too and not whatever the hell that crap earlier was!
"M*ndalorian?" Naofumi tried saying the name, only for it to come out weird when he spoke it as well. He looked up at the sky in confusion.
A cloud in the shape of an angry-looking rat holding a cease-and-desist order glared back at the Shield Hero. It looked surprisingly menacing for a rat.
Phoom! Phoom! Phoom! Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Itsuki, your weapon isn't even damaging the monsters!" Naofumi screamed at him, ignoring what he'd seen up above.
"STAR WARS NOSTALGIA WILL NEVER DIEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Itsuki continued firing, not caring at all about anything besides the fact that this was Star Wars.
Naofumi's hands clung to his face as he fell to his knees.
Had he really been forced to go through several different Star Wars omakes before this?! Why did he have to deal with this kind of over-the-top shenanigans now?!
You would have thought that was the weirdest thing, however…
Ksch! Ksch! Whoosh!
Allen was there as well, dressed in Jedi Robes and wielding a double-handed blue-bladed lightsaber. He was trying to slice and dice into the same monsters Itsuki was attacking, with little success.
"Whoa… is it possible for me to copy that?"
"What the- REN?!" Naofumi screamed. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?! WE'RE NOT EVEN BACK IN OUR WORLD YET!"
Yep, the Sword Hero and his girlfriend were there as well. And Ren tilted his head in confusion at Naofumi's question. "Are these omakes ever supposed to make sense?"
…
"Anyway, do you think I'd be able to copy lightsabers if they existed?" Ren asked again.
"I think it'd be pretty cool if you could," Wyndia said, picturing her boyfriend in jedi robes and smiling as she imagined both of them wielding the awesome weapon side by side.
It'd probably devolve into the two of them nerding out together afterward with a mock lightsaber battle. But a girl could dream.
"Damn it, stupid stats ruining everything," Allen complained as his two blades brushed off the creature's skin repeatedly while doing very little damage. Same as all the shots Itsuki was firing off. "This is just like SWTOR and KOTOR and Force Unleashed and Jedi Fallen Order/Jedi Survivor and every other blasted Star Wars game that's had lightsabers incorporated into them since Jedi Academy and Jedi Outcast!
"Why can't game developers just allow lightsabers to one-shot everything in better graphics as they freaking deserve?!" Allen yelled at the sky.
"... I think I'm going to try and find Raph-Chan now." Naofumi sweatdropped as he turned away from the insanity.
"What are you talking about?! Lightsabers can't one-shot beskar or power armor!" Itsuki countered.
"Say that after I thrust it into you instead of trying to slice and dice!" Allen threatened.
"You want to meet my flamethrower, bitch?!" Itsuki raised an arm.
"I'll choke you out with the force, nerd!" Allen shouted back.
The two devolved into a divisive argument that led to a very familiar dust cloud as they settled on using their fists to even things out.
"I thought you told me before that lightsabers couldn't cut through the skin of a Zillo Beast?" Wyndia looked at Ren curiously.
"Eh, not everyone watches The Clone Wars, which is, in my opinion, the best OG show to ever exist." Ren shook his head while smiling. "Anyway, want to learn about more Star Wars lore while we wait for our friends to finish the Otherworld Arc?"
Wyndia's answer was a kiss on the lips and a bright smile that made the Sword Hero's whole world better. The two then walked away from the scene hand-in-hand.
Ever since Ren had first told Wyndia about Krayt Dragons and Mythosours existing in Star Wars, the dog girl had been hooked on learning more about the fictional universe. It definitely gave them a lot to talk about at night after a long day and was a welcome distraction from what the Sword Hero was going through in his mind. Wyndia would become a nerd yet by the time Naofumi and the others finally came back from the Otherworld...
Also, as cool as it'd be for the Sword Hero to copy a lightsaber… and I should add that yes if such a weapon did exist, he could copy it… It'd, unfortunately, be subject to stats, just like the gem rifles the gem noblesses in Corrin's army used.
On the bright side, if he ever did come across a weak monster with it, he could slice and dice it up just like how a normal lightsaber unrestricted by stats would work!
But yeah, it'd most likely be really useless later on in the story.
Seriously, you guys have no idea just how many OP and fun weapons are ruined when you actually subject them to the rules of the Shield Hero setting. Which is the only rules I'll ever use for this story since I've yet to find a crossover that actually manages to pull that kind of crap off.
Till Next Time
Allen
Notes:
Yeah, with how long this chapter was getting, I felt it'd be better to split it here. That way it wouldn't feel too bloated.
Quite a bit happened. The characters are as fun to interact with as ever. And we even got to see a return to form with Dou-Lon's vocal talents. Man, I love that song. I'm so glad Glass's world has the capability and even the explanation to logic why these things just fit so naturally into the world and how the themes of it run so parallel to what I want.
Oh, I guess I should add this short disclaimer: I do not own the song that appeared at the end of this chapter or the rights to it.
Thank you all again. I'll see you guys next chapter.
Chapter 13: Rise of the Otherworld Heroes
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
- ENTRY #20 -
It has been several months since the fall of the Demon Dragon.
'They' are getting impatient with me again since there is no more reason to keep ████████████ around anymore.
I've told 'them' repeatedly that I already have a plan to discreetly eliminate her. That I am merely just working on my experiments while I wait for the opportunity to ████████████ in one fell swoop.
The Mirror has already chosen a new wielder, and I learned that the Harpoon had also chosen another wielder during the Final Battle against the Demon Dragon. However, I have not been able to learn any details about the Mirror's summoning. As for the details of the original Harpoon wielder's death…
Regardless, I've told 'them' that I'm working on it. And that I just need a little more time to ensure that the ████████████ will be gone. And so will the other vassals that aren't loyal to 'them'.
████████████ invited me to come along on another one of her fishing trips again.
I had to come up with another reason to pass on it.
- ENTRY #24 -
████████████ keeps on sending me letters, asking if I want to come on her latest planned fishing trip. The fact that she isn't choosing to send me an ofuda to contact me that way shows how personal this is to her.
She's long since learned to read, and has even learned how to write since these letters are no longer written by ████████████. Her handwriting is a little messy at times, and she often uses the wrong characters to spell out a word, but despite that her writing shows clear signs of hard work and progress.
She keeps writing to me to tell me about the various adventures that she and the rest of her friends have gone on lately. The Demon Dragon might be gone, but there is always work to be done ████████████. She is meeting new people and seeing new things every day, eager to experience everything this world has to offer. She has also gone through the whole book I gave her back when we celebrated Christmas together. And in her latest letter, she said she wants to ask for my help to find a certain fish off ████████████ that only appears when it is storming.
I've had to tell her repeatedly that I'm too busy with my own work. But that I'll consider it when I have time.
'They' are growing more impatient though. I'm sure, the next time I see ████████████
…
In the past, I used to feel eager to work with 'them', because I thought that all worlds everywhere were full of scum and awful people. That some of them could be useful as tools to exploit, but nothing more.
But now?... Now I can't help but wonder. Did the ████████████ really have no good people in it? Or was I just not paying enough attention to see them around me?
After reading over my old entries, I recalled fond memories of my ████████████. How they earnestly helped me to succeed. I wrote it off back then as them being only interested in ████████████. And yet, thinking back on my interactions with them now…
Was… ████████████
- ENTRY #25 -
I don't ████████████.
I don't ████████████.
I don't ████████████.
I must find a way out.
- ENTRY #26 -
The Hunting Tools Hero has gone missing.
She disappeared during a shipwreck off ████████████.
She was trying to find that stupid fish species she kept writing to me about.
I wondered why I haven't gotten any letters from her lately. Prince L'Arc sent me a message through an ofuda and gave me the news in his own voice.
Everyone is desperately looking for her. And the only clue they have that is pointing to the fact that Kizuna is still alive is the shikigami that Ethnobalt had made for her and the Fan Hero last Christmas. It would be able to tell if one of its 'parents' was dead.
…
I am ████████████.
- ENTRY #27 -
Nothing.
There is nothing. No clue. No trace. No witnesses. No shipwreck. No evidence anywhere pointing to what happened.
King Berg is emptying Sickle's coffers trying to use every available means to find her.
████████████ Ethnobalt are working day and night trying to use every available tracking, clairvoyance, and detection ritual this world has to offer to find her, but nothing is working!
Even the damn penguin is useless! The shikigami are supposed to be the ultimate tracking device used long, long ago by sailors from an ancient civilization! They would leave them with their families, so they wouldn't worry about their health and whereabouts during long voyages!
Or to give a definitive answer that they had perished.
The fact that Chris isn't able to do his job is not normal, no matter how you look at it.
████████████. No one questioned it. Everyone in Sickle, including King Berg, ████████████.
████████████ have suspicions about what might have happened. But ████████████ need to confirm it away from prying eyes. It has been a while since ████████████. It has lost its appeal to me as of late. And I fear the truth that it might reveal.
But this is an emergency. Time to put it to the test…
- ENTRY #28 -
I have ████████████.
I should have known. They are always watching. This is all being shown in real time after all.
I should have known, yet I could not resist. When I asked ████████████, 'they' descended upon me with my punishment.
Of course they took her. Who else is able to interfere in the universe the way 'they' do? They realized that I had grown too close with those who I was meant to destroy. They ████████████ to catch ████████████ and punished me greatly for it.
My mind feels foggy, there is little that I can remember about the event. Perhaps that in itself is a blessing, because every time I try to recall the details, I begin to vomit uncontrollably and experience symptoms usually associated with seizures.
Whatever had happened has destroyed ████████████ and left ████████████. She was crying uncontrollably and clinging to my body when I finally ████████████.
What an idiot…
On the plus side, I finally have ████████████, thanks to the two new tomes I unlocked.
I will make sure ████████████
- ENTRY #29 -
The main event has finally begun. The Waves of Destruction are here.
This is going to be f̶͓͈͚̂̚͠u̴͓̱̝̚n̶̫̣̪͊͘̕.
"Naofumi…"
Naofumi groaned as he opened his eyes.
It was super dark, but he was able to make out the silhouette of Raphtalia sitting on his bed. Her hand rested in his, and she was looking somewhere else. "Yeah? What is it, Raphtalia?"
"Ah, I… I'm sorry." Raphtalia looked at him in surprise, before looking away again. "I didn't mean to wake you up."
"Oh? So you mean to tell me you were watching me sleep just now?" Naofumi asked with a flirty grin as he groggily sat up next to her.
"I, well… yes, I was." Raphtalia blushed a little bit. "You looked really cute in your sleep. You and Raph-Chan."
"... … oh." Naofumi was left speechless at her honest response, and it was his turn to blush in embarrassment.
Looking to the side, he found that Raph-Chan had indeed snuck into the room while he was out. The adorable shikigami was currently lying next to his pillow, snoring softly in her sleep.
"Ah… is the Raph-Chan ban done then?" He asked Raphtalia hopefully.
"There was never a ban." Raphtalia chuckled softly while her hand found his and gripped it.
"Then… why was she sleeping with you during the past few nights instead of me?" Naofumi pouted.
Raphtalia smirked. "I may or may not have used treats you'd made for her to bribe her into staying with me."
…
WHAT?! WAS THAT WHY HIS STASH OF RAPH-CHAN SNACKS HAD BEEN DISAPPEARING LATELY!?
"And yes, I still have more stored away in my Katana." Raphtalia gave him a teasing look. "So don't think you're the only one that holds a monopoly over our daughter anymore.
"Also, yes, she does appreciate it when I brush her tail too."
Naofumi's pout grew. "No fair."
However, at her mentioning it, he couldn't deny that Raph-Chan's tail looked better than ever. It almost looked like it was shining with the sheen in her fur. Raphtalia must have unlocked some weapon forms that gave bonuses to her brushing skill or something.
What? Those did exist. You just had to find the right weapon form.
Naofumi hadn't found it yet… at least he didn't think he had.
…
'Mental note to self: Absorb a bunch of combs and brushes into my shield when I get the chance.'
…
The two sat in silence for a while. The rocking of the boat was the only thing to signify where they were at. Raphtalia's soft smile rested on her face. She did nothing to break the silence. The Katana Hero just enjoyed basking in Naofumi's presence, and it was the same for Naofumi with her around.
The Shield Hero had to admit, it was surprising how cozy it felt in the sleeping quarters he and Raphtalia had been assigned. It reminded him a lot of the captain's quarters they'd stayed in before.
Maybe a bit more advanced, with metal lining the walls instead of wood, but it looked close enough.
There was even a lamp casting a magic red glow on the wall to light up the room.
…
This time around, he didn't feel frightened when he looked up at it. And when he focused on Raphtalia, he didn't feel any disgust or revulsion at the way their relationship had evolved up till now.
He still felt some shame about what he'd said before when he lashed out at her. But she'd long since forgiven him for it and helped him to work past it.
He almost frowned. He still hadn't come to terms with his anger yet, but he was getting there. His special training was paying off, and having E Float Shield was going to help him out a lot when he finally overcame that final mental barrier.
Either way, he was here now because of her.
He'd always remember that…
…
"So… Are you ready to talk about it?" Naofumi decided to finally get to the point.
"About what?" Raphtalia asked, seemingly oblivious.
"About before. When we were in the Infirmary helping those girls… That's what you woke me up for, right?" The Shield Hero scooted a little closer to the half-tanuki girl.
…
…
Raphtalia breathed in deeply. Naofumi gripped her hand with both of his though. "I'm not going to force you to if you're not ready yet. But after how much you've helped me, I want to try and help you too if possible."
…
…
Raphtalia finally looked at him, a small smile on her face. "Since when were you the one capable of reading what was on my mind?"
"I'm still not able to do that for the most part really." Naofumi chuckled. "I was just reminded of my panic attacks from before and thought about how you and everyone else have helped me to move past them. And… I remembered what you were talking to me about the other day…" Naofumi trailed off.
He left the rest unsaid, but Raphtalia was already reading his mind. He smiled as he pecked her on the cheek. The action ultimately helped for her blush to fade, and for her to rest her head on his shoulder as she sighed. "Is Raph-Chan still asleep?"
"Yeah, she is. Though I can wake her up and ask her to leave if you want." Naofumi told her.
"It's alright. She can stay… even if she was awake, all she'd say is Rafu anyway." Raphtalia giggled.
"Hey, it's the best Rafu ever since she says it in your voice." Naofumi teased her.
"Suck-up." Raphtalia hit him lightly on the shoulder.
She didn't stop him though when his arms wrapped themselves around her. And they sat in silence for a while.
Nothing was said between them at first. All they heard was the sound of their friends moving throughout the ship and the sounds of the ship traveling through the night sky.
…
…
…
"Naofumi… do you really think that I'm not spineless?" Raphtalia eventually asked in a vulnerable tone.
"Definitely not," Naofumi responded firmly. "You cut me off from sex and Raph-Chan for almost a whole week. That definitely takes some backbone."
"I…" Raphtalia was confused at first, but then, a major blush traveled up her face. "WILL YOU NOT TEASE ME AND MAKE ME SO FLUSTERED ALL OF A SUDDEN WHEN I'M TRYING TO BE SERIOUS HERE!?"
Naofumi laughed as Raphtalia punched his shoulder again. It hurt more than a little bit, but he continued holding her. "Sorry, I'll try to tone down the teasing."
"You're unbelievable." Raphtalia continued to pout, but Naofumi held her close all the same.
"Still, I meant what I said." Naofumi's smile fell just a little. "You're capable of thinking and acting for yourself, Raphtalia. I don't think everything you do is only because that's what I want you to do.
"You've messed up here and there, and so have I. Yet we're still here for each other at the end of the day. And that's what matters to me.
"I don't believe you'd kill anyone if I were to order you to. Not blindly, at least. If you knew they were evil and beyond redemption, I know you wouldn't hesitate even for a second. But if there was even a bit of good in them, I'm sure you'd be the first one to let me know. And you'd try your hardest to convince me to spare them unless there was no other way."
Raphtalia stayed silent as Naofumi finished speaking. "I know you compared yourself to those girls who attacked us. But you're not them. And you won't have to worry about me ordering you to kill innocents. If I ever reached that point, I know you'd turn your sword on me instead."
"Naofumi…" Raphtalia sighed.
Naofumi stayed silent as his girlfriend sat next to him. A pondering look on her face.
…
…
The silence stretched for a while. And Naofumi almost began to wonder if he had hit the nail on the head or not.
"Naofumi, I know you think I'd kill anyone now if I thought they were beyond redemption… and perhaps you're right. Maybe I would if they turned out to be just like Idol Rabier or Trash or even Balamus." Raphtalia stayed looking down in her lap for a moment more before her eyes looked up to his.
There were no tears. But there was a resoluteness to them that hadn't been there before. "However, I didn't pick up this weapon to become a killer.
"I will fight for you no matter what. And I will protect this world as well as my world if the Katana wills it. But I don't ever want to become comfortable with the thought that killing another person is always necessary."
…
Naofumi's smile turned into a frown. "Raphtalia, that wasn't what I was meaning to imply-"
"It's fine, Naofumi. I know that isn't what you meant." Raphtalia sighed again, but the resolute look stayed in her eyes. "I just don't want to become like Trash or those girls. I don't want you to become like that either."
"If there is a possibility, even a small one, I'd rather save someone, rather than end their life by cutting it short with this blade," Raphtalia said, holding her katana out in front of her where they could both see it. "If there is a choice to spare instead of kill, that is a choice I'd rather take. Not for their sake, but mine."
Naofumi continued to frown. He thought more about what his girlfriend had told to him… and then, he looked at her again. "Are you saying that you don't want us to kill Kyo either?"
Surprisingly, Raphtalia shook her head. "If it comes down to it, I will kill him with no hesitation. His deeds have put him beyond redemption in my opinion. But if there is any truth in what Kizuna and the others have said, if there really is a possibility that there is still some good left in that man, then I'd at least want to try and take him in alive. For Kizuna's sake, if nothing else."
…
"Naofumi, I am not saying that I don't hate him for what he's done. While I blame myself for what happened in the village, it was ultimately because of him that those children died." Raphtalia said, one of her hands forming a clenched fist. "Had Kyo never come to our world, that situation would have never happened. You would have had a chance to not break down. You might have been able to talk about the things that were troubling you instead of… what happened.
"I will never be able to forgive him for putting all of us through that amount of pain and death."
"Then why do you also feel like that Male Bitch can be persuaded to surrender?" Naofumi asked with a bit more anger in his voice than he intended.
"... Don't you wonder what caused his change in personality to happen in the first place?" Raphtalia responded after thinking for another moment. "Everyone who we've talked to about it seems to say the same thing. That he used to be a little rough around the edges, but that they could always rely on his help and expertise in the past.
"That he used to travel around the world to apply his knowledge in a practical manner and help various people that he encountered.
"He tried to help Ethnobalt with being more useful in combat. He urged Kizuna to learn how to learn the local language instead of only relying on her weapon to translate speech. And the way you told me how he took in the news of his retainer having gotten captured.
"And what about the way he had apparently elevated said retainer into her position of power from a nobody? Kizuna said Yomogi used to be a slave and an orphan, same as me. Lastly, we have what Itsuki told us about how oddly restrained and sympathetic Kyo acted when he spoke to Kizuna at the international conference through one of his mimics.
"Don't you feel like something doesn't add up here?"
"Just like when L'Arc, Therese, and Glass tried to kill us before?"
…
…
Raphtalia's argument honestly caught Naofumi off guard, and Raphtalia looked up at him again. "Don't you wonder what could have happened to change Kyo from one of Kizuna's friends into the monster that he is now?"
"I…" Naofumi blanked. He didn't have an answer.
"For all I know, it is possible he is doing this just because he wants to and intended to from the beginning. But what if there really is some kind of big and important reason why Kyo is doing what he's doing?
"Maybe he really is acting to save their world, but doing it in a needlessly cruel way because he thinks that it's the only way? Or perhaps, since he's a Hero… he might have a Cursed Series affecting him like Glass or yours."
…
Naofumi frowned more deeply and looked ahead again. "I don't know about that."
"I don't know either." Raphtalia rested her blade in her new sheath again. "But I want to learn it. Because back when I first raised this Katana against that horrible man who had murdered his brother, my weapon's voice was full of vengeance and indignation. But now? I can feel it urging me to stop Kyo like what Glass and L'Arc had described, but it is not thirsting for his blood. And when I try to ask my katana why not, I am only met with silence for a while until it goes back to urging me to stop him.
"I was nervous about bringing it up to you since Kyo has done some terrible, terrible things. But deep down, I wonder if Kizuna might be right and that we should try our best to take him in alive. But if that proves to be impossible, then…"
"Then I will do what I must."
…
…
Naofumi's frown disappeared, but he still sighed while looking down at his lap. "You're definitely a better person than me, Raphtalia. Even with what you've said, and knowing some of the same things as you, I still want to see him dead for what he did to Ost and the others."
"I know." Raphtalia stayed holding Naofumi's hand. "Don't worry. I'll try to not hesitate if it does come to that after all."
He gripped it back. "I know. Thank you for your honesty, Raphtalia."
The silence between them stretched for a while once more. But this time, the two felt as if there was nothing more to say. They had worked through the issue together, and had a clearer plan for what they wanted to do down the road. It was good enough for now.
…
…
Eventually, a smirk worked its way onto his face. "So, now that we've talked, you feeling up for a little play time?"
"Hmmmm, but isn't Raph-Chan still here?" Raphtalia smirked as well, her hand moving up his arm towards his shoulder.
She had to admit, now that this heavy conversation was out of the way for the time being. She was feeling… in the mood, for some tail floofing.
"I'm sure she'll stay asleep for a while longer." Naofumi and Raphtalia turned their heads, and yep, Raph-Chan still looked dead asleep. She must have been really exhausted. Was it just Naofumi, or did she look even cuter than before!?
"Naofumi," Raphtalia called the shield hero's name out in a flat tone of voice and turned his head around to face her again. "Eyes on me."
"Right, sorry." Naofumi blushed while rubbing the back of his neck. Man, his Raph-Chan obsession really came up at the worst of times, didn't it? "Have I ever told you how your body is so breathtaking that if I were an artist, I'd make a sculpture out of it to preserve your memory for all of time?" Naofumi asked without hesitation.
Raphtalia began to blush even heavier, but her smirk turned into a smile. "Perhaps you've said that a time or two."
The two's lips met in the middle, but in the middle of their foreplay, Raphtalia pulled back with a frown. "Do you have any more condoms on hand? I just checked, and it looks like we've already used all the ones I had stored away in my Katana's inventory."
"Have we really done it that much? I thought you got us several boxes each after last time?" Naofumi frowned as well.
…
His question was only met with silence, and then gradual blushes formed on her face first, and then his. He began to really rub at the back of his neck. "How the hell did we go the last few days without any sex whatsoever?"
"I-I honestly have no idea." The Katana Hero looked at Naofumi, and her gaze was filled with nothing but lust and a desire to bed him right now.
Seeing it, Naofumi quickly searched through his Shield's inventory and was met with the most relieving sight of his life. "Oh, thank Gods, it looks like you gave me most of the boxes from before." Okay, so they had toned it down just a bit after all.
"Good." Raphtalia pinned him back onto the bed. "We're going to need them."
…
"Hot."
Had he said that out loud?
"Come here,"
Welp, it didn't matter, as her lips crashed against his once again.
…
Yep, we all know where this is going.
And as much as it would have been appropriate to have the scene fade to black here…
"Guys, is now a good time for them to know that we snuck aboard?"
The sudden voice wrenched the two Heroes out of their moment before they could tear off each other's clothes.
"Shhhh, quiet, you idiot! Do you want them to discover that we're hiding in here?!" A feminine voice whispered next.
"Rafu?" Then, next to the couple, Raph-Chan lifted her head up curiously.
She'd been faking being asleep up till that moment and listening in on the conversation, wanting to see her best friend and the Shield Hero enjoying their time together.
Don't worry though, she would have snuck out if things had gotten hot. She swore that she would have.
…
Either way, Raph-Chan showing that she had been awake the entire time wasn't what the couple was concerned about right now.
A third voice sounded. Naofumi was absolutely astounded, for more than one reason since he was able to recognize who these voices belonged to now.
"I, I just feel like we shouldn't be eavesdropping on a private moment like this. Can we please just get out of here before they really get into it? It's cramped enough in here as it is."
"Of course not Daitan! We still need to wait for the perfect moment to sneak out and talk to Kizuna! And what the hell, I would have thought you'd be the perverted one wanting to try and sneak a peek at their romantic moment!"
"Y-Yes, I can admit that I'm a little p-perverted! B-But not to th-this extent! E-Especially with how scary strong th-they are!"
The Shield and Katana Heroes sat up in their bed again. Naofumi was confused about where the voices were coming from. But Raphtalia was looking towards the crates in the corner of the room. Some of them were 'supposed' to be holding food items for the others to snack on later.
"Wait, guys, I don't hear anything coming from them anymore." Hoshi's voice said next.
"Do you think they're already done?" Akane asked, sounding confused. "Strange, maybe the Shield Hero is a quick shot?"
"O-Oh. I guess not even being insanely strong would f-fix that k-kind of problem, h-huh?" Daitan said next with an awkward muffled chuckle.
Naofumi groaned. He already felt a major headache forming in his head as he and Raphtalia stood up.
"Huh, are they already going for a round two?" Hoshi asked.
"If they are, then we should get out now before they hear us," Daitan whispered desperately.
"No, wait, I'm kind of curious to see how it all plays out. Does that Shield give him more stamina in bed, or is he just a stud and the new Katana Hero is one lucky-"
Before Akane could finish her sentence, Naofumi and Raphtalia ripped open the tops of two large crates.
The Jewel and Ofuda Heroes were revealed to be hiding in them.
…
"Oh, um… heheh." Hoshi chuckled nervously while waving his hand. "Surprise?"
Akane remained silent. Looking very much shocked and then afraid at the looks of anger painted on the couple's faces.
"Hey, guys, what's with the sudden silence?" Daitan lifted the top off his crate. "Are we sneaking out already, or… oh."
Upon seeing the couple's angry stares, the Blunt Hero slowly lowered the lid back down onto his crate and disappeared from view.
It seemed that, for once, he was the smartest of the group of three Heroes.
…
…
"Okay, look, we can explain." Hoshi started.
"You snuck aboard through the crates to help us out against Kyo?!" Kizuna shouted in surprise.
Indeed, it had been quite the explanation.
After the discovery of the stowaways, Naofumi and Raphtalia had dragged the three Otherworld Cardinals onto the deck.
Literally.
Not everyone had been there before, but they were definitely there now after the commotion the three had made after Naofumi had Raphtalia drag Daitan and Akane by the ears topside in the middle of the night.
He did not do the same to Hoshi, instead choosing to pull him along by the arm since he was Naofumi's favorite of the three stooges. But that did not make his anger and disappointment any less prevalent for the monochrome hero.
"Yeah, but don't worry, we didn't remove the food items to do it. They're sitting in our weapon inventories right now so we can take them out and put them back." Daitan said quickly in reassurance.
Naofumi was still glaring at the Otherworld Heroes. Raphtalia was sighing to herself at their moment of intimacy being ruined. Glass was also sighing about the group of three having revealed that they had snuck on board while Kizuna and her had been having fun doing each other's hair in increasingly elaborate ways in their cabin.
Kizuna looked pretty cute with Rishia's hairstyle, in the spirit woman's most humble opinion.
The Hunting Tools hero and the Boat Hero looked to be pondering to themselves.
Itsuki looked tired for some reason and desired nothing more than to go back to bed right away. Rishia, Aksel, and Maya were present as well, and they seemed to be of a similar mind as their Hero. Though Rishia couldn't help but sneak glances at Itsuki before blushing heavily and turning away.
Dou-Lon and Filo were still with Yomogi, but while the green-haired girl was scowling, she seemed to be a lot calmer after the meditation and singing session she'd had with the hakuko man earlier. And she was at least paying attention to what was going on right now.
"I could not care less about the food. Dealing with Aksel's snacking habits would be far better than this!" Naofumi gritted his teeth.
"Hey! I already said I don't get hungry 'that' often!" Aksel pouted to the side.
Naofumi only gave him a side glance, before glaring at the three Heroes again. "I told you three specifically to stay behind!"
"But we didn't want to do that! We wanted to come and help!" Daitan defended their group passionately.
"Oh, you want to help, huh?!" Naofumi asked sarcastically. "I guess it'd help me to have three extra meat shields to worry about in battle, right Itsuki?!" Naofumi asked the Bow Hero.
"You're wrong, Naofumi. To act as a meatshield you need to be able to actually take a hit or two. But in their case, a stiff breeze would knock all three of them out at once." Itsuki snarked tiredly.
Even if he couldn't go back to sleep, he was honestly wishing he could just go back to his room so he and Rishia could read more manga again in private. After all the trouble he'd caused recently, he didn't want to throw himself headfirst into another scenario where he could mess up. And perhaps reading more manga together with his crush would distract him from his mental dilemma.
Or he could just recall that she'd kissed him a couple of hours ago and put his mind through an entirely different mental dilemma. Which, he honestly wouldn't mind if it distracted him from his other thoughts.
And maybe having the chance to hold her hand would be enough to make him feel better. Or should he suggest sleeping with his head on her lap and see if that helped him to not have any nightmares? He could have sworn he saw Ren preparing to do that with Wyndia before he and Naofumi left for this world.
"Exactly." Naofumi glared at the three again as he sent them party invites. "There, accept those so I can portal you back. I'm not dealing with this &^%$."
Three party invites appeared on the UI's of the three Heroes.
…
…
"No."
The voice that spoke up for the group of three surprised Naofumi. Because it came from the most unlikely of the group.
Hoshi looked up at Naofumi. A strange fire burning in his eyes. "No. I'm not going back to hide while someone else stands up to protect me again!"
With one action, he rejected Naofumi's party invite.
…
The Shield Hero breathed in deeply. He felt another ball of anger rising inside of him though it was accompanied by worry. "Hoshi, I don't want you to die. So please allow me to take you and the others back with Portal Shield, and then after we're done with Kyo-"
"No." Akane and Daitan both spoke simultaneously. "We are coming along." They'd been surprised at Hoshi's boldness, but they both dismissed Naofumi's party invite as well.
…
…
Naofumi was seeing red now, but Akane pointed at Kizuna. It was time they put Daitan's idea into motion. "You're bringing her along too, aren't you? And last I checked, Kyo was a human, not a monster. Her weapon will be useless against him."
"Knowing our luck. Kyo will have minions of the Spirit Tortoise at his mansion. Not to mention, if the rest of that scum's harem is there and have been turned into beasts, Kizuna's blade will be necessary to save them!" Naofumi rebutted. "She can be useful there!"
"Yes, but while that is true, that is not the only reason Kizuna wanted to come along." Glass mentioned.
…
The Heroes looked at the Spirit Woman, and her gaze moved to Kizuna, who still held a contemplative expression on her features. "You are here because you want to try and resolve things with Kyo peacefully, right?"
"... of course." Kizuna's eyes took on a determined look. "I'll never give up on my friends."
Naofumi's scowl lessened to a frown as he was suddenly reminded of Motoyasu for some reason. "Well, if you bring us along and show how serious we are in wanting to fight for the world again, maybe that could help you out!" Daitan yelled.
"I'm still considering taking you back, you know," Naofumi said dryly to them.
"I mean, you could." Daitan shrugged. "But from my understanding, you and Itsuki's portal skills require us to be in your party, whether directly or indirectly. Also, I'm pretty sure it requires a stationary waypoint, so you'd have to stop Ethnobalt's ship and land it since we're flying in the sky right now. Then, you'd have to teleport us back, teleport yourself back, then go back into the sky to resume traveling towards that ley line, all while keeping Ethnobalt's ship undetected from anyone else."
…
Naofumi didn't remember telling him, or even Hoshi much about how their portal skills worked. So either Itsuki had told them about it before… or he'd learned it for himself through observation.
Daitan smirked widely as he crossed his arms. "In other words, until we reach that ley line and head towards Luvar, you're stuck with us. And even then, with how important Kyo is, I doubt you'd want to delay our journey for even a little bit to take us back.
"I could just have Itsuki help me with teleporting as well." Naofumi scowled. "We could be there and back within a minute, maybe two. And if Itsuki and Kizuna's stealth skills weren't enough, I could have Raphtalia, Maya, and Raph-Chan assist with their illusion magic to ensure that we're hidden from view."
"You'd still have to force us to accept party invitations. Which isn't likely to happen anytime soon." Akane replied haughtily.
Naofumi's right eyebrow twitched. But before he could respond to what she'd said.
"Naofumi." Ethnobalt sighed to himself. "Let's just bring them along. Remember, it's not only Kizuna who we're bringing along for this. You'll be working to protect me too after our arrival."
…
The rabbit man's words sounded pained. Glass was smiling a little bit though as she hugged her friend. "Don't worry. You've been improving thanks to the training you and Rishia have been doing on the side."
"Yes, but battle-wise, I'm still not all that useful." Ethnobalt shook his head. "At least defense-wise, I could assist these three and make sure they stay alive."
"Don't worry! We'll contribute too!" Daitan said excitedly. "We've been trying to improve ourselves as well during these last couple of weeks!"
Naofumi groaned again. "This isn't some anime where you're suddenly capable of defeating the main villain of the arc after only a few days of training. If you participate in this fight, you will die if even one of Kyo's attacks hits you!"
"Wait, that kind of cliche exists in anime?" Daitan asked. "Since when? Aren't you supposed to beat the bad guys with the power of friendship and love?"
"Have you been living under a rock or something?" Akane asked in surprise. "I'm pretty sure that's a common story element in just about every Shonen anime!"
"... Shonen?" Daitan blinked.
…
"Uh, Daitan, what sort of anime did you watch back in your original world?" Hoshi asked, realizing he'd never asked his fellow Hero that question before now.
…
…
…
A notification for a request to join his party suddenly appeared in the corner of Naofumi's vision. "On second thought, just take me back." Daitan sweatdropped.
"Oh ho. Now that's a red flag for some juicy gossip if I ever saw one!" Kizuna began grinning diabolically while getting in the Blunt Hero's face. "Was it something embarrassing?"
"It's starting to sound like it." Akane was alongside Kizuna now. The two were grinning while staring at Daitan like he was their prey. "Power of friendship and love, you say? Why does that sound familiar now?"
"N-No! I misspoke! Whatever I watched, it was super mainstream! Every guy in my school was w-watching it!" Daitan backed up, fear suddenly painted on his features. And it's not like that was a lie either!...
Well, okay, maybe not every guy in school watched it, and maybe it did incorporate those two tropes specifically, but-
"Come on now. I promise we won't tell anyone." Kizuna teased.
"Maybe," Akane said evilly.
"G-GET BACK!" Daitan screamed in terror.
Naofumi sighed again. His earlier anger was fading away, fortunately. However, he still felt mad about the fact that he was still going to have to worry about three extra people on top of Yomogi and all the others accompanying them.
It'd already become obvious. Kizuna wasn't arguing about them leaving at all, and in fact, if Naofumi was a betting man, he would wager that Kizuna had somehow subtly arranged for the trio to show up here, in one way or another.
It had been her idea to put food and stuff in crates after all, so as to not clog up their weapons. And besides that, she looked too ready for some hero-bonding time between her and the other Cardinal Heroes even though it was the middle of the night.
Glass sighed in disappointment. Yet she still smiled, watching as Daitan began screaming in terror while running circles around the deck of the Invincible. Kizuna and Akane chased after him, merciless glee on their faces while they hounded him for answers.
"Guys, you're making too much noise!" Itsuki complained.
"Don't worry, between the usage of your and Kizuna's stealth skills. I think we'll be just fine." Maya giggled next to the Bow Hero.
"Yeah, I guess we might as well call Ethnobalt's ship the Invisible instead of the Invincible, am I right?" Aksel said next to her.
…
…
All he got was the sound of crickets chirping in the background. A strange thing really, given that they were thousands of feet up in the air.
Everyone had just died of cringe.
Not even Maya was laughing.
"Oh come on, that was funny!" Aksel pouted.
"... maybe next time, man." Itsuki patted the tank on the shoulder. Only causing him to pout even further.
As everyone's activities resumed around them, Raphtalia walked up to the Shield Hero and whispered into his ear. "Don't worry, I can't say I agree that bringing them along is the best idea either. But think about it like this.
"When we get back to our world, we're going to have to fight alongside Keel and others from the village who'll want to join us on our adventures, whether they have a Hero Service Crest or not. Even with them, not everyone is going to be as strong as us, no matter what hero bonuses they have.
"And even if they are weak for Heroes, they're still a lot stronger than a normal person. So this could be a good chance for you to get used to having to protect others on a battlefield who aren't me or Filo or Dou-Lon."
"... Yeah, you're right." Naofumi still rolled his eyes as he sighed. He just didn't want to get used to protecting idiots against a very dangerous foe.
"You can also think of it like this." Raphtalia then said, looking at him seriously. "If all four Cardinal Heroes come at the same time, then Kyo will hesitate to launch large-scale area of effect attacks, in fear of killing them."
"What? Why? He didn't seem to have any issues with killing them off during the International Meeting, according to Itsuki." Naofumi asked.
"Because according to my Katana, it is only thanks to the Cardinal Heroes still being alive that the reality of this world is being held together.
…
"I'm guessing our world hasn't reached that point yet. But Kizuna's world has already been severely damaged by the Waves on a very deep level, due to how long they have been going on and because none of the Cardinal Heroes were suppressing them. So if all four Cardinals in this world were to die at the same time then there'd be no chance to summon new Heroes. The world would end right after, and Kyo would lose.
"He knows this as well thanks to the Book. So he will be unlikely to use attacks that could kill all four simultaneously, even if we assume that he has no qualms about killing Kizuna."
…
…
Whoa…
Why couldn't his weapon talk to him like Raphtalia's did? The Shield Hero wondered internally. That would be so much more useful!
"Won't that kill us too though?" Naofumi asked with a frown.
Raphtalia grinned. "Well, duh, but I trust you won't allow such a thing to happen."
"Rafu!" At that moment, Raph-Chan bounded onto Hoshi's head and the boy was laughing as he spun around with her. Filo cheered happily as she flew onto Hoshi's arm and hugged him in her hummingbird form.
The poor ofuda hero fell back onto the deck of the ship from that. But he didn't stop laughing as Naofumi's daughters played with him.
"And neither will Raph-Chan nor the others." Raphtalia laughed a little before she smiled warmly again. "You won't be the only one working to keep them safe. We all care about them as much as you do."
…
Her words made Naofumi smile the littlest bit. "Well… As long as they don't try to get in the way then."
"Good. Now, I believe we were about to do something important." Raphtalia told him in a different tone of voice.
…
Right. Screw dealing with this &^%$.
Naofumi had someone FAR better that he wanted to screw right now.
Without another word, he went below deck with his wife friend to have makeup tail floofing time for his behavior over the last few days.
They needed to get into arguments more often. It felt even better than normal!
Itsuki groaned as he put his face to his hands. "Is something wrong, Itsuki?" Rishia asked curiously.
"It's nothing." The Bow Hero lied.
Thus, the Otherworld Heroes were officially accepted as part of the quest to take down Kyo.
"King Berg!"
L'Arc stood up as one of his soldiers ran onto the deck of the Invincible he was on.
The fleet was currently parked on a ley line somewhere in Label, the Katana country. This allowed the gems of Lapis's fleet to slowly recharge their energy from the excess energy coming from the ground below while the Invincible and other ships of Sickle's and Label's fleets were refueled from a nearby fuel depot they'd just recaptured.
The energy recharging process for Lapis's fleet wasn't as efficient elsewhere as it was in Lapis. The world's energy seemed to overflow from the surface all over that country, allowing even their largest ships to refuel within a matter of minutes. But here, it was enough to refuel the Acclamator-Class Assault Ships and LAATs Corrin had brought with him over a matter of hours.
Many of the fleet's LAATs were currently parked on the ground around the large ships, allowing them and Lapis's Commando soldiers time to recharge their ships and armor as well. The few that weren't recharging were busy ferrying soldiers to the nearby outposts to search for enemies and supplies.
"What is it? Have our forces retaken all the nearby forts already?" L'Arc asked the soldier.
"Yes, and not only that. I've just received word from one of our outposts outside of Label's Capital. Our forces have already retaken Central City!" The soldier reported.
…
The news made L'Arc's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "How?" He asked.
"I-I'm still not sure, sire! I've only just received word that the commandos headed by General Ryoma have captured the Hourglass room itself." The soldier said. "I don't know any more than that."
L'Arc pulled out a gem communication ofuda. And at first, he got nothing but static. A sign that the communication blocker in Central City was still active.
Within a minute of that, however, the static suddenly disappeared. And Corrin's voice sounded on the other end. "Scythe Hero. We have completely taken Central City. How is it on your end?"
"We've parked your fleet of ships for now to allow them to recharge. I also sent some of my soldiers to retake nearby forts in the area. But how did the diversionary attack on the city itself turn into this?"
Corrin chuckled confidently on the other end. "Ever since the battle at the border, my men have been encountering little to no resistance. In fact, when the enemy saw your ships with my soldiers at the helm approaching, most of the opposition turned tail and fled.
"We made short work of those that remained, but by the time we reached Central City, it was basically abandoned. My forces took the hourglass room without a fight and Cole sealed it right after."
…
L'Arc's eyebrows narrowed in confusion. "I see, so it's really sealed off then?"
"Yes. My soldiers are putting all sorts of traps and fortifications in the area around it as we speak. Needless to say, with how high their levels are and the complexity of our security measures, any group that teleports to this hourglass in the near future will be in for quite a nasty surprise. Several of them, to be precise."
…
L'Arc frowned. It wouldn't do much to keep armies from teleporting to the Hourglass, due to Kyo's forces having gotten registered to it already. But it'd also warn them if Luvar tried teleporting their army there in order to outflank them from behind. On top of that, it'd allow for the defenders remaining in the area to have time to prepare and defend against an attack from the inside. And as long as they took Luvar before any of that happened…
"L'Arc, is something wrong?"
The redhead looked up at Therese, who was standing nearby.
She was dressed in a different outfit than usual. In fact, what she was wearing now was the exact same thing all the other noblesses of Lapis were wearing. Polished, fancy-looking plate armor covered her from head to toe. And included with it was the same distinct Corinthian-styled antique helmet with a t-shaped visor just like the other officers of the Gem People's army.
Unlike the others though, the gemstones of her armor were Alexandrites, like her namesake, which were a variation of regular chrysoberyls that were more suited for spellcasting rather than physical reinforcement. Therese didn't have her helmet on yet, since they were not in active combat so far, but that would change soon. And while some of the noblesses had patches on their upper pauldrons, indicating which house they hailed from, Therese had no such thing on her armor.
That was of no concern to her, however, the leader of the house she had chosen to become a member of was right in front of her, after all. Even if she was looking at L'Arc worriedly at the moment.
"Corrin, are you sure that they all fled?" L'Arc asked again. "I could have sworn our intelligence reports indicated Luvar had a massive force stationed in Label."
"... I have been getting reports of increased soldier activity in neighboring Mikikage. Our allies there are fighting some tough battles. But you're right. This was too easy. I was expecting at least a few thousand soldiers to be stationed here based on the reports we were getting." Corrin said after a short pause on his end.
There was some background noise as if the King was talking to someone else. "How close are you to Luvar's border now?" Corrin asked after a moment.
"We're still a day away if we don't encounter any major resistance. But there has been almost none since we pierced through Luvar's initial defenses at Sickle's border." L'Arc responded.
"I see… I'll be bringing your ships back to rendezvous with you soon then. I'm a bit worried that neither of us has found Luvar's main force yet."
"Yeah, nor its air fleet. It's practically been nonexistent up to this point." L'Arc said offhandedly.
…
…
…
There was a longer pause on Corrin's end this time. Long enough that L'Arc decided to speak up again. "You have at least encountered some of Luvar's ships in Label, right?"
"... no, I have not," Corrin responded quietly.
…
…
The Gem Emperor could be heard giving more orders in the background again. This time, however, L'Arc and Therese did hear what he said. "We've laid enough traps. We are returning to the ships and departing for King Berg's current position at once."
"Wait, what about my city and the people here? There is still a lot to rebuild and-" A voice that likely belonged to the elderly minister of Label spoke up as well.
"I understand. And Ryoma and his soldiers have already set up aid stations outside the city with enough supplies to help your people out for a few days. "But King Berg and I still haven't encountered any strong enemy resistance. And now, I'm starting to worry about the fact that neither of us has had any encounters with Luvar's air fleet."
"... you feel this might be a trap then?" The minister asked.
"Perhaps. I think it would be best if you and your men stay here and fortify your position now that your Capital City has been liberated. The rest of us might be forced to retreat later. Having a clear and protected escape route would be beneficial for that. You'll also benefit from the supply line from Sickle going through your lands.
"Label's Hourglass might be secured for now, but even with the Hourglass sealed, Luvar can still circumvent the sealing thanks to them having troops registered to the Hourglass. And the traps my troops have laid for such a scenario won't hold an enemy army back forever. The civilians still left here could possibly be in even greater danger than we realize."
"... Understood. Then I shall assume command here and make sure your flank is secured. Thank you for helping us get our home back. Label and its people won't forget this kindness."
Corrin's voice was then finally directed at L'Arc and Therese again. "I'll be rejoining you in a few hours. Then, we'll make our way to Luvar together."
"Are you sure it's wise to suddenly change our plans like that, Corrin?" Therese asked. "I thought we decided to split our forces up to allow for better maneuverability."
"I know, but if Luvar is not here, then they are likely preparing a trap for us somewhere and there is strength in numbers. I'd rather leave right now before they are ready to spring it at us."
"Fine, but this absence of enemy airships could also mean that Kyo was serious about wanting to do battle with us at his Capital in Luvar." L'Arc pointed out.
"I can only hope that this is the case… I will meet you in a few hours." With that, the communication with Corrin ended.
"My King, shall I put the other soldiers on high alert?" The soldier who had first reported their success to L'Arc asked.
"Yes. Make sure we have plenty of people watching the skies while we wait for Corrin to arrive." L'Arc ordered him.
The man quickly nodded and bowed respectfully before rushing out to fulfill his next task.
"Man, I sure hope that Naofumi is having a better time than we are," L'Arc muttered with a sigh.
"It'll still be another day or two before they arrive at Kyo's mansion," Therese replied. "And no other ship exists that can travel the way Ethnobalt's boat does. As long as they manage to travel along the leylines of the hourglasses, they'll be fine.
"Yeah, but then how about after that, when they have to fly normally the rest of the way to Kyo's mansion? What if they get ambushed?" L'Arc sighed again. "I'm just worried about them is all."
"It was bad enough losing Kizuna once. I don't want to lose her again as well as Glassy or the others too. Even if I find it annoying how Naofumi is always calling me boy."
"..." Therese hugged him, and L'Arc hugged her back.
"I'm sure they'll be fine as long as Naofumi is with them. If there is anyone besides us who I'd trust to keep everyone safe, then it's him. He really lives up to his title of the Shield Hero." Therese told the King gently.
"Yea." L'Arc sighed again. "As prickly as he can get, he is a super reliable guy when it counts. And maybe if Kizuna can break through to Kyo where we couldn't, then none of them will have to fight at all." L'Arc tried to sound hopeful but he was not being very convincing.
Therese nodded, hugging L'Arc for a while longer before letting him go about his duties.
She shuffled in her armor awkwardly as L'Arc gave out more orders to the soldiers that gathered around him. Even though she wished to appreciate the moment of seeing L'Arc looking so regal and mature, her mind was being drawn back to before they had left. When Corrin had pulled her aside after their meeting with everyone.
"What do you need, Your Majesty?" Therese asked with a curtsy as she and Corrin stepped into an empty room of Sickle's castle together.
"Therese, please, you do not have to call me by my title when we're alone. You are still part of the royal family, even if you did leave us all those years ago." Corrin responded.
"..." Therese sighed. "Is that what you wanted to talk about, Corrin?"
"No, cousin, not at all." Corrin shook his head. "If anything, I'd say you were right to leave back then, during the height of the political turmoil in Lazuli."
…
Therese blinked in confusion. In the meantime, Corrin walked over to the room's window and looked out of it to admire Sickle's Capital from above. "I admit the others and I had some concerns about you leaving back then. I, myself, had thought that you were leaving us only because you developed a crush on Prince L'Arc after he and his Father visited our country earlier that year."
"That's…" Therese was about to respond, but her voice choked as she blushed.
While Corrin wasn't looking at her, there was still a knowing smile painted on his features. "Well, I suppose that might have been part of your original reasoning too. But I also remember what you said about the topic back then. How you felt 'trapped' in the capital. That Lapis was becoming too reclusive for its own good.
"That you wanted to explore more of the world outside and see what you could learn about the ways of life in other countries when most others would have preferred living in the safety and beauty of our walls."
…
…
Corrin turned to face her then. "You didn't leave us on bad terms back then but still, I feel it is my responsibility as the Emperor of Lapis to apologize for not seeing you off before. Me and the other members of the court should have encouraged you in the journey that you had decided to venture on."
Therese smiled and shook her head. "Corrin, you don't have to apologize to me. Regardless of what you and the others wanted or not, it was still my decision in the end. I would have gone with or without your blessings regardless."
"Indeed. And because you have, our country has finally found a true ally in the country of Sickle, instead of one of our many allies of convenience who only sought our strength and our wealth. Because of that, you were able to meet the Hunting Tools Hero and obtain the priceless privilege that is her unconditional friendship and support. And because of that, I am now talking to you not just as your cousin, but as the Emperor of Lapis."
"And because of that… it is now within my power to return something to you. Cole, it is time! Enter!"
Corrin snapped his fingers, and a pair of soldiers along with the emperor's advisor, Cole, entered the room.
Therese was surprised at their sudden appearance. But not as much as when she realized what the men were carrying with them. She recognized it immediately, as she'd left it in her quarters the day she decided to venture out from Lapis and give up her title.
"Your level wasn't high enough to wear it back then. But I made sure to talk with Kizuna when she visited Lapis to get your new measurements, so we could properly refit it." Corrin smiled as Cole opened the chest, revealing the brilliant, sparkling new set of personalized adamantium armor within. "I believe you'll be able to put it to good use. The gems from your old cadet set have been inserted into it too, so it should fit like a glove. Your friends have missed you."
"I… Corrin," Therese choked up, looking at the Gem King again. "I can't. I gave my title up. And besides, you know that my primary focus is magic casting. I'm not someone to get up close and personal in a fight. This armor would only be wasted on me, it would be much better off serving another Gem Person."
"I know you're a magic caster, Therese. And this particular set is made with that in mind. But even if it wasn't, the compatibility of your old gem court would ensure that it would function flawlessly. The gems pressed into this armor are your friends, Therese. Their only desire is to assist you, just like long ago." Corrin smiled proudly. "They remember you still and were eager to rejoin you and help you again when we asked them to."
...
The Gem Girl looked down at the armor, feeling a strong sense of familiarity, joy, and friendship wash over her that almost made her want to start crying. Still, she looked like she wanted to protest further.
"Therese," Corrin spoke again with a serious expression. "Do know that this is not some kind of roundabout way of me urging you to return to Lazuli. I can already tell where your heart belongs." Corrin's tense look softened into a warm and genuine smile. "That little girl crush I saw in your eyes long ago has developed into the same thing that Hinoka and I share for each other no matter how much life tries to pull us apart."
"This armor belongs to you and you alone. My only condition, hope, and expectation for you out of this is that you will use it to protect those whom you love.
"Nothing more and nothing less."
…
Therese shook her head and chuckled while wiping away a few tears. "Corrin, you're still such a huge drama queen. Was this whole song and dance really necessary?"
"Hey, at least I have a good excuse to act so pompously now, since I am the Emperor." The Diamond Gem Person snorted and spread his arms out invitingly to which the sapphire gem girl promptly responded by tackling him into a hug.
Needless to say, Therese ended up accepting the armor and putting it on soon after they left for Label.
It was a nice gesture. Really, it was. Therese had opted to wear it for the coming battle because of how it'd increase her combat prowess to make up for Glass and the others not being there to assist them.
But there was a reason why she didn't want to stay in Lazuli. As beautiful as it was, it'd always felt suffocating inside those high walls. Walls that existed to protect them, yes, but which also made her wish to see more of the outside world.
And though she had seen so much thanks to L'Arc already… there was still more that she wanted to see. That she wanted to do beyond what was offered to her in Lazuli.
yet what Corrin said though had made her feel better about her decision to leave. It was nice to know that she was still considered family.
For now though, since winning the fight with Luvar was more important than her own personal preferences, she'd wear the armor that was made for her long ago. And she'd wear it with pride as a Gem Person of their world.
The next few hours passed as they waited for Corrin to arrive. During which, his soldiers kept watch on the skies and the surrounding areas as promised.
Thankfully, Corrin had arrived with the rest of Sickle's and Label's fleet right as all of Corrin's ships had finished recharging and refueling.
L'Arc had some of the soldiers ready with fuel to gas up the arriving fleet. But Corrin contacted them again before then, saying that they were going to press on. L'Arc had to then order his soldiers to get the fuel onto LAATs and other small escort ships to bring it up to Corrin's ships when they arrived. And the whole fleet took off once more after Corrin's part of the fleet arrived overhead.
They'd press on for the remainder of that day towards the plains before Luvar's border before they parked for the night. The energy of the world was stronger in that area. If the battle commenced there, great. If it didn't, at least they'd enter Luvar with full power.
And thus they continued on.
Still encountering little to no resistance from enemy forces along the way for some reason.
"Brother, you've been staring at the sky for almost ten minutes now. I know we were told to remain vigilant and to keep an eye out for enemy ships, but I'm starting to suspect that you're just daydreaming again." One of the gem soldiers spoke out to another who was leaning on the ship's railings and looking up.
"Huh? Oh, no, brother, I'm quite awake, I assure you." The other Gem Soldier shook his head and pointed his index finger up. "I'm simply observing a rather unusual weather pattern. See that cloud there? Doesn't it look strange and peculiar to you?"
The two soldiers stood on the deck of one of the ships. One of them pointed to a cloud in the distance that looked to be a few hundred feet higher than where their ship was flying.
"Peculiar? Strange?" The second soldier asked, looking only more confused at his brother's explanation. And looking at the large cloud that he was pointing out did not help in the slightest. "Are you sure you weren't daydreaming, brother? It looks just like any other cloud to me."
"Brother! You wound me! I had only fallen victim to the whimsies of my imagination once during battle, yet you continue to insinuate that I am a man who cannot be relied upon!" The first noblesse put his hand on his chest with a hurt expression.
The second soldier simply shook his head in response. "Playing victim doesn't suit you, brother. If it truly had been just one time, then I would not dare to say a word of it and would stand at your defense to put down anyone who would imply otherwise. But both of us know that such is not the case. It truly is a mystery for the ages how a man with an attention span as short as a flea's limb managed to become a veteran of not only the Waves but the Demon Dragon's campaign as well."
"Enough, brother! Do not befoul my good name further! Rather, look upon this cloud again and study it!" The first soldier pointed to the cloud again. "Do you truly not see how perfectly symmetrical it is?! Its top and bottom match each other like the reflection of a shore upon a still lake in summer during the early morn!"
The second soldier looked more closely again, and after a moment, he finally understood what his brother was getting at. It did look like the top of the cloud looked exactly the same as the bottom of it. "Well, I'll be. You are right brother. It is quite peculiar…"
Still, after a few seconds, he shrugged and turned away, looking uninterested. "But it matters not. We are marching to war, so save your strength and steel your mind for the battle ahead, rather than wasting it on such frivolities as cloud gazing."
The first soldier opened his mouth to protest and looked towards the cloud again as he did so. Only to find that the cloud had changed, looking nonsymmetrical once more.
"Ah curses… how I wish I had my painting tools with me to draw this wondrous nature's scene." The man sighed, before hefting his weapon on his shoulder and following behind his brother on their patrol around the ship again.
They didn't pay any more attention to the innocuous-looking cloud… even as it became symmetrical again.
As if a colossal mirror was passing directly underneath it.
Kyo paused in his prep work.
The metal table before him was strewn about with a mess of different items. From various scientific instruments to monster replicas of the Sword and Spear that he'd been forced to toss aside into various boxes and bins when his right arm spasmed at the wrong time and ruined his hard work.
However, this time, the Book Hero hadn't paused in his work on another turret familiar for his mansion because of that. It was something else.
While moving aside some old notes so he'd have more room to work on the extra set of defenses for his lab, he came across an item that briefly made him break out of his trance-like state.
It was an old and perfectly unremarkable-looking pair of glasses. Nothing like the expensive and fashionable lensless set that he had lost during his trip to another world.
And yet, seeing them made that annoying dull and painful sensation in his heart stir again.
…
…
His right hand reached for them hesitantly.
The dead, gray look in the Book Hero's eyes faded somewhat. Revealing a tint of blue in his irises.
"Yomogi, what is this?"
"Glasses!"
A teenage Kyo sat in a chair, squinting in apparent annoyance at the green-haired girl standing in front of him. It was downright frightening how the filthy urchin that he'd met a few years ago had grown into such a fine-looking young woman. It really made no sense. Her family had been just a bunch of farmers from some inbred village in the middle of nowhere. Where could she possibly have gotten this kind of stock to grow from?
However, Kyo's thoughts on the matter quickly returned to the topic at hand. Yomogi was smiling at him brightly with that annoying perfectly genuine smile and holding out a pair of cheap-looking glasses in front of him.
"Yes, Yomogi. I can see that these are, in fact, glasses." Kyo rolled his eyes as he patiently explained his words to the somewhat literal-minded girl as he usually did. "My question was meant to be a general one, however. I am asking you why you have suddenly walked in and are offering me a pair of glasses?"
"Well, duh!" The girl laughed at Kyo's sour expression. "It's because it's your birthday! It's your birthday gift from me! Happy birthday!"
"Huh? Is it that time of the year again…?" Looking at a nearby calendar, Kyo found that Yomogi was correct. It really was the perfectly unremarkable day marking the perfectly unremarkable occasion of him having gotten squeezed out of his mother's womb in this world. It had never held any interest to him.
Normally, he would just smile, nod, and accept the gift until the girl was out of sight. After that, he would be able to throw it into some distant corner of his study, where it would not get in the way. But this time… he did not just feel indifferent to the gift.
He hated it.
Just by looking at them, he was reminded of the times from his past life when his parents had forced him to wear similar-looking glasses. Cheap as they came, and only effective to the point of allowing him to see without needing to squint too hard.
He'd dealt with a lot of name-calling and talking behind his back because of it. And when he looked up at Yomogi again, Kyo might have let a little more anger than usual show on his face. "And why, pray tell, did you get me a pair of glasses for my birthday, Yomogi?"
"Huh? Oh, well, I noticed how you're always squinting your eyes when talking to someone or reading." Yomogi blinked once, confused about why Kyo was not immediately accepting her birthday gift, like he usually did. "So I read some of the medical books from your library and found out that it might be a symptom of visual impairment. And since you don't seem to squint when observing distant objects, I figured you were farsighted, so I bought these in the city with the allowance that you gave me!"
The girl smiled brightly again and offered the glasses to Kyo once more.
"You are not a doctor, Yomogi. And it's not your allowance, it's your salary, you are not a kid anymore." Kyo sneered as he stood up from the desk and looked down at the glasses with open disgust and anger. "And what does it matter if I can or can't see so well? I am perfectly fine with squinting my eyes to focus them. I don't need to nor want to wear glasses. I am not some helpless blind cripple."
"B-but, Kyo…" The girl shook slightly, looking hurt but then suddenly tensed her body up and shook her head before raising her voice. "You always look angry and annoyed at everyone, because you keep squinting when talking to people! I know you don't mean it, but others either perceive it as rude or keep thinking that you're mad at them for some reason! And I think it's really hurting your image!"
…
…
Kyo went silent. Yomogi shuffled her feet in place for a bit, wondering if she'd done something wrong now. "Remember how your last deal didn't go through? And before that, the time when that high-ranked merchant's guild member just walked off in the middle of your negotiations with him for seemingly no reason while refusing to elaborate? I just thought that if you weren't frowning all the time, like you hate everyone around you, it would help you to get what you need easier."
…
Kyo calmed down as he thought over what his assistant had pointed out.
It didn't take him long to realize that she was right. It suddenly made sense why he couldn't get a leg up after having recently taken over his father's and mother's affairs, despite having a very detailed business and investment plan.
"I… I see… but still, why did you not consult with me regarding this… matter first?"
"Well, because then it wouldn't have been a surprise." Yomogi smiled shyly.
…
Kyo frowned at her response. But as he opened his mouth to make a retort about him hating surprises, she said something else.
"And… I also know how much you hate looking weak in front of others. So I thought it would be better if I were just to give them to you as is, under the guise of a birthday gift, without drawing any attention to it."
"Though, I guess I'm doing that right now…"
…
Kyo thought about it some more. And a slight scowl appeared on his face. "I don't recall ever telling you something this outlandish. You sure are making a lot of assumptions."
"D-Does that mean that I'm wrong?" Yomogi deflated again, looking worried and guilty all of a sudden.
"... no." Kyo sighed and looked away. "It's just really annoying how you see right through me all the time. Is my poker face really that bad?"
"Hehehe." Yomogi giggled and sighed in relief. "Well, maybe it would be better if you didn't always look like you want to kill whoever you're looking at. And…" The girl swallowed hard and looked up at Kyo with a determined expression again.
"And I don't think that you're weak, Kyo. If anything, I think that succeeding even with the limitations put on you and overcoming them is what makes someone strong!" Yomogi said, her face shining with genuine happiness and joy again.
…
Moments later, Kyo stood in front of a mirror. Frowning at how he looked now with glasses, though much less than he would frown usually. "I look stupid." He pointed out blandly.
Yomogi's smile brightened further. "No way! I think they make you look really cool and smart!"
Kyo couldn't help but chuckle. "You'd be the first to think that."
"Huh?" Yomogi tilted her head to the side like a confused puppy.
"Don't worry, it's nothing." Kyo looked at himself again. A small smile formed on his face below his two shining blue eyes.
Kyo stared at his reflection in the washroom mirror.
His hair was a mess. Heavy bags hung from underneath his tired blue eyes as he wasn't able to get a wink of sleep after learning that Yomogi had been taken. The Book Hero's formerly handsome face appeared gaunt and his unhealthy-looking complexion was covered with a thick layer of grime.
…
"Yea. I still look stupid." Kyo muttered to no one in particular.
And yet… it'd also been the first birthday gift from Yomogi he'd actually kept and used.
…
He looked at the face of the broken man in the mirror for another moment before looking down at the open Vassal Book in his left hand, where his journal was resting.
- ENTRY #90 -
I remember what happened that day now. After finding the pair of glasses Yomogi gave me.
They didn't punish me after all.
They never even appeared.
I punished myself when I fell into Despair after learning a twisted version of the truth from [Search Engine] and unlocked both of my Cursed Series at the same time.
Yomogi was trying to stop me. To snap me out of it before I went out to destroy everything in my path.
I remember her cries. Her stubbornness to bring me back to the light. She even hugged me when all else failed.
That's why she was hurt so badly when I came out of it.
That is why I have been slowly growing insane as of late.
I hurt her.
I was the one that hurt Yomogi, the first person to ever really care about me.
…
…
Guilt.
That is what the feeling in my chest is. I understand it now.
…
Yomogi…
I…
Without realizing it, Kyo had written down another entry. Seeing it, he felt his right-hand tremble, the one that had no soul in it.
His Book began putting thoughts into his mind then. That he could stop this. That he didn't have to do this. That they could work with Kizuna to save their world.
He could still be the Hero the Book saw in him when it chose him to be its wielder despite Kyo's background.
...
Could he… could he really just allow this to happen? Could he really go through with his plans for his world and do this to his friends when… when… …
…
...
...
No, what other choice did he have?
He'd already learned that it was impossible to beat 'them'. To escape from them.
This was the only mercy he could grant to them. To the people of his world.
That part of him the Book was searching for... had lost hope long ago.
And even if he hadn't lost hope, he'd done things too terrible to be able to atone. There was nothing else he could do now except this.
The Vassal Book let out a sad whimper as Kyo subconsciously put the spirit back into its shackles. The Book Hero wrote down one last part of the entry and then closed the journal before reabsorbing it into his Book.
…
"Hm… hmhmhmhm."
The Book Hero's left hand slammed the Vassal Book closed with finality, and then fell to his side as he simply turned away and walked back into his lab without taking the glasses off.
The blue color in his eyes gradually drained away and was replaced with the familiar dull and murky metallic grey from before.
After walking down some steps into his lab's deepest and most secure area, Kyo stopped in front of a lone, tall glowing capsule that held the figure of a person within it.
Inside the lenses of Kyo's old glasses, the reflection of his own face could be seen staring back at him again, this time from within the glass container in front of him, instead of a mirror.
It was him. Or rather, it was what he would soon become. A new entity not bound by its past failures and mistakes. One that held limitless potential.
Yes. Soon. It was almost ready.
Soon, he would be f̵͎͇̣͔̦͉̰̩̠͉͍̒́̀̌̊̐r̴̡̡͉̤̖̲̪͎̠͇͉̜̭̦̿͊̅͊͜ȩ̶̡̞͇̳̫́̒̿̋̂͘͝͠͠ȩ̵̡̧̨̝̜͓̹̥̮̭̗͎̝͌̎̎͑̈́͠.
And he would finally be able to s̴̨̫̦̹̩̓̀̉͌̽̊̑͌̚a̵͔̳̻̬̥̬̫̭̰͔̹͌͛͂͆̿͆̾̊̽v̶͈̙͖̀̅̌̾́̍̓̾̎͋̓́̈̕ę̸̛̠̟̠͈̻̓͐͜ ̶̪͙̲͈̠͎̳͕̹̖͖͔͊̿̔̊̉̀̊̕͜t̶̨̨̹̝͉̺̙̼̅͗͒̓͘h̴̨̡̫̙̣̙̤͕͚̺̼̍̈́i̵̧̤̗̞̭̜̒̀̈͐̈́͊̔͑̍̚͠͝͠͝s̵͓̹͌͊̂̓̍̐͛͆̆̏̕ ̸̱̟̞͈͙͔̺͈̂w̴͈̭͇͇̻̘͙͇̳͈̣̞͚̥͂́̇̋ọ̶͔̀̐̈́͂̏̇̌̕r̴͔̍̐l̵̪̙̱̖͕̹̬̙̥͉̱͎͐̈́̀̀̾͌̀ḑ̵̢̧̩̺͈̤̣̼̭̫̗̯̌̇̿̀͋̚͜.
Hero Clips!
What are they doing?
"Guys, is now a good time for them to know that we snuck aboard?"
"Shhhh, quiet, you idiot! Do you want them to discover that we're hiding in here?!" A feminine voice whispered next.
"I, I just feel like we shouldn't be eavesdropping on them like this. Can we just get out of here while they're distracted?
The Three Otherworld Heroes were inside their crates in Naofumi's room. Debating on whether or not they should leave.
However, while it would have been wise for them to leave…
Clang! Clang! Clang!
There was a very strange noise coming from inside the room. One that couldn't help but pique their curiosity.
"Raphtalia, can you please get your Katana to yell at my Shield to get it to stop!?" Naofumi's voice sounded amidst the clanging. "This is seriously getting old!"
"I'll try," Raphtalia said unsurely.
"We can't leave now, Daitan! We still need to wait for the perfect moment to sneak out and talk to Kizuna! And besides, don't you want to figure out what they're doing?" Akane asked seriously.
"W-Well, yeah, of course I'm curious, but I'm not 'stupid' you know!" Daitan responded.
"Could have fooled me." Akane rolled her eyes.
Outside their crates, the sounds of clanging changed.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
"What the hell are they doing now?!" Hoshi asked in shock. "Are they fighting with explosives or something?!"
"On a ship?! Are you insane?! Why would they do that?!" Daitan asked.
"Plus, aren't they both Heroes? I'd think their weapons would prevent them from using explosives." Akane pointed out.
…
While the three Heroes pondered on that, the sounds outside changed again.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
"Oh come on!" Naofumi screamed as it sounded like some construction was going on in the background.
"Is… is that a bulldozer?" Akane asked in surprise.
PPbbbbbbbbbthhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
A needlessly long, drawn-out fart sound with reverb sounded outside the crates.
"What the… what?" Daitan looked so confused.
"Is this starting to sound like a previous omake to you guys?" Akane asked.
"Is this what it's like to feel meta?" Daitan asked as he understood what Akane meant.
"How come we're the ones being meta instead of the other Heroes?" Hoshi asked confusedly.
Before the others could answer…
YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
A loud voice followed by shamisen and drum music began to sound. Hoshi's eyes widened in shock. "Ok, that is definitely a Kabuki theatre! What the hell are those two doing?!"
"Wow, my weapon says you have one vindictive Shield on you, Naofumi," Raphtalia spoke again.
"You think?!" Naofumi replied sarcastically.
As if to prove the point…
Honk! Honk! Honk! Honk!
The ill-fated goose noises were back once again.
"YOU KNOW WHAT?! &^%$ YOU TOO YANDERE SHIELD! &^%$ YOU TOO!" Naofumi yelled at his weapon.
"Alright, I have to know what's going on. What the hell are they doing to make all those different…" Daitan lifted the top off his crate and looked ahead, only to freeze up.
…
…
The Blunt Weapons Hero slowly lowered the top back down. Not saying a single word as he did so.
"So, uh… Daitan, are you still there? What were those two doing?" Hoshi asked curiously.
"You don't want to know," Daitan said, his face blank in his crate.
For a pervert, realizing just how Naofumi's weapon screwed with him was downright frightening.
He really hoped his Weapon wouldn't do the same to him in the future… if he ever got that lucky, that is.
Honk! Honk! Honk! Honk! "REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Naofumi continued to scream as his Shield ruined his love life in the background. Akane and Hoshi remained unknowing of what was actually happening outside their small wooden homes.
...
Outside, two figures stood on top of a nearby cloud while looking down at Ethnobalt's ship.
One of them spoke up.
"Your sense of humor is degrading faster than my sanity from proofreading this garbage." The shadowy person shook his head in exasperation and other overly complicated and archaic words that he used to make himself look smarter. "All that dramatic build-up in the chapter earlier and you just throw it away for… this.
"And the worst part is that this is only going to be the second worst joke in this arc's finale. Without counting the self-fellating meta commentary here, I mean."
(Insert Allen's response about this being okay since this is an omake and as such, not actually canon.)
"What about the actual worst joke of the finale then? The one that happens in-universe and ends up somehow playing a key role?" The proofreader pressed on, still looking down at the ship.
(Insert Allen's incredibly detailed and convincing response that explains that it's a necessary component of the overall narrative without which the story would be incomplete.)
"I- Wait, did you seriously leave those two responses blank!? You were supposed to put an actual argument in there! Not-" The shadowy figure turned to the writer angrily only to finally realize that Allen had never been there to begin with.
Instead, a cardboard cutout of him wielding the Cardinal Bow was left behind with a sticky note attached to it.
'Off to write Bow Hero Self-Insert, Part Two'
…
"Rafu!" Raph-chan ran up to the frame and pushed it. The cardboard cutout fell over with a dull 'fwap' sound.
"What an appropriate metaphor. Could not have done it better myself, Raph-Chan. Good job." The man praised Rifana and patted her on the head, much to her delight.
He then turned to the camera again. "Next time, on Diligence of the Shield Hero. We rip off St*r Wars and Fire Emblem Fates even more. Stay tuned!"
Till Next Time
Allen
Notes:
So, um, I think I've written to around four or five chapters after this one so far, and um, I still have more of this arc to write left. I'm just going to apologize in advance because I didn't realize how much there was still left to write just for this arc alone. But hey, that also means you all are getting lots of good content for a while yet!
I liked this chapter a lot. Going to be a good lead-in to the events going down as we reach the finale with Kyo and Luvar. Strap yourselves and your eyes in for a fun ride. I'll make sure that I surpass what happened with the Spirit Tortoise Arc to prove I'm far from having 'peaked' with my writing and still have vast room to improve.
Since, for example, I still have a tendency to insert ridiculous omakes at the end of otherwise serious chapters.
Chapter 14: Approaching Danger
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
- ENTRY #45 -
I said goodbye to Ethnobalt and the others today.
With ████████████ refusing to participate ████████████ any longer, it is only a matter of time until ████████████.
I guess it's up to me to save the world then. Since no one else will.
So that ████████████.
So that ████████████.
And so I can k̸̖͋̀̓̐̚ȉ̶͎͉̫̞͋̽͜ḷ̷̥̔͆̊̄͌̍͊̊͋͛̈́̉̈́̕ľ̸̟̩̜̜͎̮͚̭̘͙̌̅͐̆̈̽̈́ ̴̧̲̪̯̜͗̓̍̓̽̉̏̐̏͆'t̷̛̛̤͖̬̙̍̂̃̈́̑̏͝ḥ̴̨͚̹̯̤͇͛͛̓͛̒̂͊̔̾̽̐̓̚̕è̴̦̯͖͇͚͖̳̯̫̆̇m̶̯͎̏' for taking everything from me!
— ENTRY #52 —
All the ████████████ are now slain. I decided to lend ████████████ a hand once more to deal with them. Though I've parted ways with the others again.
It was almost too easy. We basically ambushed the three of them at the moment of their awakenings, before they could ████████████. Though, the fact is, a lot of people still died as ████████████. And even with our ambushes we were incapable of bringing them down immediately.
Either way, with their deaths, I have ████████████ to work with.
I have a g̵̞̳̲̱̩̫̐̈́͆͝͠ǫ̶̝̠̰̤̦̋͗́̀̽͝o̶̢̼͋͠ḑ̷̘̝̗͚̞̰̏̿͘ ̶̬̙͈̽̏̄̈́͝f̵̠̜͍̗̀ę̴̗̦͎̺̣͊̏͆e̶̪̭͗̆̀̋̐̂̈́l̷͕̘̠̱̬̿͜ĭ̸̩n̵̦͈̬̥̩͓͇͑g̸̭͚̫̬̃̀̄͗͒̅ about this now!
- ENTRY #58 -
Amazing! I've spent all this time trying to figure the first part out, but my ████████████ already did so! Behind my back too! The jerk!
After stealing a few of his ████████████ and dissecting them, it became clear that they were incomplete. However, that was hardly of any concern. It is much easier to finish something than it is to build it from scratch, after all.
Now that I have the basis for ████████████, it should be easier to build myself ████████████.
I just need to figure out how to sever ████████████.
What is the power needed to overcome it? If only I could ask Ethnobalt to help me again. He had been ████████████ before I left with the books I didn't manage to steal from him. But he never gave me an answer ████████████ with during the brief time we spent ████████████ together.
Perhaps he might find something useful to help overcome the power 'they' possess, something that I haven't managed to find in the texts I've gathered on 'them'.
— ENTRY #62 —
Yomogi has been checking in on me more lately. I get the feeling that she's ████████████. I hardly ████████████ these days according to her. She tells me I'm ████████████.
I don't care though. I am more than able to handle it.
I'm the only one who can ş̴͓̗̮͈͂̀̿͜ͅa̸̡̢͍̰͓̣̘̝̗̝̣̎̌̏̆̄̄͘v̸̧̨̗̘̝̖̦̙͗̃̈́e̸͈͈̜̣̠̟̰͕͇͌̇̇̚ ̸̢̨̛̲̘̱̰̰͖̮̬͍̰͈͚̃͆̓̆̅̐̽͛̏́͛̚ư̸̧͈̭̱̰̻̲̦̩̠̞͌̌́͗̋̉̓̃̾͑̈́̚s̷̢̊͆̆́̂̎́̀ after all.
- ENTRY #69 -
Progression on the ████████████ is proceeding as expected. I have fixed the development of the internal organs and a few even look like they could ████████████ at any moment.
Yet, while I've managed to accomplish this, and while I'm closer to my goal than I have ever been… I still have not yet found a power source for the ████████████ I'm trying to design. One that could ████████████ that binds me to 'them'.
Things in the world are going from bad to worse. It is clear now that 'they' have put ████████████ than I expected in other ████████████. The politics of the world is turning into a true &^%$ show, and many countries have joined Label in blaming Sickle for Kenshiro's death.
I've even learned that ████████████ have started traveling to other worlds. Killing the ████████████ on them in an attempt to save our world.
They truly are foolish. Sacrificing other worlds isn't going to save ours. One might mistakenly think that if we give 'them' a good show of bloodshed and betrayal, that they might find us entertaining enough to leave us be this time for a future 'sequel'. I know better than that, however. I know what they are like.
Their ████████████. Their ████████████.
They will be far more likely to kill us all even if we ████████████ to please them, just to subvert ████████████ for some cheap shock value that will be forgotten in a moment like everything else they've ever done.
No, trying to play by their rules is only doing what 'they' want. And it's only a matter of time before ████████████ decide to come back for revenge and perpetuate the cycle of violence and death for the amusement of my employers.
████████████ wouldn't have wanted this.
████████████ wanted a world where the people could smile and live together in peace and harmony, didn't she?
Then I mustn't waste anymore time! I must focus all my efforts on s̶̡̕á̶̠̮̪̯͉̩̰̋v̶̛͉̭́̆̓̕͜į̶̱̱͎͒̋̉̋͝n̸̗̱̭̍̃͆̓̑̃g̶̲͕̞̩͑͐͝ ̵̝͖̣͌͌͐͗t̸̺̠̖͒͂̔̎͗h̶̺̅̽̒̾̈́̎͝į̵̱̝̅̐̀̓͑s̶̢̫̖̬̠͋͊̅̏͘͝ ̵̼͉͙̪̜̯̿w̴̲͇̫̰͗̿͠o̴̡̰͙̮̻͌́r̶͚̗̩̣̘̒͒͐ĺ̵̲̅͑͑d̵̰̱̯͈̹̰̻͐̿̑̏̾͒!
If only I could free ████████████! I need a power that can counter even the gods, yet… what power could possibly do that?
I must research this further if I am ever to be free to save this world!
With the exception of finding out that the three Otherworld Heroes had stowed away onto Ethnobalt's ship… the rest of the voyage felt almost… pleasant.
There were no monsters attacking them, thanks to Itsuki's and Kizuna's stealth skills being applied to the ship. So everyone was free to do whatever they wanted.
Dou-Lon spent most of his time on the top deck, practicing performance magic while Glass observed him. The hakuko could not hold a candle to Filo's natural talent, but he tried his best nonetheless, eager to expand his skill set for the sake of extra flexibility and utility in combat.
He and Glass sometimes sparred as well, but not as intensely as usual; even if Ethnobalt's ship was true to its namesake, there was still not a whole lot of room on the top deck to go all out.
Kizuna sometimes watched these spars with jealousy painted on her face. Or perhaps she was just extremely grouchy since they couldn't fish from this high up in the sky.
"Come on! Can't we make a pit stop near some kind of lake or river… or something?! I'm dying for some fresh seafood!" The short girl complained.
Yep, she was most definitely jealous of Dou-Lon hogging all of Glass's attention. The hakuko was happy to be able to further improve his skills though. And sometimes even Raphtalia joined in to sharpen her own combat abilities as well.
Itsuki wasn't seen for the majority of their journey. He was likely spending his time in his cabin, below deck and resting, since there was no need for a lookout for now.
Rishia was oddly missing too. Hoshi made an idle observation about how Itsuki would likely need the next volume of his manga soon, but Naofumi wasn't so sure about that.
Things definitely couldn't have still been that innocent between the two at this point.
Then again, Naofumi's perception on this matter might have become warped, due to the time that he and Raphtalia had also spent in their cabin. In their case, doing exceedingly unwholesome things that certain prudish and close-minded people would even describe as 'obscene'. So what did he know?
Thankfully, he was not playing around all the time, he still did other things like cooking and teaching his daughters how to cook too. He also regularly swapped between new different shields to unlock their bonuses, practiced feeling and manipulating life force, and practiced using his new skill shields to get a feel for them; among other things to pass the time.
As for the otherworlders, Daitan, Akane, and Hoshi really did make good on their promise to stay out of everyone's way. Akane sometimes helped with cooking while Hoshi spent the majority of his time drawing the landscapes that they passed over.
Daitan tried joining Glass and Dou-Lon at one point for some training… but it didn't work out very well when he inevitably opened his big, stupid fat mouth again when Glass's sarashi accidentally got undone during a spar.
On the bright side, it was impossible to make a crater in Ethnobalt's boat without straight up dispelling it entirely.
On the downside, it still hurt a lot when his face got slammed into the floor by Glass.
Especially since the Spirit Woman asked the Shield Hero to buff her with Zweite Aura before she did so.
Sure, his weapon gave him an innate blunt damage resistance. But that had still hurt, and he'd been nursing a bump on his head in his room ever since.
…
At least he remained out of everyone's way after that.
Also, Naofumi could have sworn that Kizuna got a nosebleed when that whole event happened. But that's beside the point.
For Maya and Aksel, there wasn't much to note either. They spent most of their time in their room, only coming up to the top deck at night to go stargazing together while hugging each other's sides.
During one of those moments, Naofumi heard them talking to each other about something. But when he realized the privacy of what they were talking about, he decided to pull back and not eavesdrop on the young pair.
He may have been a bit mischievous, but he knew better than to get into what was none of his business. Especially when it was as important as what Aksel and Maya were discussing with one another.
…
Wedding planning, huh…?
They must have really loved each other a lot. Naofumi definitely felt like there was a different light exuding from Itsuki's party tank compared to before. Maybe it was about time for the Shield Hero to discuss such things with Raphtalia as well.
If not now, then definitely after they get back to their world for sure.
On other occasions, Naofumi would find Dou-Lon looking out at the open sky when the tiger man wasn't training.
One time, Naofumi joined him in the evening without saying anything, and Dou-Lon said nothing in return.
The hakuko man was deep in thought about something. Whatever it was, Naofumi couldn't tell. And he never did pry into his friend's business about it. Though he had a feeling it was in regards to someone back home.
The only thing he did was pat the hakuko man on the back and give him a nod. His loyal retainer looked at him, and nodded in return, The rest of that time was spent pondering in silence together.
...
Lastly, there was Yomogi.
She usually only appeared whenever there was food being served. But sometimes, she'd show up on the upper deck and observe Dou-Lon and Glass in their training. But for the most part, she'd keep quiet and withdrawn from the others. Often sitting in a meditative stance in plain view of everyone.
Naofumi spotted her discussing something with Akane and Daitan at one point. But he didn't know what they'd talked about, and he hadn't felt like asking. It wasn't important to him. And he was sure that if it was, then Kizuna or the others would tell him about it.
…
Oh, and of course, there was Raph-Chan! He made sure to make up for lost time by cuddling with her and petting her whenever he had the chance!
"Rafu!" The shikigami's face was alight with happiness. Yes! More stroking and tail floofs from the Shield Hero!
"Pen!" Chris pouted angrily nearby.
Ha, that stupid bird was still trying to butt its way into Raph-Chan time? He was never going to accomplish that in a million lifetimes and…
…
Ehhem, anyway, Naofumi really enjoyed petting Raph-Chan in his spare time. And Raph-Chan enjoyed it as well. However, she'd always run over to her best friend as soon as she pulled her favorite treats out of her Katana.
It was the easiest way to disappoint Naofumi. Ever.
Ethnobalt didn't leave his spot at the wheel for food or sleep until sometime at the end of the second day. And that was to tell everyone that the next morning, he'd reach the ley line that'd take them to Luvar, and then soon afterward before they reached Luvar's hourglass, he'd exit the ley line to resume flying in the direction of Kyo's mansion.
Had it not been for all the complications, it would have taken them less than a day to travel to Luvar via the ley lines.
That being said, the ley line they'd traveled to was closer to Luvar than any other on their part of the world. And it had no hidden traps or complications too. So when Ethnobalt's boat reached it and disappeared from the real world to travel along the energy of the world into Luvar, it took less than two hours for them to reach the exit point and reappear right over enemy territory.
You could tell there was a shift in the air on board the Invincible after that.
Itsuki stopped spending time alone in his room with Rishia and could be found patrolling the deck of the ship. Examining both sides to make sure no attacks came from either monsters or any forces Luvar had patrolling in the area. He would also practice infusing his bow with life force to make sure he was up to snuff with the lessons Rishia had taught him.
Glass had taken a meditative pose inside to accumulate her energy for what was ahead.
Dou-Lon still trained on his part of the deck. Though he was also accompanied by Maya and Aksel, as well as Rishia and Raphtalia and even Chris and Raph-Chan.
They didn't spar with each other, as the loud noises could attract unwanted attention. But they made sure their forms, magic, and weapons were in top shape before the coming battle.
Hoshi had donned himself in his battle kimono again. And while one could see him drawing still, that was only a secondary task, as he was simultaneously going through all his weapon forms and figuring out what'd go best with which skills he had.
Akane was also dressed for battle. She was going through her list of weapon forms and skills as well. Pulling some of them out to test them for herself.
Many of them were accessories of various kinds. However, she did have a few that weren't accessories at all.
In fact, one of her weapon forms made Itsuki pause in surprise. It was the same Lightning Gem Rifle he'd copied accidentally days before. "Since when are you capable of using something like that?" He asked her in disbelief.
Akane just shrugged in response, however. "I ended up accidentally copying it myself a while back during one of Corrin's parties. I guess since it's considered to be a Jewel-Sourced weapon I was able to copy it?"
Either way, unlike Itsuki, she didn't have any Weapon forms stronger than this one that she could equip right now. She was fortunate she'd finally hit the level she needed to wield the rifle during her time in Sickle so she could use it in the coming battle.
"No freaking fair." Itsuki pouted off to the side.
"You know, you could just use it exclusively for the next few months and Moto's [Weapon Mastery] method should make it as strong and effective as our other weapons," Naofumi suggested.
"And do we have a few months to allow me to do that?" Itsuki snarked.
…
Alright, fair point.
As for Daitan… well, he'd recovered from his most recent head trauma. But he did his own series of workouts away from Dou-Lon and the others.
He made sure to keep his distance, especially from Maya and Aksel.
Finally, as for Naofumi himself… since everything else was ready, he moved inside Ethnobalt's ship and checked his new armor over. Pondering to himself while he waited to be called out above for their final approach. Or in case of an aerial ambush or some other sort of attack.
Glass sat cross-legged on the wooden floor nearby. Naofumi double and triple-checked every strap. Making sure that what he was wearing fit him properly and securely.
Romina had done a good job fitting the Byakko Armor to him. But after the annoying backstrap incident from Elhart, he couldn't be too cautious…
…
His anxious examination of his equipment was finally broken when Glass spoke up.
"Is there something on your mind?" The Spirit Woman asked.
"... Nothing in particular. Just thinking back on all that has happened since coming to your world." Naofumi replied in a vague way.
"I see…" Glass opened her eyes. Her fans rested on her thighs as she stayed in the lotus position on the floor.
…
There was silence between the two again for a long moment. Naofumi finished with his armor examination and turned towards the observation windows.
He was silent for a moment, trying to find something to distract himself with. And then, he remembered there was something he wanted to ask Glass specifically.
"I've gotten Kizuna's and Raphtalia's perspectives on the topic, but what do you think we should do when we get to Kyo?" Naofumi asked without turning around, his gaze still glued to the endless forest of trees passing by down below.
…
Glass shook her head on her spot on the floor. "I think it should be pretty obvious that I am not of the same opinion as Kizuna. If it were me, I would rather choose to kill Kyo and get it over with, instead of wasting our time and risking our lives to futilely try to make him see reason. It is apparently clear that reason abandoned him long ago."
Naofumi nodded. "I understand why you'd take such a stance on it. Especially after… well… you know."
"I have my own personal bias in it, true." Glass breathed in deeply. "However, there are other reasons for why I think the way I do."
…
Naofumi heard something lightly tapping on the floor behind him and he turned around to look at Glass again. She gestured for him to take a seat opposite her with her fan.
After a moment of thought, he obliged her and sat opposite her, leaning back against the wall of the ship's hallway.
Glass breathed in deeply as she thought about her next words. "First off, I don't think that our world will be safe so long as what Kyo is doing threatens to destroy it. My weapon shares this sentiment with me too."
Naofumi nodded but didn't interrupt. Again, he was starting to wish that his weapon would speak more to him like the weapons of this world did with their wielders.
"And the other part of it is something… something that deeply disturbs me." Glass continued with a grimace.
"What about Kyo isn't disturbing?" Naofumi could not help but point out bitterly.
…
Glass remained quiet, pondering to herself. Then, she looked at Naofumi again in a serious manner. "There is something I want to ask you too, Naofumi. Have you figured out what Kyo's end goal might be?"
"Well..." Naofumi frowned. "I have a couple of theories, but I haven't really settled on anything yet. Yomogi insists that he wants to stop the Waves permanently, but I just don't see it being possible considering how they are a form of natural disaster. If such a device could actually exist, then surely someone would have come up with a design for it already. Otherwise, why would Heroes ever be needed to fight off the Waves?"
Glass sighed. "I agree. Which is why I believe that what Kyo is trying to achieve is… immortality."
…
…
"... Bit of an odd leap of logic. What gave you that idea?" Naofumi asked with a frown.
"..." Glass looked around again, then focused on Naofumi. "Because Spirit People like myself don't believe that such a thing is possible."
…
…
…
…
Naofumi's frown grew even deeper as he tried to process her logic but couldn't comprehend it. "I'm sorry, I don't understand."
Glass shook her head. "I was keeping this to myself because it seemed unimportant at the time. But on the day before we departed, while I was standing guard in front of the infirmary again, I kept on hearing one of the girls inside calling out the name of Kenshiro's younger brother. She was pleading for him to come back.
"At first, I didn't pay her any attention, but after a while, I stopped hearing her voice.
…
"... when I later peeked inside, I found that she was gone. And that one of the windows was open."
Naofumi's eyes widened. But before he could ask anything, Glass continued. "I found her outside, not far from the building. She didn't die from the fall but she did get hurt. She was crawling along the ground in the direction of the Hourglass. And when I restrained her, she just kept on calling out the name of her master. Pleading for him to come back. Saying that he was in pain and that he needed her help.
"She didn't cause any major trouble beyond that, so I felt no need to tell anyone else about it earlier." Glass cocked her head to the side slowly. "But now, after pondering about it some more and hearing what Yomogi said before… every part of me feels like what she said isn't actually what Kyo is planning at all."
The frown on Naofumi's face remained. "I still don't see why this makes you think Kyo's goal is immortality."
"Naofumi, that girl who tried to escape from the infirmary was a Spirit Person," Glass admitted.
…
…
…
Naofumi sat still, processing the info Glass had revealed. "She thought she could see him?" He asked for clarification.
"Yes. Though, I could not. I believe you understand the concept of a soul?" Glass gestured at the Shield Hero with a quizzical look.
He nodded in response. "A soul is a person's essence. And when they die, that essence becomes a ghost." Naofumi replied with what limited knowledge he had on the topic.
"Yes, in regards to us Spirit People, we can see these ghosts better than others. For some of my people, physical death is not considered a farewell at all. We are able to see and talk with them as they gradually move on to the next plane of existence." Glass explained calmly. "But once a person has died, we do not think that it is possible to bring them back to life. We do not yearn for their return, since we know for certain that they are going to a better place."
"Wait, but why was she grieving him then- ah!" As Naofumi was about to speak out, he went quiet instead. Understanding started to dawn on him.
"Yes, if a Spirit Person were told that their loved one could come back to life, we would not believe it. Actually, we would never believe it," Glass said at the look of clarity that came onto Naofumi's face. "Not a single member of my race would ever take such a sentence at face value. Such a thing is impossible for us to imagine.
"And yet for her to act like this…?"
"I am guessing that Kyo showed her something legitimate. But whatever it was, I doubt that he is going to use it to bring that villain back. The only other thing I can guess then is that he plans on using whatever means to cheat death that he's discovered to ensure that he can live for a long time. Forever, if he can achieve it with the soul energy he stole from your world."
Naofumi breathed in sharply. "That was among my theories of what Kyo was planning. But it seemed so obnoxiously stereotypical and just straight-up anime that I didn't give it any serious thought."
Glass blinked once in response to Naofumi's odd choice of words. Fortunately, her time with Kizuna had taught her a few things about Heroes from other worlds, including their terminology. So she frowned again when something else came to her mind. "Kyo used words like that even before he'd been around Kizuna for long."
Naofumi put a hand to his chin. "I know I already asked this before, but he really did grow up in your world, right?"
"He did." Glass nodded. "So I just don't understand…"
…
…
Naofumi felt something unsettling in his stomach. He thought about Kyo's plans some more, trying to recall everything that they knew. From taking the souls of many people from another world to promising a group of girls that he could resurrect their master. While also providing something convincing enough that even a Spirit Person would believe it.
"Why haven't you tried asking Kizuna or Itsuki about this?" Naofumi asked. "Why talk to me?"
"I have considered talking to Hero Itsuki, however, I did not feel it appropriate since he seems to be on edge lately." Glass admitted, her head hanging in front of her. "As for Kizuna… even if I do want nothing but to kill Kyo, I know telling her such things would only sadden her. And the last thing I want to do is to make her feel even more miserable than she already is."
"Kizuna feels miserable?" Naofumi blinked in surprise before looking thoughtful again. "Scratch that, of course, she is. I bet she's still thinking something stupid like that it's her fault that Kyo went crazy in the first place."
"Yes. She is." Glass nodded solemnly.
"Still. I wanted to get these things off my chest. And whatever has happened between us in the past, I know that I can trust you, Naofumi." Glass looked at him again. "I did not deserve any help from you or anyone else after what I tried to do to your world. But you reached out to help us anyway. You made sure my friends and I remained alive inside the Spirit Tortoise… and you brought Kizuna back to us.
"I'm already forever in your debt for all that. And if we actually find a way to save both of our worlds too, then..."
Naofumi shook his head in response. "I already told you before that I would have made the same choices as you, had I been in your position. And if we find a way to save our world and yours, it'll be a win-win. So all we can do is move forward together and make sure we stay safe, right?"
"Yes…" Glass sighed. "If only it was that easy."
"If it's still bothering you a lot, then I'd suggest talking to Kizuna about this too," Naofumi said as he stood up. He was smiling just a little now. "You said so yourself that she's miserable and blaming herself for things outside her control right now. So as her best friend, you'd be best suited to discussing things with her.
"It's more than obvious how much she values what you have to say even if she won't necessarily agree with it. So you two should help each other calm down and sort your thoughts out before we arrive. I think that'd be far more effective than sharing things with only me and not feeling resolved about any of it." Naofumi suggested.
"Right…" Glass nodded to herself and stood up, only slightly blushing at the underlining meaning of what the Shield Hero had implied. "I won't mention my desire to kill Kyo. I believe she is aware of my thoughts on it already… But I will at least discuss the rest of what I brought up to you with her. So we can ask Kyo about it ourselves when we arrive."
Naofumi nodded and shook her hand. Glass then turned around and went outside to find her best friend. Giving him another nod of thanks before she departed.
…
After seeing her leave, Naofumi sighed. "Rishia, are you going to just keep standing there?"
"Fuehhh!" The girl fuehed at being caught but stepped out from the hallway into view. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't want to interrupt." She said meekly.
"It's fine, you're not in trouble." Naofumi looked up at her. Her hand began playing with something in her hair out of nervousness. He found it was the same Emerald Flower Itsuki had given her after her return from Lapis.
"I know I haven't spoken with you much since reuniting with Itsuki several weeks back, but I didn't forget how clever you are. Do you think there's any serious credence to what Glass talked to me about?"
Rishia looked surprised but then thought to herself as she recalled the conversation she'd accidentally eavesdropped on. "I mean, I can't say that I know much about Spirit People. I haven't found any good books that talk about them in detail during our stay in Sickle…
"But I do agree that Kyo isn't all that he appears to be," Rishia admitted.
Naofumi nodded and didn't interrupt.
"During our battle with him in the Spirit Tortoise, he kept on throwing around words that didn't make much sense. Words that I've only heard from you and the other Heroes, as well as words I found while reading the journals of various Heroes with Tersia and the others back home. The Heroes that were summoned instead of chosen from our world."
"In other words, people from Japan, or places like it," Naofumi concluded.
Rishia nodded. "Yes. But… even knowing that, it doesn't make much sense. From everything I've learned, Kyo was born and raised in this world. Even his parents are still alive and living in the northern area of Luvar near the Capital. While his weapon chose him, it was not from a summoning ritual. Kyo shouldn't have such distinctive Japanese characteristics like you and Itsuki."
Naofumi frowned. "Could he have adopted that terminology from studying books alongside Ethnobalt? He told me that the two of them studied various old texts together a lot."
"It is possible, but I've already talked to Ethnobalt about Kyo before. And I don't think he'd be someone to change his language or wording because of something some musty old Hero in a book said in the past. And even if that had been the case, he uses these words with the kind of familiarity and in-depth knowledge that only a native speaker would hold." Rishia shook her head.
…
Naofumi's frown deepened. He looked out the window beside him again and saw the edges of a foggy forest fast approaching.
"Alright," Naofumi turned to Rishia again. "You ready to face him?"
Rishia looked down at her hands, and after a moment, she balled them into fists while looking up again. "Yes, whatever happens, whoever he really is… I'll bring him to justice for what he's done."
Naofumi nodded, and this time, he followed behind her onto the deck to gather everyone.
L'Arc felt more on edge than he had ever felt before in his entire life.
Not even preparing to storm the Demon Dragon's continent and facing down the monstrosity itself alongside Kizuna, Ethnobalt, and the others had made him feel this nervous.
"Seriously, where the hell are they?" He asked through gritted teeth.
He and Therese were still standing on the bridge of Sickle's flagship Invincible. Watching the soldiers around them moving about, checking the engines, and making sure that everything was fine.
Below them, the lush viridian forested mountains of Luvar stretched out into the distance. The massive fleet of ships as well as its escorts flew unimpeded in what should have been the heart of Luvar's territory.
"You're right. This is starting to become unsettling instead of just strange." Therese sounded concerned as well.
They'd parked once outside of Luvar's border, and then once again outside of the mountain range they were flying over. Allowing them to fully charge up Lapis's entire fleet of ships before making the last stretch of their journey over the mountains toward Luvar's Capital.
They'd lost contact with their forces in Mikakage soon after crossing the border. But they'd set up a pair of messengers who could still contact them from outside and then relay the information inside the no comms zone Luvar had set up at the borders of their nation. From what they knew, Luvar's forces in the Mirror Country were breaking and falling back at last.
Yet, there'd still been no sign of Luvar's new air fleet.
Corrin felt concerned as well, and right now, glowing energy shields were up along the front and upper portions of the Acclamator class ships. LAATs and other Invincibles plus smaller escort ships from Label and Sickle's air fleets flew alongside the cruisers, which flew at different altitudes from one another. Watching for signs of danger ahead.
They were fully prepared for a sudden attack, especially since they were flying in an area where they couldn't land right now. But after these mountains, Luvar's Capital would be in view. And all they'd have to do is land on the plains outside of it, and then their armies would be able to march off into battle.
There was no way in hell that this was what was going to happen. L'Arc was completely sure of it.
He may have acted like an idiot a lot of the time. But he knew how battlefields were supposed to work. He'd lived and fought on them ever since the days of the Demon Dragon. And he had been forced to fight on even more after the Waves had started.
Sickle had many enemies. He knew he always had to be prepared for the day he would face other people who weren't heroes on the field of battle instead of mindless monsters. So the fact that they were flying unimpeded into enemy territory screamed into L'Arc's ears how this was a trap. This would be the perfect place for it too, and he had his soldiers on high alert trying to find where it would come from.
Yet…
…
He spoke into a gem ofuda. "Any enemy activity from the east?"
"None, sir." A soldier responded.
"Any activity from the west?"
"No, my King." Another soldier responded.
He did the same with ships in the front of the formation and the back.
There was activity ahead at Luvar's Capital. A fleet of ships was preparing to meet them at the edge of the mountains, and soldiers were based on the ground ready to battle their ground forces as soon as they came out of the mountains.
No matter how you looked at it, it appeared that Luvar was preparing to receive their invasion force in a head-on assault.
And yet as Corrin gave instructions to L'Arc over an ofuda to have him move his ships into a spearhead position at the front of the fleet… L'Arc still didn't feel so good about this and voiced it aloud to Corrin.
"Corrin, wait, I think we should keep the ships where they are." The King said over the ofuda to Corrin.
"Why? I think that at this point it's clear that Kyo's arrogance has grown greater than his cunning. He really wants to face us in an all-out assault. So let's give him one! We have to reach the landing zone." Corrin responded.
"I am not moving my ships just yet," L'Arc replied. "There's no way they'll just accept a head-on assault."
"Well if it's a trap, my forces are detecting no signs of life in the mountains below, aside from a few stray monsters. The only human forces we are able to detect are ahead of us." Corrin responded, a bit heatedly.
"I'm not moving my ships out of their positions yet, and that's final!" L'Arc shut the ofuda off, preventing Corrin from being able to respond.
"L'Arc, I understand your paranoia better than anyone else here, but are you sure that's wise?" Therese winced.
"Therese, I respect Corrin, but my gut is telling me something bad is about to happen." The King of Sickle quickly replied. And as he did so, the nervousness on his face increased. "Hail an LAAT. I get the feeling you're going to be needed on one of those cruisers soon."
"L'Arc?" Therese looked surprised and wanted to voice how she wanted to stay by his side, but the redhead looked directly into her eyes.
It wasn't him being nervous and wanting her out of harm's way. No, he was dead certain that an attack of some kind was coming. And because he knew his girlfriend's capabilities better than anybody else, he was placing her in a spot where she'd be the most effective for what was about to occur.
If he was right about this being an ambush too, then it'd been smart to have her wait by his side till that moment. They'd expect both of them to be on the same Invincible if the information wasn't relayed to the enemy within the next few minutes.
The kingly aura radiating off him was a nice touch too.
Therese finally nodded her head. "Ok, I trust you. Just make sure not to do anything that'll get yourself killed."
L'Arc actually managed to smile at her in response. "You know, maybe if you were to kiss me, then I'd be more motivated to survive."
"But playing with you is so much more fun." Therese smiled teasingly, causing L'Arc to pout.
Before he could retort, however, she took her helmet off her head, leaned over, and planted a peck on his cheek.
The action stunned him speechless.
"Do well," She pulled back, putting her helmet back on. "And I'll make sure to kiss you somewhere else. Maybe." Therese giggled, before turning around and heading up to the deck to wave down a transport ship.
She even made sure to sway her armored hips from side to side as she did so. Knowing how such an action would raise L'Arc's energy levels to the max.
…
Ohhhhhhhh, L'Arc was going to do his best to survive this battle now! His motivation was at an all-time high, and he was going to kick %$# and take names in the name of all horny men out there!
There was nothing more glorious than the rack that Therese had on her. He was absolutely certain about that.
…
Minutes passed by. An LAAT picked Therese up off the deck and flew her towards one of the Acclamator-Class cruisers. L'Arc's eyes lingered on it from the observation window of his Invincible until it flew inside the hangar, and then his gaze returned to what was ahead.
The edge of the mountains was in sight. Luvar's air fleet was beginning to appear in the distance. And there were still no signs of any enemies from down below.
L'Arc's turned his ofuda back on, and Corrin's voice came out from it. "Damn it, L'Arc! Listen to me and get your ships moved into position already! We'll need to force our way through using the defense stats of your Invincibles!"
…
L'Arc opened his mouth to answer. Maybe Corrin was right and the main attack was coming from the front. Even now there were no signs of anything being-
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The undersides of several nearby ships closest to the ground exploded. The Invincible L'Arc was hitching a ride on lurched as explosions tore into its hull.
"STATUS!" L'Arc yelled to the people on the deck as he righted himself on a nearby chair.
"Anti-Aircraft fire just started coming from below!" A soldier yelled frantically.
"How?! I thought we were detecting no signs of human life from the mountains!" L'Arc looked out the cracked observation window in front of him. His fleet began to scatter left and right at the sudden barrage.
Down below, he couldn't see anything at first. But then, as he used a skill to enhance his eyesight, he saw how several more projectiles were launched from the thick brush of trees.
One of those projectiles was heading right towards him, and he turned around, tackling two of his soldiers out of the way as whatever was coming right at them was about to explode outside the window. "TAKE COVERRRRRRRR!"
Boom! "Screeeeee!"
The screech he heard made L'Arc's blood turn cold, and he turned around to face a monstrosity he hadn't thought he'd ever lay eyes on again.
"W-WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING!?" One of the soldiers he'd saved screamed.
The Spirit Tortoise Familiar (Spike-Type) gave no response to the man's frenzied plea, as it ripped the remains of the window away and forced its way inside the ship's interior. It raced forward on its spindly legs to attack L'Arc and his soldiers.
…
Over on the cruiser that she was on, Therese was facing a completely different mess as she entered the control bridge.
"Raise shields on the lower hull!" A gem soldier yelled. "Divert power from the forward shields!"
"Sir, we have breaches in the lower hull! Those weren't anti-aircraft rounds! They're monsters! They're already attacking the maintenance crew!"
"Monsters?! Luvar shot monsters at us from the ground?!" An officer yelled fearfully.
"Yes, sir!"
"Screeeeee!"
Therese's blood chilled in her veins. While the gem officers were trying to shout orders to their soldiers from the safety of the bridge via ofudas, she heard a familiar disturbing meowling scream echo over one of the officer's comms.
There was no way… had Kyo also made these creatures in this world?
...
L'Arc had been right to move her after all. She would be much more effective here.
"Tell the soldiers to start casting ice and debuff magic on the creatures! They will explode when killed, but not when they're hit by those kinds of spells first!" Therese ordered the nearest gem officer.
"W-What?! How would you know-" An officer began to reply.
"I've fought them before! I'd recognize that sound from anywhere! Now get the word out before they bring down the ship along with everyone on it by killing them!" Therese yelled. "Their self-destruct mechanisms are the real threat here!"
"Y-Yes!" The officers ran over to a collection of ofudas hanging on one of the walls, yelling out orders into them one after the other that reverberated all over the inside of the ship. Another officer made contact with the other Acclamators in the fleet, relaying information to their officers so they could deal with the threat.
Therese, donned in her gem armor and her various accessories, sat down in the pilot's chair after kicking the Gem Person who'd been operating the ship out of it.
Immediately, she was connected to the ship by its multiple layers of gems. The gems of her armor assisted in garnering the attention of their brothers and sisters who were installed throughout the ship and made them heed the beck and call of the new pilot who was taking over.
When she was recognized as the pilot, the shields of the ship flared up intensely, as Therese's far higher stats helped to bolster the ship's own defenses. More monsters trying to tear into the ship from down below found themselves unable to pierce the ship's hull now, and it made them easy pickings for the LAATs that flew underneath to destroy them with a wide range of different ice gem spells.
Through the help of the gems, Therese was also able to look into other parts of the ship. Something only the pilot had the ability to do.
The soldiers were moving in to defend against the intruders that'd forced their way inside by ripping apart parts of the hull at the ship's bottom. Several of the crew already lay dead on the ground, however.
Yep. Those were the spike familiars the Spirit Tortoise had used before in Naofumi's world. It looked like they were being shot out of anti-aircraft guns poking out from the forested mountains down below. And even though their weaknesses were made known, the soldiers were having a rough time dealing with them on their own.
Luvar's air fleet up ahead also blasted their engines at full power. They began to rapidly close the distance between their fleets while getting ready to engage in air-to-air combat.
It was the perfect ambush tactic. Too bad L'Arc had already seen through it and put Therese in a position to counter it. "Launch the remaining LAATs stored in the hangar! We're taking these bastards head-on and reaching that landing zone!" Therese shouted out more orders.
The officers listened to their new commander without any hint of hesitation whatsoever. Whatever Therese might have thought about her leaving Lapis, it was clear the others still held her in high regard as a member of Lapis's royal family to listen to her orders.
All of her ship's remaining LAATs flew outside. On the other Acclamators, the same thing happened. All of them raced forward to counter the fast approaching enemy fleet, spells charged and ready to fire.
But then, right as she was certain that they'd foiled Luvar's ambush…
"M-Madam! Up above!" A different Gem Soldier pointed out the windows of the bridge up above.
Therese looked up, and all color completely drained from her face.
Not only had the LAATs left the fleet of Acclamators, but some of L'Arc's escort ships had moved down towards the mountains to deal with the sudden attack from below, making both completely ignorant of the threat that had now made itself known up above.
"&^%$!" Therese cursed, diverting the power of the ship's shields back to the upper hull herself. Of course, it wouldn't have been that simple!
The reflective mirror panels that'd been placed along the undersides of the ships of Luvar's new stealth fleet reverted back into their hulls, raising the ships' stats for offensive operations. The ships were long and sleek, looking very similar to Ethnobalt's Invincible but with a more modernized look to them.
This was why they couldn't find Kyo's supposed new ships anywhere up to this point.
They had been tailing the coalition fleet from above all along.
"All ships, raise shields! I repeat, all ships, raise-" Corrin's voice sounded from a gem ofuda, but it was too late.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Near the top of the fleet, one of the Acclamator-Class Cruisers of Corrin's fleet that'd been flying higher than the rest of its brethren was torn apart by the stealth fleet's ruthless and immediate bombardment.
The debris from it began to fall down into the midst of the rest of the fleet, causing even more damage and chaos.
The fleet split apart, trying to deal with threats up above, down below, and directly in front of them. Several of the LAATs turned around to assist, but the rest were already engaged.
Even though L'Arc had been right about the ambush, they'd vastly underestimated Luvar's tactics.
And as the remains of the destroyed Acclamator fell in Therese's vision, she found that they were already paying a heavy price for it.
Ding!
Naofumi stood at the bow of Ethnobalt's ship, fully geared up for battle. The rest of the team stood behind him, with the exception of Yomogi who was in front of the Shield Hero and still had the Order Ofuda attached to her back.
"And you're sure this bell is going to work?" Naofumi asked once again with a healthy degree of skepticism in his voice.
"Yes," Yomogi replied in an annoyed tone. "It has allowed me to come to and from this house countless times in the past. So it will work again here. Now please, be quiet while I focus."
Ding! Ding!
…
Ding!
…
Naofumi studied the bell in her hands again. It really didn't look like anything special. Maybe a little fancy, but nothing that looked like it'd lead them through the foggy forest.
Naofumi looked at Raphtalia, who stood at the edge of the deck, staring down at the fog with Raph-Chan on her shoulders.
She looked at him and nodded her head, confirming his thoughts.
This fog was made entirely of illusion magic. There was no way a simple bell should have been able to lead them through this.
Yet Yomogi continued to look ahead. The bell in her hand kept on softly ringing again and again.
Ding!
…
Ding-a-ling!
…
Ding!
…
Everyone remained silent. Waiting for something to happen. But the fog around them continued to thicken. Obscuring where it was they were going.
Itsuki kept a tight grip on his Bow. Looking around for anything that would attack them. Rishia stood next to him, an ofuda in one of her hands, and her katana gripped tightly in the other.
Glass's fans were spread out, and Kizuna stared dead ahead, same as Yomogi. The three Otherworld Heroes stood behind them.
Filo held her hands over her chest in her human form, looking oddly silent as the minutes passed.
Naofumi grit his teeth again.
…
Ding!
This was seriously turning out to be a waste of time. He opened his mouth to say just that but was interrupted.
"DAMN IT KYO! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! AND I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR THIS! SO OPEN THE DAMN DOOR ALREADY, BEFORE YOU REALLY PISS ME OFF!" Yomogi stopped ringing the bell and instead nearly crushed it in her grip as she leaned over the railing to scream down into the fog.
...
There was another short bout of silence. But then, as the bell in her hand Dinged again, the fog began to part. "There!" Yomogi shouted triumphantly.
Ethnobalt turned the ship sideways, directing it through the path that opened up in the cloudy mist. Only a couple minutes later, the ship finally arrived at its destination.
In the midst of the lush green forest, a lone fenced-off clearing could be seen. Most of it was taken up by a huge building, but it was hard to pick out the details, due to the thick layer of mist still clinging to it and the rest of the courtyard. The only two things that stood out were that the mansion appeared to have been recently partially renovated. The second thing of note was the medium-sized airship that was parked on the grass outside the mansion's front gates.
It looked pretty similar to the one that Ethnobalt was using right now, actually.
There was no doubt, this all matched the description of what Mayori had told them. This was the Book Hero's main base of operations in all of its surprisingly restrained and humble glory.
Naofumi walked up to the railing next to Yomogi. He looked visibly shocked at what had just happened. Had it just been a stroke of pure luck for the bell to actually work, or had Raphtalia decided to intervene in the background?
But when he turned his head back, the Katana Hero looked just as surprised as him. Even Raph-Chan was perplexed and staring at the bell, suddenly very curious to find out how it'd worked.
…
Ok. Maybe that bell did actually work after all.
"I told you it'd work," Yomogi said smugly.
"Whatever." Naofumi rolled his eyes and turned to face the Bow Hero. "Can you see any potential threats down there, Itsuki?"
The blonde young man narrowed his eyes in irritation as he studied the scene below. "This damn mist is a real piece of work. Most of it has cleared up, but I still can't see much. I think there's some movement here and there, but I'm not sure what it is or if it's actually anything at all. Even the way the trees are moving in the wind looks kind of creepy."
Naofumi clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Ethnobalt, raise a white flag, and land the ship outside the gate," Kizuna ordered in an uncharacteristically authoritative way. "Slowly."
The rabbit man nodded and began to descend his boat gently after making a white flag appear on one of its masts.
…
After a minute of tense silence, the boat touched down next to what was presumably Kyo's ship parked outside the entrance of the mansion's front gate.
Everyone exchanged anxious looks and after confirming that nothing was jumping out of the fog at them right away, they began to disembark.
Most of the heroes and their allies managed to land on their feet, with only Daitan ending up comically landing on his face with a grunt.
'Finally, I'm no longer the biggest clown in the group.' Aksel thought to himself in relief as he watched Akane and Hoshi help their friend up. Before he could share this lingering thought with Maya though…
"Naofumi get your shields up, we've got hostiles!" Itsuki suddenly raised his voice along with his bow and pointed it ahead at the cloud of mist in front of the gates.
"Well, that didn't take long." The Shield Hero snarked and followed his fellow hero's gaze with a grimace.
From the clouds of mist still lingering in the area, the forms of many, many creatures began to appear, looking at them hungrily. They slowly prowled towards them through the open gates of Kyo's mansion.
The rest of Trash's harem really was there… and based on their appearances, Mayori's worst fears had been confirmed.
Filo's fists tightened at her sides. "Daddy, there's a lot of beast girls concealed in the fog ahead of us. They all look hungry. Filo can tell."
"Yes, honey, I know. Stay close to me and Mommy." Naofumi warned her.
The girl changed into her humming fairy form, singing a buff spell for everyone there to prepare them for battle.
"So these are the rest of the girls that Kyo was supposed to help 'train'." Itsuki said with a tight grimace. They looked far more menacing right now, for some reason, compared to what he'd seen in Sickle.
"Looks like it," Naofumi replied tersely.
"Kyo, it's me!" Yomogi yelled at the front gates of the mansion. "Please call everyone off and come out! Kizuna and her friends aren't here to fight you! They just want to talk!"
…
Despite what Yomogi yelled, the doors of the mansion up ahead remained sealed. And after another moment, the guardian beast chimeras began to charge out of the mist with hungry and savage looks in their eyes.
"Everyone, stand back! I'm going to cut their beast halves out just like before! And then we're kicking that stupid door down and making Kyo talk to us! Naofumi, give me a buff!" Kizuna yelled.
Naofumi used Zweite Aura on their group while Itsuki similarly used Zweite Down on the approaching beasts. The golden and green glows in the midst of the fog gave an otherworldly vibe to what was about to happen.
When it was all said and done, the Hunting Tools Hero rushed ahead and slashed out with her large knife. "Hiya!"
Immediately, her first strike cleaved through the chest and neck of the first two girls who tried to attack her. Their beast forms were cut apart entirely. And a second strike from her blade cut clean through a third chimera that tried attacking her right after.
"How was that? Did it work?" Kizuna asked before she turned her head back with a confident smile.
…
The excited and happy expression on her face died instantly.
The three beast women lay on the ground, dead. No human forms emerged from them like before.
Her blade hadn't released them as it had for the girls back in Sickle. The women here had been under the influence of Kyo's guardian beast enhancement drugs for too long. They were no longer human enough to be freed.
"I… I…" Kizuna breathed out in shock, completely frozen in place as it felt like her heart was hammering itself out of her chest.
"Watch out!" Dou-Lon got in front of her, stopping another tiger chimera in its tracks before Naofumi could summon a Shield to protect the Hunting Tools Hero.
The hakuko grunted as his hands held the beast by its jaws, but it quickly ended when Glass's fans cut through the beast's midsection. Dou-Lon then unsheathed his own blade while the chimera was thrashing around in pain and cut off its head, finishing the beast off.
"They are too far gone, Kizuna! We do not have a choice now!" Glass yelled as she faced the other chimeras that began charging at them after the deaths of the first four of their number.
"B-But they're still-" Kizuna tried to yell.
"Kizuna," Glass's fans impaled themselves into the skull of one of the chimeras. The spray of blood that covered the spirit woman's features gave an almost somber appearance to her otherworldly allure. "It is either them or us. We must defend ourselves."
"The fact that you were able to cut their lives short tells you all you need to know already. They are not human anymore." Glass withdrew her fans as she effortlessly blocked a clawed strike from another chimera. "Whatever Kyo has done to them has stripped their humanity away, leaving only mindless monsters behind.
"Think back on how we had to clear out various ruined villages of undead from the Demon Dragon's rampages. Those lost souls never wanted to live on as monsters. I don't believe these girls would want such a fate either. Let us at least grant them this mercy before we face Kyo."
…
Kizuna still looked shocked, but Itsuki and the others rushed into the battle as the chimeras tried to converge on Glass's position. Pushing them away from her back towards the gates of Kyo's mansion.
The Hunting Tools Hero had no choice but to follow behind them as the Heroes began their attack.
"Air Strike Shield!"
"Saint Arrow's Rain!"
"Reverse Four Seasons!"
"Crescent Moon Sword!"
The full transformations of these girls were quite noteworthy. Some had transformed into full-on white tigers, going even further than Dou-Lon's therianthrope transformation ever did. Some looked like smaller versions of the Spirit Tortoise with a snake tail growing out of their backs, with long necks and tortoiseshells covering the tops of their ruined armor. Some looked like Vermillion Birds and were even capable of flight.
Those ones didn't have much luck on that front though. Itsuki shot them down repeatedly every time they tried to ambush the group from above.
The remnants of their gear could still be seen worn on some of them. And a few still had assets that indicated they'd once been human on their torsos. But the hungry savage looks in their eyes were all the same.
They had become mindless monsters, through and through.
"Second Shield! Dritte Shield!" Naofumi summoned the shield barriers, stopping a group from charging forward.
"Lightning Arrow!" Itsuki's follow-up skill went between the gaps of the two shields. The beasts behind were shocked repeatedly as Raphtalia ran into their midst alongside Rishia. Both girls were grimacing, but they acted on behalf of their Heroes, just like always, and granted their foes a quick death.
"Stardust Blade!" "Eight Palms of Destiny!"
The two girl's combined powers completely demolished the group of beasts around them. They continued rushing forward as Ethnobalt's ship changed next to him, becoming something that looked like a small plane with a gatling gun attached to the bottom of it. "Cannon Shot!"
The cannon attachment on top fired large black balls that exploded on impact with the horde of monsters. Some had their forward momentum stopped, others bled from small wounds caused by shrapnel, but it was clear that his attack hadn't done much damage.
"Sapphire's Fury!" "Power Charge!"
Akane's ice skill washed over a pair of beasts, stopping them in their tracks. Daitan's armor-covered body then crashed into them with a powerful tackle, sending the pair flying backward with deep injuries on their bodies.
"Formation Three: Blaze Tag!"
Hoshi threw an ofuda from his weapon, and the two beast girls were engulfed in fiery flames. The skill finished them off, allowing the rest of them to press on.
The rabbit man grimaced. He'd spent all that time training, but it was clear the gap between him and the others was still too high for him to bridge. Even the weaker Cardinal Heroes were dealing more damage to these beasts than he was.
"Pen!" "Rafu!" However, with Chris and Raph-Chan assisting him, the two shikigamis took their chance to rush forward and rip and tear their respective opponents apart. Aided by Ethnobalt's support fire from behind. The two shikigamis also intercepted a larger group's attacks, allowing the weaker Cardinals to pull back and allow Ethnobalt's armored ship to soak up the damage directed at them before they charged into the fray once again.
"Ha!" Aksel's ax tore a large tiger chimera's head from its body, and he ducked as a viper from a nearby black tortoise chimera almost bit into the top of his head.
Said viper was then sliced off by an unseen blade. As the beast howled in pain, a pair of kunai embedded themselves into its skull, killing it instantly.
"You ok?" Maya quickly reappeared to check on her favorite knight.
"Yeah, let's just finish this before I get sick." Aksel had to divert his eyes from the fallen bodies of their foes.
Maya nodded and rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder as she faded out from view again. Aksel hefted his ax once more and continued to push their advantage alongside Glass, Dou-Lon, and Kizuna, who had no choice but to press on with their counterattack too.
"Blood Flower Strike!"
"Tortoise Shell Cracker!"
"Instant Blade: Mist!"
"AHHHHHHHHH!"
Their attacks kept tearing through beast girl after beast girl. Kizuna was looking more and more distraught at the amount of death and carnage around them... it only kept on getting worse as time went on.
If a hundred girls had attacked the Capital, then there had to be at least two hundred guarding Kyo's mansion. All of whom had succumbed to the effects of the genetic experiments they'd undergone in the most horrible of ways.
Yomogi had been following behind the Shield Hero, not having a weapon of her own to fight with. But seeing what was before her, her face was painted with shock and terror.
Why…
Why hadn't Kyo listened to her?
Why hadn't he called these girls off?
Were… were they too far gone to listen to orders anymore? Were they no longer human because of the experimental drugs Kyo had developed?
That had to be the case, right?
Nearby, Kizuna beheaded another former human's head. The head landed next to the green-haired girl, glowing tiger eyes looking up at her as she died.
"Th… Thank… You…" Instead of an incomprehensible snarl, a small whisper left the monstrous lips, before the former member of Trash's harem passed into the void.
…
They were fully beasts. Yet deep, deep inside, their human souls were still there, trapped inside whatever their bodies had been changed into.
While they were killing monsters, they were also killing people.
The experimental drugs could not strip them of their human souls even after taking everything else that had made them human.
"Kyo…" Yomogi muttered in horror. Finally realizing what the other girls had almost succumbed to back in Sickle. And just how much worse it could have been for them.
"Why?" Kizuna said next to her. She'd paused, having followed the head of the monster she'd sliced off. But she'd heard the same thing that Yomogi had. And she looked all the more crushed because of it.
"Why is this happening? Kyo, why?!" Kizuna screamed as she turned to face the distant front doors of the mansion again.
Naofumi focused on keeping everyone safe and summoned another skill shield to protect Raphtalia from more Chimeras that kept on pouring out of the mist in front of them like an endless horde.
The tide seemed almost endless. But after a couple of minutes, they managed to go through the front gates of the mansion into the courtyard proper.
As they got closer to the mansion, the turret-type familiars Mayori had warned them about popped out from the walls and began to rain attacks down on the group as well.
Yet they pushed through it. The main group of fighters focused on the chimeras with Naofumi protecting them. In the meantime, Itsuki and Akane used their ranged attacks to take down the turret familiars from a distance.
"Take this!" Phoom! Phoom! Phoom!
The Jewel Hero's ranged attacks hit her targets repeatedly with her only missing a few times. But it took several shots from her gem rifle to kill even one turret-type familiar.
Itsuki said nothing. He kept on pulling the bowstring of his Bow back as he fired again and again at a faster rate than Akane. And each of his arrows was a one-shot kill for each turret-type familiar he hit.
The girl scowled at being clearly shown the difference in their power levels. But kept on firing and assisting the best she could while her two friends assisted against the remaining chimeras.
While Naofumi had to summon shields to defend the others from the additional attacks, he found that the attacks from the turrets weren't all that powerful or effective.
Kyo still hadn't learned his lesson when it came to tower defense, huh? He was still going for quantity over quality.
Whatever. Their group pushed on through all the carnage. Along with all the disgust and horror of it.
…
Only a few minutes later, the bloody massacre was finally over.
No more turrets appeared from the walls or roof to fire on them. And no other beast girls came out from the mist to attack them.
Naofumi and the others looked behind them to the entrance of the courtyard, where they'd first walked in.
There was not a speck of dirt nor a single blade of grass that hadn't been covered with blood.
The bodies were too many to count.
All of them had been beasts… who'd once been human themselves.
However, now that the fighting had died down, there was one last eerie detail that they'd finally come to realize as the fog began to dissipate around them.
"What… didn't we only kill beasts though?" Kizuna asked in shock.
Naofumi walked up next to her and bent down by the body of a black-haired woman with tiger-like features on one side of her body. There were several others just like her strewn around the perimeter of the manor. These bodies seemed to have been mostly spread out around the windows and the front doors.
A few had died with weapons clutched in their hands, defending their friends. Others rested against the doors and windows as if they'd been pleading to be let in.
The Shield Hero didn't have to examine the woman's corpse for long before he shook his head. "No, she's been dead for at least three days."
Taking only a brief moment to examine the bodies of the others close by, he found they all had similar wounds. Ones that a beast would have inflicted on them.
And the fact that they were concentrated around the entrances to the manor instead of scattered about… Naofumi's gaze fell just a little as his nose wrinkled in disgust from the smell of dried blood and the setting of rot and decay. "They must have not all turned at the same time. And those that didn't turn quickly enough…"
Had suffered similar fates to some of the girls in Sickle.
Only, there'd been no one here to help them out.
And Kyo hadn't been merciful enough to even allow them inside, where they could have possibly sought shelter from their deranged friends who got fully consumed by their transformations.
"…" Glass looked around sadly and began to whisper out quiet prayers under her breath, looking as if all the energy from her had been drained.
"What… what is all this?" Daitan asked, looking stunned. Behind him, Hoshi and Akane were struggling not to vomit.
…
Kizuna trembled where she stood at the front of their formation. But after only a few seconds, she turned to face forward instead. "Let's go."
"But Kizuna, what about-" Daitan turned to yell at her.
"There's nothing left for us to do here." The Hunting Hero's voice sounded hollow. Just like it had been on the day Naofumi found her mourning the death of her adopted father on the pier. "We don't have time to give them proper burials or to even burn them.
"Kyo's waiting for us inside. And there are now even more things that I want to ask him about."
…
Did she still want to save Kyo, or was she starting to change her mind? Naofumi didn't know.
Yomogi was oddly silent too. A look of great horror and disbelief was still painted on her features as she followed behind the Hunting Tools Hero.
The others slowly nodded, keeping their weapons out as they looked ahead.
The doors to the mansion finally opened with an ominous creak. Greeting them with the sight of a great and all-encompassing darkness ahead.
…
Yeah, Naofumi knew then. Kyo was perfectly aware of what'd been going on outside. And was likely observing them even now.
He didn't know about the others… but he swore that Male Bitch would pay for everything he'd done. Whether Kizuna liked it or not.
The group of Heroes entered the mansion and the doors closed behind them with another ominous creak.
The blood-stained misty woods outside grew quiet. Its former inhabitants were now forever silenced and their remains slowly vanished under a layer of fog as it slowly crept back over the ground to cover the carnage.
But the illusionary mist would do nothing about the thick smell of iron and decomposing flesh.
A smell that would continue to linger in the air of the Misty Forest for a long, long time. Eventually earning it the nickname of The Dead Forest when later generations settled around the land.
Hero Clips!
The Sensible Thing To Do
"Can you see any potential threats down there, Itsuki?"
The Shield Hero stood on the deck of the ship alongside everyone else, who looked ready for the battle ahead.
The blonde young man narrowed his eyes in irritation as he studied the scene below. "This damn mist is a real piece of work. Most of it has cleared up, but I still can't see much. I think there's some movement here and there, but I'm not sure what it is or if it's actually anything at all. Even the way the trees are moving in the wind looks kind of creepy."
Naofumi clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Ethnobalt, raise a white flag, and land the ship outside-" Kizuna started to order.
"Explosion Shot."
KABOOM!
Itsuki's first skill exploded against the roof of the mansion.
Kizuna turned to the Bow Hero in surprise. "What the- ITSUKI! WHAT ARE YOU-"
"Meteor Shot."
KABOOM!
The next skill exploded inside the massive hole his first skill made in the mansion.
"NO, KYO!" Yomogi screamed in horror.
"Saint Arrow Rain. Arrow Strafing. Thunder Shot. Flame Shot."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A series of explosions rang out as Itsuki ignored the two girls and continued reducing the mansion below to a pile of rubble. When he went through his list of skills, he used the ones that finished their cooldowns and continued with his orbital bombardment of Kyo's home.
He also summoned his E Float Bow to shoot alongside him. Raining down twice the hurt at the same time.
Some of the others stared at Itsuki in growing horror. A few like Glass and Naofumi looked at him with surprise, but then respect.
Either way, the Bow Hero didn't relent.
...
Finally, after the mansion and its courtyard looked like a nice deep crater, he stopped barraging the area with skills. Staring down below at what was left.
"Alright, I think that should… wait," Itsuki held up his hand.
"YOU &^%&^%$ BOW IDIOT! WHAT THE HELL!" Kyo's soul rose up to be level with the deck of the ship. "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR GODDAMN MIND?! WHY THE &^%$ WOULD YOU JUST COMPLETELY ANNIHILATE EVERYTHING INSTEAD OF JUST COMING DOWN AND-"
Itsuki changed to his Soul Eater Bow and shot the soul of Kyo through his big fat mouth.
The rogue Book Hero howled as he died a second time and faded from view forever.
"There, now I'm not detecting any signs of movement." Itsuki nodded his head to himself.
…
…
"What?" He asked when he got no immediate response from the others.
"Itsuki…" Kizuna breathed in deeply, looking like she was on the verge of equipping her Cursed Series. "We came here to TALK to Kyo. Not KILL him." She emphasized.
"Not to mention, you destroyed all the loot man! What the hell?!" Daitan yelled next.
…
The manlet subsequently shut up at the glares Yomogi and Kizuna gave him.
"Oh…" Itsuki looked overboard at the massive crater again and then back at the Hunting Tools Hero. "Well, good talk. Now that the sensible thing to do is out of the way, can we gather the Spirit Tortoise's energy and go home?"
…
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Kizuna and Yomogi both screamed as they beat their fists against the strong Bow Hero's body.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Wow, that defense boost from this accessory is amazing Naofumi." Itsuki idly commented. "Thanks again for that."
"No problem." Naofumi gave him a thumbs up.
"Fueh." Rishia facepalmed behind him, as did Raphtalia beside Naofumi.
"So much for trying to talk things out," Raphtalia commented to herself.
"Eh, like that would have even worked." Naofumi shrugged nonchalantly.
And so, thanks to Itsuki doing the sensible thing of bombarding the entire area out of existence with his powerful skills instead of landing to confront Kyo on fair terms, they were able to waltz down, find where Kyo had stored the remainder of the Spirit Tortoise's energy, and take it back home. Avoiding what would have surely been several more chapters worth of content and ending the Grand Otherworld arc prematurely before it could have the chance to peak.
"REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
But then again, Itsuki's actions resulted in Kizuna and Yomogi becoming the main antagonists of the next arc. So at least things would remain interesting for a while yet!
Till Next Time
Allen
Notes:
This chapter was originally longer. However, I thought I'd go easy on you guys and cut it in two. Plenty happened, and this is as good a cut off point as any.
Chapter 15: Skies Over Luvar, Book Hero's Lair
Chapter Text
- ENTRY #78 -
I have done it.
I know what is needed now.
It's so simple. I even helped to fight them off since they could have ████████████.
The ████████████ they gather from ████████████… I've done the calculations by hand in the ████████████ to try and avoid drawing attention from 'them' to my plans. But it could be enough to power ████████████ I'm designing.
That Adamantium mine… I originally played around with the ore samples I found there with the intent to make some new weapons to help combat the Waves. But in doing so, I found so many more interesting applications for it.
From my studies, I've found that Adamantium has the ability to not only act as a conduit for gem energy, but any form of energy. Perhaps, it could even be used to harness ████████████ if I combined it with materials from ████████████.
It… it could be enough to ████████████… to allow me to ████████████ from 'them'!
However, ████████████ of this world are dead, and the ████████████ they'd acquired has long since been used up in ████████████ from the Waves for a time. I could find and awaken ████████████ possibly by convincing one of those three useless ████████████ to awaken it for me, but that'd take too much effort, and put me in the line of fire too early with the others.
I'll need to find them somewhere else. Somewhere that's early in the Waves, where the Heroes won't be strong enough to interfere.
- ENTRY #80 -
I found the right world. Only a couple months into the Waves, and it has a ████████████ to harvest too. Excellent!
I've informed 'them' of my plan to ████████████ to get 'them' off my back, and so that I'll be given the space and time from 'them' necessary to ████████████ without them interfering with desires for reports and the like.
My weapon is yelling at me that this could ████████████. I have since used my powers to shut it up.
Like it could ever understand. As risky as it is, I'll never be able to live the life I want as long as I'm a slave to 'them'. I'll never be able to ş̵̧̢̪̣̲̝̐a̴̧̙̬̲̞̟̙͛̓̿̿́̀͆v̸̬͗͊͌̈́͌e̵̤̔ ̶̛̞̬̻̙̭̭͜o̵͈͚̦̳͎̊̆͋̋͐͑͜u̶̘̻̽r̵̡̭͍̿̓̓̑͜ ̸̨̛̥̻͖̩͆̃w̸̨̙̹͔͂̔o̷̡̐̈̓͠r̵̤̼̥̘̺̅l̷̝̀̚d̴̼̞̩̮͊̆́̏̓ͅͅ so long as it is on the verge of death.
Even… even if this means ████████████ to fuel my ambitions.
There is no other way.
- ENTRY #83 -
I know what I'll do now.
████████████. ████████████ correctly could give me the power of 'them' for a long time… and yet, my Book was right.
No matter how many calculations and projections I run, the result is the same. This… this immense power. ████████████
It's impossible to wield nor contain safely when fully unleashed.
The result is always the same.
████████████.
…
But that… that could present an opportunity perhaps?...
I could deliberately ████████████ with this process and then absorb the ████████████ that would be left behind.
And then… yes, I could use it to make something entirely new in ████████████!
I was wondering about that before. But now, it's become clear to me, there are so many pathetic roaches everywhere in the world that Kizuna loved. So many that they put down everything good around them and corrupt what little there is left of the world's humanity.
While I've been tinkering with the beast known as ████████████ here, I can't help but think how much better it'd be if it was ████████████ and allowed to begin again.
Yes, I thought about being careful, but I think I'll be better off doing it this way instead. Because this way, I'll be able to use my powers to ████████████ of the ģ̵̻͖̤͎͗͝ơ̵͇̪̗̜̯̯̮̾̒̏͆̀̇̇͂̕̕͜͠ͅͅo̶̡̦̜͙̽͋̐̽̌́ḏ̴̖̝̥͈̂͘ ̷̢̰̥͚͓͔̖̝̝̽́̅̅̓̈́̂͗̌̈́̋̕͜͝p̴̧̝̪̘̒̓̓̀̊͊̾͂͠ȅ̴͙̩̲̲̯̤͓̈́͋̍̿̃͛̔͝͝͝ͅo̵̻̼̬̰̯̼̖̣͕̎p̶̫̹̘̙̍͋͒͘̚ĺ̸̲̮̏̏̽͛̐͌̽̽e̴͚̖̭̦̒̎ and give them new life in the world ████████████.
And at the same time, I'll punish the b̶̛͍̒̍̿̓͛͛̓̀̍̀̓͑̽̕a̶̢͍̺̺͇̭͖͓͙̫̜͎̔̌̑̂́̿̽͝d̶̫̬̰̤͔̦͕̩̓̀͑͂̏͝ͅ ̶̜̥͓̭͔͙̥̫̘̥͓̘̿̿́̒̄́̐͊͂̒̀́̓͜͜͠͝ͅp̶̛̲̜̮͙͈̲̓͂̾̈͜ȩ̷̪͕͎̼̮͉̍ȍ̸̜̻̕͜p̵̆̊̾̋̐͜ľ̵̢͖̫̠̮͚͈̹͓̙̳͕̮̗̇͆̔̃͑̿̽͜͝ȩ̷̗͖͔̱͊̒̎̓̀̉̌͌̒̀͗̋͑ by condemning them to the empty hell of nonexistence! Yes! It's b̴̻͔̫̱̈́r̸̢̺̤̬͕͉̯̹̱͓̮̙̀̀̔̄̃̾͊̑͛͋͠͠͠ͅȉ̸̝̮l̶͓̭͒̒́̐̀͌̂̍̒̂͆͠ľ̵͎͎̰̱̠̗̻̝̥̅̈́̓͑́̋͒i̵̡̘̪̜̫͈̭̞͉̭̞̭̪̒̊̓̾̒̑̂̈́̏̄̚ǎ̷̡̠͖͎̤͈̻̞̼͖͖̫͇͔̎̕n̶̨̟̤̞̜̘̺̝͗ͅt̶̢̨̬͓̰̯̗̤̙̩͋̎̌͂!̷̣͇̖͍̲̻̽͛̒́̏̆̂̐̌ͅ!
I'll be able to make a world where everyone is able to s̷̺͇͖̰̼̭̺̈̆̿́̾̐̓̈͆̕͝ͅm̸͇͐̂̐̽͝i̵̩̳̳̠̞̤̪̫̍ĺ̶̡̞͓̼̖̟̪̭̠͈̗͝e̴̜̤̦͎̼͇̱̬̦̓̽̑̈̇́̆̕̚͝ and l̸̛̼̖̰̼̟̱̋̆̅̇͗̈́͌̌͊̉͘̚̚͜͝a̴̢̟̼̣͖͊ü̷̩͔͕̿̓̄̆̈́̐͑́̑g̵̪͔̝̦͕͍̖̳̮̣͇͈̯̭̽̅̋́̎̑̐̀̈́͋̉̀̓̍͘ẖ̶̡͉͇̰͖͙̯͎͙̅… just like she wanted.
Over in Luvar, things were not going any better than for Naofumi and Co.
"First Form: Wind Blade!"
A tornado of wind slammed into the underside of one of Luvar's airships. L'Arc grimaced as he watched his ranged skill tear into the hull, dealing severe damage to the enemy vessel.
"Second Form: Sky Blade!" The second tornado he summoned pierced through the rest of the ship and out its other end.
This immediately caused the vessel to plummet down below. Crashing into the side of a mountain before exploding in a great ball of fire.
Luvar's new advanced airships were sturdier than most but thankfully not indestructible. They fell out of the sky one after another when they took L'Arc's attacks, due to the damage that they'd already taken from the rest of the alliance fleet.
"Sir!" Scree!
"Hah!" L'Arc quickly turned around and moved his scythe to block the creature's path, saving his soldier from another spike familiar that'd climbed up onto the deck of the ship.
"Get off my ship, you freak!" As L'Arc screamed the words, he raised his foot and kicked the spike familiar overboard.
"SCREEEEEEEEEE-!" Boom!
It continued to screech all the way down until it impacted and detonated against a mountainside down below.
With the monster out of the way, L'Arc focused on the battle all around them again. However, he found that it wasn't going in their favor at all.
KABOOM!
L'Arc shielded his eyes as, nearby, another Acclamator-Class cruiser was torn apart by the hail of attacks coming from above and below.
The shrapnel from it flew into multiple ships, a few of Luvar's, but mostly the vessels of the coalition fleet. This damaged and brought some ships down as they tried to fly clear of the debris. Other nearby vessels glowed with gem energy, protecting them from most of the physical and magic attacks being directed at them.
However, they could not protect against every attack. And as some of Luvar's ships were showing, they had individuals piloting them that were more than powerful enough to overcome shielding on various sections of the Acclamator ships to further damage them while tanking hits from the rest of the allied fleet.
With the destruction of another Acclamator, L'Arc's grimace grew as another huge swath of soldiers disappeared from his sub-party system. L'Arc brought his Gem Ofuda to his lips. "Invincibles, move between the Acclamators and the enemy! Tank as many hits as you can! We cannot afford to lose our armies!"
Multiple voices of his army's officers responded in affirmation and the King of Sickle watched as the Invincibles he brought along moved into formation above and beside the remaining Acclamators. These ships also fired volleys at any of Luvar's that dared to approach them.
One of the Invincibles, manned entirely by Corrin's Gem Commandos, however, didn't make it as it was torn apart by focused cannon fire from above. While L'Arc looked at the falling ship though, a previously unknown feature of the Lapis Adamantium Armor was made apparent.
L'Arc still didn't entirely understand how Gem Magic worked, despite Therese's best attempts to explain it to him over the years. However, what he did know was that it relied on the energy held in gems. And so, because these commandos had gem energy surrounding their whole bodies…
Well, they could use it to cast some pretty impressive wind magic too. One that allowed them to fly through the air in short bursts. So even though he lost one of his best ships, none of its crew had perished.
"Scrap them!"
In fact, they flew through the air and landed on the Luvar ship that'd destroyed theirs before commandeering it for themselves.
"Go go go go go!" The lead commander shouted to his fellows, directing them inside and to the cannons. In mere moments, the crew and soldiers inside were dealt with, and the ship began firing powerful salvos at what had formerly been its allies.
It was a chaotic mess. And as L'Arc's damaged Invincible weaved through it, he heard the loud thrum of engines and turned towards another Luvar airship bearing down to attack them.
"Flying Circle!" A spinning disc of energy flew from his Scythe, flying through the air incredibly fast and going right through the front of the enemy ship before it could swerve out of the way.
This time, the attack caused a massive explosion that destroyed the cockpit. Bringing yet another one of Luvar's ships down towards the ground.
The side of the Scythe Hero's Invincible rocked, however, as another one of Luvar's yet unnamed ships came from behind and hit it with cannon fire as it flew past.
"Fire!" A nearby officer on another ship directed return fire at the enemy ship. Just barely managing to hit it before it could turn around for another attack.
It didn't do as much damage as L'Arc's attack. But the enemy vessel pulled back while engineers on board immediately began emergency repairs.
This allowed for a nearby LAAT to open its doors, and the gem noblesse commandos it held flew out and landed on the enemy ship's deck with the power of their armor.
"For the Empire!" The group ambushed the engineers and soldiers stationed there while another squad from another LAAT rushed inside to commandeer the vessel. The LAAT had a strange weapon mounted where the soldiers had been held in it though, and one of them stayed by it to fire at other Luvar soldiers on different ships.
Strange, it fired far faster than the Gem Lightning Rifles Corrin's soldiers used. The multi-holed barrel on it spun as it fired.
If L'Arc had been close enough, his HUD would have identified it as a Gem Lightning Gatling Gun. That would have been an interesting weapon for Itsuki to weapon copy.
L'Arc still grimaced though. Nearby, he watched as another one of his Invincibles was torn apart from enemy fire. And then as his flagship swerved around what he assumed to be Therese's Acclamator-Class ship, due to the high visibility gem energy coming off it, his ship was hit once again. But this time from more falling debris from above. Debris from several LAAT gunships that'd been targeted almost simultaneously.
The gem commandos held inside them did not have the chance to escape.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
More anti-aircraft cannons fired from down below. Sending more spike familiars into the air to add to the fray. Even though some of the escort ships had peeled off to go down below to deal with them, the attacks from the ground were still proving to be a nuisance. And some of Luvar's ships were continuing to harass and put pressure on L'Arc's ship.
"All ships near the ground, ready yourselves to change targets!" Therese's voice yelled over her gem ofuda.
"Therese?" L'Arc asked in confusion as he held up his gem ofuda.
"Ah, that's what you're charging your ship up for then. I see." Corrin's voice sounded next. "This is Emperor Corrin speaking! To all ships, AoE magic is about to be unleashed! One of the officers is about to deal with the enemy's anti-aircraft launchers. Prepare to deal with the threats above and ahead of us."
"Yes sir!" "Acknowledged!" "Ready when you are!" A cacophony of voices responded in kind to their emperor's command.
L'Arc was still confused for a few seconds, but realization dawned on him as soon as the Lapis forces turned to attack the Luvar ships harassing them instead of attacking the anti-aircraft cannons hidden within the mountains.
"Bejeweled Sapphire Blizzard!"
A flash of blue was the only thing that accompanied the gem spell Therese then unleashed, utilizing the power of the ship she was on as well as the accessory Master Craftsman had been kind enough to gift her before the start of the battle.
Within the span of a few seconds, a massive blizzard appeared around the tips of the mountains. Spanning in all directions beneath Therese for several miles.
The wide AoE spell froze the ground over entirely. And within seconds, the remaining cannons firing spike familiars from below stopped firing. Leaving only the spike familiars that were already in the air and clinging onto ships to deal with.
Thankfully, Therese's Gem Magic wouldn't harm any allies that survived their crash landings on the ground. It'd only deal with anyone that was outside of their party system, which currently extended over the whole army.
"That should take care of anything else they had on the ground. Though that blizzard is going to be going on for some time." Therese's voice sounded over the ofuda.
"That is fine. At least now we'll be able to focus on the enemy in front of us and push for the landing zone." Corrin said in response.
L'Arc in the meantime looked relieved at the advantage they'd gotten and was ready to focus on the battle again.
Another Luvar ship was bearing down on him. Only for it to be intercepted by another LAAT full of Gem Commandos. The book country soldiers on board fought back ferociously, however, and the Noblesses were in danger of being overwhelmed as fire from another ship damaged one of the LAAT's wings and prevented another LAAT from coming to assist.
"We need reinforcements!" One of the commandos yelled.
Checking his list of skills, the Scythe Hero found all his ranged attacks were still on cooldowns. And-
L'Arc breathed in then.
What the hell was he doing?!
HE WAS A FREAKING HERO FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! WHY WAS HE LIMITING HIMSELF TO JUST THE DECK OF HIS SHIP WHEN HE'D BE FAR MORE EFFECTIVE OUT THERE?! ALL OF HIS SKILLS WEREN'T RANGED FOR A REASON!
"Aye, looks like the King is finally getting riled up." One of L'Arc's officers began to grin widely while the rest of the soldiers onboard turned from the cannons to look at their King.
L'Arc was grinning widely in realization. "War Scythe!" A red glow surrounded his form as he raised his weapon high above his head. The blade of his sickle turned outwards, making it look like a spear. "That's right! I'm going to show these bastards what it means to take on a Hero head-on! Who's with me?!"
The response he received was cheering and war cries from his soldiers. The redhead turned around, still glowing from the usage of his skill.
Nearby, seeing what L'Arc was about to do, Therese cast a spell using the accessories on her person to buff the redhead's strength and speed even further, as well as hopefully boost his defense since he'd just sacrificed most of it to increase his attack.
And then, like a glowing red meteor, L'Arc jumped from the deck of his Invincible.
No, he did not just jump off to plummet to his death. He jumped with the speed and momentum of a cannonball! A blast of air pelted over his soldiers and Sickle's flagship lurched a bit in the air from the recoil of L'Arc's leap.
The Luvar ship Corrin's soldiers had been struggling on was suddenly slashed in two down the middle in the blink of an eye.
The Luvar soldiers on it began freefalling as the ship fell from the sky. Their screams split the air while the Gem Commandos, their armor battered but still operable, hovered in the air. They looked surprised at the sudden destruction of the ship.
"Was that you?"
"No way, my magic isn't anywhere near that level of power."
"None of our ships were giving us supporting fire either."
"Are any of our ships capable of doing something like that?"
L'Arc, using the falling debris to launch himself again, almost seemed to hover at their eye level as he appeared before them at the peak of his jump. "Come on!" With a gesture of his scythe, he began freefalling towards his next target.
The Gem Commando's eyes widened in shock. But then, realizing who L'Arc was, they roared in triumph as they followed the King of Sickle into battle.
"Yeah!"
"Let's get them!"
"Scrap them!"
"Die Luvar!"
From there, it was a blur for L'Arc as he threw himself headfirst into the mess of combat himself.
It was an aerial battle, but L'Arc moved as if he were on solid ground. Jumping from ship to ship, allied or not, at blinding speeds to help him close in on his targets.
"Full Moon Army!" His scythe elongated to ridiculous proportions, smashing through the side of a Luvar cruiser like a giant war hammer and breaking it in half.
Then, using his giant weapon as leverage, he swung himself up and to the side, using the pieces of the ship to avoid return fire from other Luvar ships. He weaved through their attacks as he landed on one of their decks with a mad grin.
"Get him!" A Luvar soldier rushed him, a mace held in his hands.
A second later, the same soldier was sent flying over the ship's railing. Screaming as he plummeted to his death while his comrades were skewered up above.
The slaughter ended within seconds. L'Arc didn't even stop to process the flood of exp notifications he was receiving. Right after the top deck got cleared, a bunch of Gem Commandos from before landed on it and began to fire their Gem Rifles as they moved into the ship's interior. Effectively taking command of it as L'Arc moved on.
…
One of the LAAT pilots panicked as he tried to shake the monster trying to slice into the cockpit off his ship. The creature had already wounded his cohorts manning the turrets before he grabbed its focus with an attack spell.
However, even though the two gunmen were treating their injuries, the spike familiar seemed very keen on reaching the pilot, and the armored gem glass of his cockpit continued to crack under its onslaught. The fear was really reaching the pilot too, as he was having to avoid flak from a Luvar ship chasing behind him and-
Boom!
The ship chasing him exploded in a massive fireball.
"Huah!" Right after that and before the windshield could shatter completely, exposing the pilot to the monster's spiked limbs, L'Arc appeared from the sky. Landing behind and slashing the spike familiar monster in half before it could scream out in terror.
As awesome as all this was, L'Arc then brought his scythe back as the two halves of the monster began to fall away from each other. He then slammed his weapon into them as if it was a baseball bat.
The two halves flew through the air at lightning speeds. Impaling into the sides of two smaller Luvar ships.
Boom! Boom!
The spike familiar halves self-destructed. And the explosions crippled the ships, making them easy pickings for the sections of the fleet L'Arc was rallying with his heroic actions.
"Keep it up! We're going to win this battle!" L'Arc saluted the gem pilot and then launched himself into the next enemy ship. Slicing through it with his Scythe while laughing like a deranged maniac.
"Yes!"
"Destroy them!"
"For Lapis!"
"For Sickle!"
The LAAT pilot and the crew inside began to whoop and holler, and joined in following behind L'Arc. Alongside all the other ships and troops the King of Sickle had rallied while leading his counterattack in the air against Luvar's forces.
…
Therese watched from the seat of her Acclamator ship as L'Arc led his charge right into the heart of Luvar's fleet. Explosions happened left and right as the lone Hero continued to single-handedly tear apart the fleet composed of Kyo's newest designs.
"Wow… even now, I still forget how strong the Heroes are capable of becoming." Corrin's voice said in an awed tone over the Gem Ofuda on Therese's lap.
Therese smiled proudly. For a real moment there, she was actually considering following through on her promise to the redhead.
She'd just wanted to play with him some more when she swayed her hips back there. But if L'Arc was doing this good…
Ok, maybe she wouldn't go that far. But she almost wanted to giggle as she imagined running her hands through his hair. Bringing her lips deliciously close to his before-
"Curb your enthusiasm, brother. This battle has only just begun."
…
…
Therese froze.
She recognized the voice that'd spoken on her ofuda instantly. Even if it had been years since she'd last heard it.
"What- Xander!" Cole's voice sounded over the line.
"Brother!" Ryoma's voice came next.
"Yes, me," Xander responded in kind. His voice was low, almost baritone in its sound. And it held a powerful presence to it.
L'Arc continued what he was doing, not having his gem ofuda on at the moment as he was purely focused on the battle in front of him right now. The redhead continued his massacre, summoning a second scythe in his hands before unleashing a skill that destroyed a squadron of Luvar ships around him.
But where Therese sat, she only felt a deep chill in her chest. Her eyes moved outward, trying to scan the chaotic field of battle. But with how large it was, she couldn't tell where Xander's ship could possibly be.
Not to mention, her cruiser was starting to lose its glow. Signifying how depleted the gems on the ship were.
Soon, it wouldn't be able to stay in the air, much less, shield everyone on it from the oncoming attacks. But if L'Arc continued pushing the enemy back, then they'd escape the mountains and be able to land in the plains. They were close to being able to do so, only a few miles away from the edge of the mountains.
So then… why did she feel so cold now?
"Xander, why? Why are you doing this?" Corrin's voice demanded. "We're supposed to be family! And yet you're siding with that, that… demon!"
"Of course. Why wouldn't I? " Xander's voice continued in a calm tone. "I am in charge of Luvar's armies. Is it not in my best interest to defend my lands from your invasion?"
"Kyo attacked first! And besides that, we're brothers! Yet you attacked us even knowing we were here!" Corrin yelled back.
"Yes, we were raised together as siblings, but that never meant I agreed with you on everything."
"What do you mean?" Ryoma asked. "What is this for? How did you even manage to tap into our communications?"
"It is gem technology. Did you really think I and those who came with me were incapable of figuring out which gem frequency your special military-grade ofudas relied on to communicate with one another?" Xander's voice said, sounding disappointed. "You should have used regular paired ofudas instead of this out of convenience. I've been listening in on your conversations ever since you entered Label's airspace."
"I…" Corrin started to speak, but his voice died on him. He couldn't think of a rebuttal.
"As for why I'm doing this… it is not because I wasn't given the throne if that's what you're thinking. While I was angry that I wasn't chosen to lead Lapis at first, looking back on it, I can agree that Corrin was the best choice out of all of us.
"If things had been different, I would be congratulating him and Hinoka for being the first noblesses in five hundred years to choose to have a natural birth over adopting an heir from the ground as so many of our predecessors have done."
…
"Then… why, brother?" Ryoma was the one to ask.
"Because our world is ending. And Lapis never stepped in to help with any of it. Choosing to only sit on the sidelines while nations bickered and warred with one another." Xander's voice said coldly. "Have you not seen the suffering outside of your walls, brothers? Did it really have to take the Book Hero himself strolling into your Majestic halls to make you look beyond and witness the cruelty happening outside your doors?"
"Xander…" Corrin sounded genuinely sad. "Brother, I knew. I did know. I know how twisted the politics of our world have become. I was just-"
"Too afraid to act out of fear of making things worse, I know." Xander's voice stated coldly on the other end. "Because you didn't want to start another war with the nations while the Waves were going on. While I might agree now that you were the right candidate for the throne out of all of us back then, brother, I still find the neutral stance that you continued to keep for years, even as the world around us fell apart, appalling.
"Lapis should have been using its vast power and resources to seize control of the chaos that the Waves of Destruction are causing, instead of letting it slowly escalate into the madness it has now become."
"You ask me why I'm helping the Demon Lord? I'll tell you why. Because unlike any one of you, he is at least doing something to stop this explosive chain of events. Lord Kyo plans on ending the Waves once and for all.
"Under him, we will have a new world. One where nations won't bicker over useless things. Where children won't lose their parents too early in life because of someone else's greed!"
"But what he is doing right now will make millions suffer!" Cole's voice shouted over the ofuda. "And there's no guarantee he's telling the truth either! Is all this pain really worth it?!"
"As I stated, I have been listening to your comms ever since you entered Label." Xander continued, utterly ignoring what Cole had just said. "I know for a fact that neither the Hunting Tools Hero nor the Otherworld Heroes are here to support you.
"You only have the King of Sickle helping you out.
"And as powerful as he is as a hero, he is alone.
"And a lone Hero won't be enough to make a difference."
L'Arc, still unaware of the important conversation going on, jumped off another ship. His body sailed through the air as he prepared to attack with another skill.
However, the ship he'd been aiming for vanished as he passed through it. After all of his bloodlust and the carnage he'd wrought on one ship after another… going right through an illusion spell finally pulled him out of his frenzy.
"Huh?" He said out loud as he finally looked around himself.
The ships who'd been following behind him in his charge were dealing with other threats converging on them in the heart of Luvar's fleet. Thankfully, his Invincible, though badly damaged from the further fights it'd gone through, appeared under him before he could fall too far. Allowing him to land on it without taking too much fall damage.
"You alright, Your Majesty?" One of his officers asked.
"Urgh, yeah, just give me a second. I'll start pushing them back again so our cruisers can land-" L'Arc tried to say.
Several ships that'd still been camouflaged up till then appeared around them. The reflective paneling on them disappeared as their cannons pointed at his ship.
The soldiers around L'Arc had barely opened their mouths in shock when the ships launched their volleys.
…
Over on the bridge of her Acclamator, Therese watched in stunned shock as L'Arc's flagship Invincible was torn open by the volley of fire it was hit by.
It careened forward, heading into a freefall that made it disappear into the blizzard down below.
"L… L-L'ARC!" Therese screamed.
"Hmph. Sending your strongest into the heart of the enemy army to inflict massive losses. Thus allowing the others to charge in behind him and clean up the rest." Xander's voice continued over the gem ofuda. "A bold strategy, and a valid one at that. I congratulate you for managing to get so far with it. Even knowing that we'd know where it is you'd have to land and would thus do everything in our power to prevent you from reaching it."
Those ships L'Arc had rallied behind him, without the help of the Hero taking on the vast majority of enemies, began to be torn apart while being surrounded by the rest of Luvar's fleet.
Therese nearly jumped out of her seat as another explosion hit the side of the bridge, blowing open one of the windows and knocking several gem soldiers down on the ground.
"My Lady, the ship is almost out of energy! Without the Scythe King grabbing the enemy's attention, we'll be torn apart before we can reach the landing zone!" Another gem officer informed her.
"However, now that he's out of the picture, dealing with you will be easy enough." Xander's voice continued. "Farewell, brothers… and cousin."
"Do know, that this isn't personal. I am simply doing what I must for our world to survive. Only through conflict can progress be made."
The voice of Luvar's fleet commander went silent as he cut off all communications.
…
"My Lady!" The same gem officer from before yelled again. "We need to do something, or else the ship will go down!"
"I know! I'm working on it!" Therese scowled at him. As if she couldn't already tell! She could hear the screams of thousands of gems as they did their best to assist them in the battle. But there was only so much energy they could give, and several hundred gems around the ship had already sacrificed themselves over the course of the battle to keep them alive!
She didn't want more of the gems around the ship to die for their sake. And her party HUD showed that while L'Arc's Health bar dropped sharply, he was still alive. So she had to focus on the task at hand!
However, even knowing that, her mind was consumed with fear. There was no way she could find L'Arc, or beyond that, even reach the initial landing zone like this. Especially when she wanted to go down right now to find him before…
More ships from Luvar were appearing out of the air around Therese's cruiser. And it'd only be a matter of time before she and the rest of the crew got overwhelmed and torn apart.
Several of L'Arc's remaining Invincibles moved in between her cruiser and the appearing ships. Tanking the hits for her while returning fire. But they wouldn't last long enough. They still weren't close to the edge of the mountains. And if they continued forward, that'd mean leaving L'Arc behind!
And… if they left him behind, if he'd been severely injured in his crash landing, then… then… …
"Therese. Prepare your cruiser for landing."
The gem girl was knocked out of her thoughts, mostly because the voice hadn't come over her gem ofuda this time. Rather, it'd come from one of the personal ofuda around her belt. "Corrin?" She asked, trying to choke back sobs from her voice.
"I'm sorry, I should have realized that Xander might have had a way to tap into our gem ofuda communications after all." The King of Lapis apologized. "I don't know how he did so, but regardless, I'm trusting his word when he says that he was only capable of hacking into the gem ofudas and not the normal paired ones. So I'm using these to tell you and the rest of our forces to prepare for an emergency ground landing, right now."
"But… but how? We're still not clear of the mountains." Therese replied. "There's nowhere for us to land!"
"In a moment, there will be no mountains below us," Corrin responded confidently. "We'll have all the space we need then."
…
…
It took Therese a moment to realize what Corrin was suggesting. And she looked at the ofuda with shock. "Are the gems on your ship even capable of helping to cast such a spell right now?"
"Yes… but it will require all of them to be sacrificed in order for that to happen.
"They have agreed to give their lives for it though if it means giving everyone else a chance to survive." The emperor continued, this time, his voice was tinted with sadness. "It is something I must do for the sake of everyone here."
Therese and the gem soldiers listening around her also felt heartbroken.
Even if others didn't believe them to be alive, the Gem People knew differently. For them, the lives of all gemstones were precious. From the simple Onyx to the beautiful Diamond.
Each one carried the possibility of life.
Each one held the ability to give birth to a new person. And even though they had become militarized like this, it was all done with their consent. If this was a time of peace, then these gems would eventually be born as new Jewel People into the world, freeing them from their duties on the ships. Allowing for more people of compassion and empathy to be born into the world.
For a whole cruiser of gems to all agree to sacrifice themselves like this…
"I'm so sorry, Corrin," Therese said, tears falling from her eyes.
"Not as sorry as Xander is going to be," Corrin replied. While she couldn't see it, the King of Lapis had tears running down his face as well. "I'm already preparing for landing, but once this spell is cast, well… make sure to stay close to my ship. It's going to be useless for the rest of the battle anyway."
"And after we land… find L'Arc. I know you won't be able to focus until you can confirm that he is safe, so do not worry. Me and Ryoma will lead the troops from here on out."
"... Alright. Thank you." Therese sniffled as she looked out the window, and she saw a golden glow beginning to surround Corrin's ship. The ofuda in her hand shut off.
"Shall we begin landing at once, My Lady?" A gem officer asked.
"... yes." Therese looked over the soldiers there. "Begin emergency descending procedures."
"Of course!" The soldiers launched themselves into action. And within moments, Therese's cruiser as well as the other surviving cruisers around her began lowering themselves towards the blizzard still hiding the mountains down below.
More ships from Luvar's air fleet were beginning to appear around them above the blizzard cloud. And they began to turn so their cannons would be aimed at the descending cruisers.
However, before they could fire, the golden glow around Corrin's cruiser intensified. And the enemy ships began to rapidly retreat back up.
"Brother! What are you doing?!" Xander's voice yelled over Corrin's still active gem ofuda.
"You said earlier that progress can only be made through conflict, brother." Corrin's stiff voice responded. He glared down at his gem ofuda as the glow around his ship intensified. "So I am going to escalate it."
As he said it, the complex puzzles he was doing in his mind finally clicked into place. He'd already chanted before this too, and the words of the spell he wanted to cast came to his lips.
"Shining Stones: Bejeweled Sacrificial Terraform!"
Luvar's ships closest to the ground didn't have the chance to escape before the golden glow rushed down below in a stream of light. Creating a hole in the center of Therese's earlier blizzard spell that hit the mountains down below.
Veterans of this battle would recall different stories of what happened. Based on which side of the field they were on at the time.
Those soldiers in the coalition fleet, hunkered down in their transports, would remember a feeling of calm and peace washing over their souls as some even heard voices comforting them for what was ahead.
Soldiers of Luvar would recall the day hell appeared on earth when the mountains down below tore themselves apart, sending plumes of earth and stone into their ships and knocking them out of the sky like flies. The voices they heard were that of vengeance and retribution for all those who'd fallen during the battle.
Regardless, the truth of it was this, the moment the spell Corrin cast made impact with the ground, reality itself halted for a second, processing what was about to happen. Just like it had when the Spirit Tortoise made contact with Naofumi's Cursed Shield long ago.
Then, the tops of the mountain range of Luvar exploded outwards in plumes of earth and rock. It was similar to a volcanic eruption, only there was no magma or ash that accompanied it.
Nevertheless, it didn't make the explosions of rock and vegetation any less devastating.
The Acclamator-Class cruisers and the ships of Sickle and Label were completely unaffected by the storm of power unleashed. The rocks and vegetation impacted harmlessly against their hulls. At its core, it was Gem Magic that had been cast. And all Gem Magic, regardless of where it came from, was incapable of harming allies in any way, shape, or form.
The ships of Luvar's fleet closest to the ground, on the other hand, were not so fortunate.
The large chunks of rock launched from the ground tore into their hulls like they were made of paper. Many, many of Luvar's ships that hadn't been commandeered by Gem Commandos plummeted into the blizzard mixing with Therese's earlier ice magic. Killing all those inside who didn't manage to evacuate or get clear of the storm in time.
It was brutal. Therese's view of the destruction only disappeared as her Acclamator-Class ship vanished into the snow clouds of her blizzard spell. Continuing on towards the mountains that should have been down below.
…
And yet, they didn't hit into anything at all.
After another moment, the stilts of the ship landed on solid, flat ground. Covered over by a thick layer of snow from the blizzard that was still going on, blurring their surroundings.
The tall mountains of Luvar that had stood in this area for millennia were completely gone.
All that remained was a flat plain of rock, covered over in snow, which the rest of the Acclamator Ships landed on.
…
Minutes later, as the storm finally began to clear up in front of them, they found that the mountains that'd been between them and Luvar's Capital were completely gone. Giving them an unobstructed view of the distant city.
It was similar to Sickle's Capital city, in that it had less Japanese influence than usual.
Well, it'd be more accurate to say it had less medieval Japanese influence and had more of a modern Japanese influence instead.
The city itself had more dense buildings like small skyscrapers, business centers, and apartment complexes, making it more space-efficient than most other cities in the world. It also had a lot of road access, like a modern Tokyo. However, all this didn't come at the expense of nature. Every roof had a garden on it, and the roads were lined with tall, imposing trees that were maintained through magic means.
Had they been inside the city proper, they also would have found plenty of small parks, filled with trees and pools of clean water. If there was one word that could describe the place, it was beautiful.
It was a shame that the city Kyo had helped to design for his people would soon become a battleground.
"Status?" Therese asked almost hesitantly.
"I… I think all remaining Acclamators made it safely to the ground, Lady Therese." A gem officer said uncertainly near the collection of ofuda. "I haven't gotten any messages from his Majesty's ship though."
Therese looked around from the damaged windows of the bridge as the storm continued to clear up. And, much to her relief, she found that Corrin's flagship had already landed on the ground to their right…
Well, it might have been better to say that it'd crashlanded.
The gems all along its hull had lost their luster. And Therese and the gem soldiers with her could sense nothing but death from the outer exterior of the hull. A few soldiers took off their helmets, showing how they were openly weeping over the loss of so many gem lives.
"Corrin?" Therese activated her ofuda again, calling out to the Gem King. "Cousin… are you ok?"
…
…
"Ah, finally, I got it to turn on." A different voice, Cole's, sounded back over the ofuda. "Don't worry, his Majesty and all of us here are still alive. He is just collecting his bearings right now. It has been a while since one Gem Person channeled so much energy by himself, and to be honest, we've had happier landings in the past.
"But he should be good to go within a few minutes, hopefully."
Therese and those around her heaved a sigh of relief. Therese's eyes then scanned the new battlefield before them. She couldn't see where L'Arc's ship had crashlanded earlier as there were many other shipwrecks. But before she could go off and try to find it…
"Open the bay doors. We must hurry and get our forces out before the enemy arrives." Therese told those around her. They might have landed, but she didn't believe for a second that the battle was over.
"Of course." The gem officers began rushing from the bridge. Heading down below where they could organize the full landing from the massive troop carriers.
"What about you, Cole? Is everyone on the ship…" Therese began to ask.
"I am being told that we have some casualties, which is to be expected from a landing like the one we just had. But the bay doors are open. We'll be able to get everyone out and use the wreckage as cover to treat our wounded."
Since it had been destroyed, stats wouldn't treat it as an overall viable target anymore. So that was some comfort, at least. And thanks to the other Acclamotors landing around it, it would make for a good makeshift field hospital.
Therese didn't say much more, other than to thank Cole for helping Corrin out and asking him to see if any LAATs or other escort ships were available to pick her up before leaving the bridge herself to help with organizing the rest of the exodus from the cruiser.
They didn't have many injured on their ship, fortunately, outside of those who'd survived the initial encounter with the spike familiars. Though there were quite a few siege and anti-aircraft weapons and the like that had to be dragged out thanks to the gems on the cruiser being too exhausted to assist in helping out and needing time to recover. But as long as the subsequent battle didn't destroy the ships, they'd be fine for a return trip after they recharged… hopefully.
There was also the matter of having to locate L'Arc in this mess. But one problem at a time.
Therese eventually stepped out of the ship onto the new snowy battlefield. Her eyes narrowed in worry as the rest of the blizzard and the effects of Corrin's spell were beginning to vanish overhead.
The LAATs and the ships of Sickle and Label's fleet were shown to be fighting overhead again. Thanks to the blast from earlier though, many of Luvar's prized ships had been knocked out of the sky. The area around them was littered with so many shipwrecks.
As long as more ships didn't appear though, it'd be a more even battle between their forces in the air. However, since they were in Luvar's territory, Therese didn't believe for a second that the enemy didn't have more airships they could call to the battle.
As the dust settled on the ground, an enemy army could be seen approaching them.
The banners of Luvar, a flag embedded with the design of the Vassal Book in the middle of it, hung from poles. Soldiers pushed siege weapons like catapults and ballistae as well as anti-aircraft cannons of their own forward. The infantry in front of the massive machines wielded naginatas, katanas, and other weapons. Behind them were lines upon lines of magic casters. Some were ofuda specialists, others performance specialists. There were even a few Gem casters as well who'd defected with Xander.
In the center of the army was a bunch of cavalry. And at their head sitting in the saddle of a large, armored horse was an imposing man, dressed in all black armor. The adamantium armor he'd taken with him long ago, and a man who wielded one of the only lances ever seen in the world.
Too bad for Dou-Lon though, as this lance was also made from Gems. And besides that, it was far too big for a normal man to wield naturally. Yet Xander's imposing size made the weapon he'd made for himself a perfect fit.
Therese's grip on one of her accessories tightened.
The air battle for everyone there was over. It was time for the ground battle to commence.
"Attack!" Xander's voice boomed out from his position at the front of the army.
"FOR LUVAR!" The enemy cavalry began dashing towards them. Even as siege weapons, magic users, and the like on their side began launching their ranged attacks.
"FOR THE EMPIRE!" Ryoma's battle cry sounded.
Catapults and ballistas alongside magic from their own casters as well as from those carrying Gem Lightning Rifles began raining down on the approaching army.
Simultaneously, Label's naginata-wielding samurai soldiers, alongside Sickle's knights, began charging forward to meet Luvar's calvary attack head-on. Led by Ryoma himself.
The battle for the fate of Luvar commenced.
While making their way through Kyo's mansion, everyone found themselves surprised at how empty it was inside.
No monsters, familiars, or chimeras came to greet them from the darkness. The interior was eerily empty and devoid of any furniture or other signs that the place was lived in.
"Yomogi, is this what your place normally looks like?" Kizuna asked while gripping her weapon.
"No! Not at all! T-There used to be a shelf with all of my cookbooks over there." Yomogi replied anxiously while pointing toward a part of the wall where an outline of a shelf could be seen. "And over there was the music room with my piano. And…"
The group soon reached the second floor of the mansion and there were still no enemies in sight. Yomogi rushed ahead of the group, towards a door at the entrance of the hall that had a placard with her name on it. She quickly swung it open before the others could stop her.
But Yomogi's room held no danger in it either. It was completely bare, just like every other room that they'd entered before then.
"No… what's going on here. Where did everything go?" The green-haired girl asked, looking around desperately for the things she'd valued in her life. The things that'd connected her to Kyo.
The stuffed animal she'd received from his parents as a kid shortly after getting bought by them at Kyo's request. The ball she'd played with while watching the Book Hero work on his next invention. Her clothes, weapons, even the old Order Ofuda that she'd chosen to keep as a symbol of her loyalty to the Book Hero.
All of it was gone. As if she'd never even lived here.
"Yomogi…" Kizuna rested a hand on the girl's shoulder sadly. Yomogi looked to be on the verge of sobbing at what she was seeing.
"^%$#, does this mean that we got tricked after all?" Itsuki gritted his teeth as he continued to look around. "This place looks completely abandoned!"
Kizuna turned to glare at the Bow Hero for his insensitivity on the matter. But before she could say anything…
"Wait, these doors… They have our names on them." Glass pointed out from the hallway.
"Huh?" Kizuna left Yomogi's room and looked outside again.
"Yeah, she's right," Itsuki said as he walked up next to Glass as well, struggling to read the characters with his limited knowledge.
There was a placard on the door that the Spirit Woman stood in front of. It had Kizuna written on it.
"What the…?" Kizuna walked up and opened the door. Only to pause in the doorway.
Unlike the previous rooms, this one was still completely furnished.
The bed had blankets and pillows with colorful fish designs etched into the fabric on them. There were also slots in the walls for fishing poles and hats to hang from. A nightstand had several different books on fish and fish monsters from their world resting on top of it. When Kizuna opened one, she found the books also contained detailed pictures of each species of fish.
Everything in the room spoke attention and detail to what Kizuna would have liked, including the colors.
"What… what is this?" Kizuna asked in disbelief before turning her head toward Yomogi.
The girl sighed and looked down, a sad look on her face. "Kyo… He had these guest rooms made, in case he ever felt like inviting you over."
Kizuna looked stunned. But Glass had already moved on to the next door in the hallway. One with a placard that had her name on it.
Opening it, she found an oriental furnished room perfectly suited for her tastes. There was space for her to practice her dancing with her fans, as well as a sewing table with different fabrics and needles resting on it for her sewing hobby. On top of the other furniture in the room, there was a door that connected to Kizuna's room, and a loveseat placed in the corner next to the door that would have fit her and Kizuna.
The spirit woman trembled slightly and stepped back at the creepily painstaking attention to detail that Kyo had put into her own guest room. And as the group continued down the hallway, it wasn't just rooms for Glass and Kizuna that they found.
There was a room for L'Arc, placed next to a room for Therese. Though Therese's had a lock on her side that she could engage if she wanted. There were rooms for more of Kizuna's friends that Kyo had interacted with before and after the war against the Demon Dragon.
Near the end of the hallway, Ethnobalt opened the door to his own room. It wasn't nearly as elaborately furnished as the others, as the rabbit-man maintained a humble existence when it came to his personal living space. But he still paused and walked into the room to examine the titles on a couple of bookshelves that were inside.
"I… I remember this one." He said as he pulled out what looked like a picture book before opening it.
Kizuna, who'd walked in with him as well, gasped and had to blink tears out of her eyes as she recognized it too.
"What is that?" Hoshi asked curiously.
"It looks like a kid's picture book to me," Daitan muttered.
"What's so special about a… oh." Akane trailed off, already formulating a guess based on what she knew about Kizuna, and about how she'd been summoned far earlier than she and the others had.
"This was the first book that Ethnobalt read to me when I had trouble sleeping alone soon after I came to this world." Kizuna smiled as more tears appeared in her eyes. "It's about a duckling that had lost his original family to predators.
"He tried to act like he didn't care and wanted to do his own thing at first. But then, he met some other animals. And he learned from them how to accept what'd happened in the past and to move on towards the future together.
"By the end, those animals he'd met had become his new family…"
The Heroes there slowly blinked.
That sounded… a lot more comprehensive than what a children's picture book would normally sound like.
"I remember telling Kyo about it in one of our conversations. But I never…" Ethnobalt trailed off.
…
After looking the rooms over again, everyone had mixed feelings about what this all meant. Was the Book Hero some kind of delusional stalker?
Or…?
…
Ethnobalt reluctantly placed the book back on the shelf. And, after resting an arm over a trembling Kizuna's shoulders, they rejoined everyone else and continued down the hallway.
Past the guest bedrooms and… eventually, after another minute of searching, they stopped in front of what was supposed to be the Book Hero's study, according to Yomogi.
Naofumi opened the door while holding his Shield up.
They were once again greeted with another empty room. The windows on the opposite wall were open and a gentle breeze coming from outside was making the white drapes sway in the wind. A solid wall of white mist outside cast the study in a dim and eerie light.
A lone, empty bookcase stood against the left wall. And next to it was…
"A secret passage?" Itsuki blinked in realization. The bookcase had been slid aside, judging by the markings on the wall next to it. A stone arch surrounded the entrance and steps going down were barely visible from the dim light coming from outside.
"Wha…?" Yomogi stared at the opening dumbfoundedly.
"I'll take it you didn't know about this one?" Naofumi narrowed his eyes as he took a few steps forward while still on guard.
"No. Kyo always worked on his projects in this room. I never-" The Boarish girl's shoulder just sagged helplessly as she stopped speaking.
"Well then." Naofumi looked away from the dark passage. "Raphtalia, give me a light, and let's head down. If Itsuki's comment from earlier was right and there's nothing down there either, then we'll try to catch up to L'Arc and Therese."
"Of course. [First Light]." Raphtalia quickly conjured a floating ball of warm white light that settled over Naofumi like a miniature sun.
The group began to head down with Naofumi at the lead.
…
…
…
After a long and tense descent through several winding dark passageways, they finally reached some basement area. One last double set of doors greeted them. This time cast from metal.
As soon as the group got close, the doors slid aside with a soft hiss.
The doors and their relatively modern design were strange enough to see already, but what lay beyond them made everyone stop entirely in their tracks.
It was some kind of modern, fully furnished science facility.
"What in the…" Dou-Lon said in surprise.
Most everyone there didn't recognize any of the technology. The only ones who did were the Heroes who had been summoned from Japan. But even they were stunned by it.
"Holy crap, the bastard's got a whole freaking science laboratory down here!" Itsuki gaped.
"Well, if there was any further confirmation needed that Male Bitch was from Earth, then there it is." Naofumi's grimace grew as he stepped past the doors. Kizuna seemed like she wanted to say something in response but closed her mouth tightly and just followed after him.
This was not the medieval alchemy lab they were expecting. Rather, the floors and walls were made of metal. And the tech surrounding them was all that you'd find in a modern lab. From the bunsen burners on tables to microscopes processing various samples as computers next to them ran calculations none of them could ever hope to understand.
Yes, there were computers there. It looked like they were built specifically to handle lab work instead of the many things Naofumi had preferred to do back home. But that was the damn truth.
There were some tables not holding any of these devices. Rather, they seemed dedicated to crafting and the like, as they were messy with books and notes and materials and all sorts of things. On one such table, Itsuki spotted crates full of discarded Spear and Sword weapons similar to the ones that Trash's harem had been wielding.
There were plenty of other devices there, ones like the computers that should have been impossible to have, but which were not only active but being powered thanks to Gem Energy.
All of them had to pause for more than a few seconds, taking it all in.
There was another thing that caught their attention, however.
Around them were capsules filled with liquid. They looked straight out of a lab in their world, with wiring and pipes connected to the tops and bottoms of them. Inside, naked human bodies floated in suspended animation.
Each one looked exactly like the madman who so desperately tried to steal the Vassal Katana a few weeks ago.
"Well, $%^& me. He's got cloning tech figured out too. No wonder that spirit person was convinced." Naofumi remarked offhandedly to Glass.
"I'm nearly convinced of it myself," Glass replied in a troubled tone.
"Whatever you two are talking about, save it for later." Itsuki raised his weapon. "He's here."
Naofumi immediately looked at where Itsuki was pointing. A lone figure was visible next to the wall of the far end of the lab.
It was slouching on a tall wooden chair reminiscent of a throne while looking at them smugly.
But the impression of power coming from Ko clashed with what the Book Hero actually looked like. His wrinkled clothing was dirty and covered in multiple stains. His hair was a frizzled mess too. In place of his usual gilded pair of lenseless glasses, some kind of old and well-used black set was resting on his nose.
A scowl came onto Naofumi's face as he heard Kyo speak to them in person again for the first time in a while.
"Welcome! Welcome, Heroes both of this and the other world! Allow me to apologize to you in advance for the lackluster surroundings.
"You see, I had a nice and proper throne room set up in Luvar's assembly house where my mimic was supposed to entertain you for a while. It would have acted as a grand backdrop to our epic final battle, but alas, you've seen through my attempts at deceiving you.
"And now, here you are, at my actual secret lair, ready to face me for real, save the world, and get your 'good ending'! Well done!"
"Kyo what are you-" Yomogi started, her voice filled with confusion and sadness.
"Oh, yes, of course!" Kyo looked up and snapped his fingers as if in realization. "Sorry for taking a while to get to the door earlier, Yomogi. I was very distracted in doing some last-minute preparations and didn't hear the doorbell. And don't worry about having been forced to lead everyone here, I know you didn't have a choice. Now, where was I… ah, right! [First Pull]!"
"What are you-wah!" Yomogi suddenly shouted in surprise as her body was flung off the ground and launched forward at the Book Hero before anyone could react.
Thankfully, she didn't smash into the wall and stopped in front of Kyo, before being gently set down on the floor again.
"And now, [Contract Termination]!" Kyo shouted as he ripped a page out of his Vassal Book and slapped it over Yomogi's back where Kizuna's Order Ofuda was.
In a flash of light, both slips of paper disappeared without a trace.
"Kyo, wait, I-" Yomogi tried to speak but Kyo pulled out a sword from his Book's gem next and thrust it into her hands.
"Yes, yes, I know. I missed you too. But save it for later, okay? We have some guests to entertain here. Oh, and do try not to lose your sword or give it away to anyone this time, alright? I can't exactly make them by the dozen, you know?" Kyo spoke hastily in a hushed tone close to the girl before turning to face the Heroes again.
"Sorry about that." He clapped his hands. "Now, back to business! For the first part of our epic final battle, I was thinking that we could-"
The metallic sound of a sword being unsheathed interrupted whatever he was trying to say.
Kyo cocked his head to the side in confusion and looked down at the sword that was pointed at him.
"Yomogi, what are you doing? You're supposed to point your weapon at them, not at-"
"KYO, WHAT THE ^%$# ARE YOU DOING!?" Yomogi roared and raised the sword further up, pointing it at the Book Hero's throat while interrupting him.
"The mutagen's side effects! The monsters that attacked us outside!
"The exploding weapons! This weird place we're in and these… these things floating in these glass jars!
"Is this some kind of sick prank?! You think you can just brush me off like-"
"[First Push]." Kyo flicked his wrist forward and Yomogi was launched backward toward the group of Heroes.
"I got her!" Kizuna's fishing line lashed out, wrapping around Yomogi and catching her out of the air before she could fly into a wall or one of the nearby canisters.
With a pull of her rod, Kizuna then brought Kyo's retainer safely back onto solid ground. She even landed on her feet, though as Glass ran up to make sure she was okay, Yomogi still looked shocked at what'd just happened.
"Yomogi, don't swear. That's not very cute." The Book Hero frowned and leaned back into his chair. "As for the rest of your questions, all in due time. As I was saying, there is still one more opponent I have prepared for you all first. One that I'm pretty sure the others will enjoy getting a rematch with, especially after all the trouble that he caused you before."
The Book Hero's words put almost the entire group on edge. And Itsuki and Naofumi started preparing skills alongside Glass when Kyo snapped his fingers again.
Around them, a strange purple liquid suddenly seeped into the containers holding the bodies of Trash. Almost immediately after, they began writhing around and screaming uncontrollably as their bodies began to transform.
"K… Kyo, what is this?" Kizuna asked in horror.
"Here is a little fun fact. While the Demon Dragon never truly became a Guardian Beast, it was still the prime candidate for the role of the Fourth Guardian Beast in our world." Kyo said as if he was giving an informative lecture. "That aspect in particular was why its magic and its anti-magic abilities were beyond potent. But when combined with this idiot's magical abilities, well…
"Let's just say that given the fact you all have already faced hybrids of the other Three Guardian Beasts.
"Allow me to watch as you take on hybrids of the fourth. The ones that should be the most powerful of the group." Kyo finished with a smile.
The containers around them all shattered at once.
"RAGHHHHH!" The bodies of Trash, distorted beyond comprehension, charged the group of Heroes and their comrades.
Hero Clips!
B1 Battle Spikes
Eh, why not? Since we're already ripping off Star Wars enough as it is.
Far above, the fleets of Luvar and the Coalition were duking it out. Spike-type monsters were fired into the fray one after the other.
Some, however, were not fired up, as they were a different type entirely that would have looked strangely humanoid if not for the fact that they were made out of the same materials as their brethren.
These B1 Spike types were being used to operate the cannons firing their powerful brethren into the sky. Some also stood guard to defend the cannons against attacks from the coalition ships.
"What do you mean the cannon won't fire?" One of the B1 spike-type familiars said in a strangely animated, yet all too familiar robotic voice.
"I mean, the thing is jammed or something. It's not like I know how this thing is supposed to work!" The B1 spike familiar operating the cannon yelled back.
"Let me see." The B1 spike type jumped into the cannon. Looking around in it, before…
"You idiot, I don't see anything wrong in here-"
BOOM!
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The B1 Spike Familiar screamed as it was unexpectedly launched towards the battle up above.
"Heheheheh. Never gets old." The B1 operating the cannon laughed diabolically to itself.
Nearby, two other B1 spike familiars were standing guard. "Huh, there must be something wrong in that one's programming. Glad I'm not the one in charge over there." One of them idly commented.
"Are you kidding? I'd rather be up there having fun than doing boring guard work down here!" The other one argued.
"Fun? We'd be torn to pieces and then self-destruct before we could do anything 'fun'." The first one replied.
"Sounds to me like you're nothing but a coward." The second one said mockingly.
"More like a realist. I prefer down here where it's much safer."
"Whatever, coward." The second one rolled its eyes.
"... wait a second, didn't you volunteer for guard duty?" The first one suddenly asked.
"What are you talking about?" The second one replied nervously.
"Yeah, I remember now. You totally volunteered for guard duty instead of fighting in the city. Who are you to call me a coward?"
"UH, SOMEBODY HAD TO GUARD THE CANNONS!"
"And me and the others couldn't handle it on our own? At least you would have been guaranteed a fight in the city limits. Man, talk about stupid."
Up above, the Coalition ships hunting down the various cannons pulled away from the mountains.
"Well, you know what else is stupid? This conversation!"
"Yes, talking to you has made my IQ drop at least ten points." The first one rolled their eyes at their companion.
"We don't have IQ! We just have what we're programmed with!"
"Sounds like you didn't have much programmed into your head to begin with."
"Th-That's it! I'll show you!" The B1 began to raise its weapon to strike his comrade.
But as he was about to swing it, a wave of ice and snow froze the entire area over.
…
…
After a second, the two B1 spike familiars were shown encased in ice. Somehow, they were still alive.
"What just happened?" The second one asked.
"Wow, way to go distracting us from doing our job, bro." The first one said in a deadpan.
"HOW IS THIS MY FAULT?!" The second one asked.
The two would continue arguing until the mountains were torn up by Corrin's subsequent earth spell.
And thus, no one would ever know that there had been a variant of the spike types that were capable of speech… though that was probably for the best.
Like the B1s, they weren't the brightest bulbs in the shed.
Still, they would have made for some awesome comic relief.
Hero Clips!
I Am Bulletproof!
There was a lot of crack going on right now.
For one, instead of a large group of people fighting in front of Kyo's manor, there was only Naofumi, Itsuki, Raphtalia, and Rishia. The rest were inside Ethnobalt's ship, hunkering down for cover because of the enemy they were facing.
Raphtalia and Rishia were hunkered behind a wall up ahead. Itsuki stood behind a wall with Naofumi.
"Naofumi, are you sure this will work?!" Itsuki turned to yell back at Naofumi.
Multiple beast girls were charging their position. They not only had sheer numbers but Gem Lightning Rifles and Gem Lightning Rocket Launchers in their possession as well.
Itsuki had the Gem Lightning Gatling Gun cameoed earlier in the chapter equipped.
Don't ask how he had it. He just did for the sake of the meme.
"Ahaha, I have no idea!" Naofumi raised an odd-looking laser gun in front of him with a mad grin on his face. The Shield on his arm wasn't zapping him as it technically wasn't a weapon he was holding, and it was powered by a gem-powered battery pack on the Shield Hero's back.
Yep, it was another one of the Shield Hero's crazy plans. But for some reason, Itsuki decided to go along with it.
He flipped a dial on the side of it labeled Zweite Aura X to Uber Charged. The battery pack began to glow as the weapon charged up.
The beast girls came closer and closer, firing their weapons on their positions, until…
Naofumi fired the beam of energy at Itsuki. Who stepped out of cover to meet the enemy's charge.
"YEAHHHHHHHHH AH HA HA!" Itsuki's eyes glowed violet as power surged through his veins. It was like his heart was beating over time!
The minigun in his hands started firing. Mowing down the beast girls immediately in front of him.
Naofumi advanced, still firing the energy beam into Itsuki's back as they walked forward into an oncoming explosion.
But the Bow Hero came out the other end perfectly unharmed. His violet eyes glowed brighter as his beefed-up minigun continued mowing down all their enemies.
Raphtalia and Rishia, also armed with Gem Lightning Rifles for some reason, who had been busy trying to concoct a plan of their own, stared in shock as the two Heroes advanced past them. Itsuki laughed like a madman all the while.
"Ah ha ha ha! I am bulletproof!" Itsuki's minigun continued tearing apart every enemy in his path.
More lightning bullets and rockets hit and exploded around him. But he walked through all the attacks like they were nothing.
It was a complete massacre.
...
Kyo sat in front of his computer, staring at his screen in shock as Itsuki callously stepped onto the head of one of the dead beast girls. Completely absorbed in his blood frenzy while he continued mowing the rest of them down.
The man had no words. He already knew that he couldn't possibly compete with this level of crack.
And so, he did the sensible thing and ran for his life. Before the beefed-up Itsuki could break into his lab and finish him for good.
"I AM BULLETPROOF!"
Though those words would haunt him for the rest of his life.
Till Next Time
Allen
Chapter 16: Fire and Blood
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
- ENTRY #85 -
AH! THE PAIN! I CAN BARELY FOCUS ENOUGH TO WRITE WITH MY LEFT HAND AS IT IS! WHY DID THAT FREAKING SWORD BRAT HAVE TO CUT OFF MY DOMINANT ARM!?
Oh well, it is no matter. I have succeeded in my designs in the end. Even… even if I had to kill so many people to accomplish them. And there's so much more death ahead before it's all said and done.
But at last, I am at the endgame.
My mind feels clearer than it has in years.
So why… what is this feeling gnawing through my chest again?
Why has it come back now after all these years?
- ENTRY #86 -
I just read through some of my previous journal entries.
What… what is going on? Destroy this world, what am I thinking?! That would be exactly what 'they' want!
And I remembered more of what happened while in that other world as well.
L'Arc, Glass, Therese, why did you guys have to be there too?
Why was I trying to kill them…!?
- ENTRY #87 -
Kizuna…
Kizuna… she was found… she's alive.
Somehow, that Shield Hero found her while trying to cross over.
She's… she's…
…
G̸̢̖̫͛̽̇͌̌̍͠ǫ̸̦̯͔̲̪͌̆̊̏̓̅̆̇̿̚͝͝i̷̧̛̪̖̰̥̋͐̐́͊̈́͆͂͑̎̌͆̚n̸̨̬̘̻̟̹̭͔̱̣̦̝͔̉͂̆̆ͅǵ̶̛̙̱̪͛́̂̾̆͐̏͜͝ ̶̡̬̹̫̰͙̣̲̀͑̌̅̇̊̓̈̀ͅt̸̞̩͓̻͇̦̭̝͌̇͆̎́̈́͆̈́͆͜͜͝ͅọ̵̈ ̶̛̙̠͊̔̃́͊͌̉̌̎̐̂̚͝r̶̛̰̝̅̅̒̾́͛̅͐̆̈́̽̄͑ũ̵̫̹̤̹̦̘̞̩͎̮͚͙̹̓͒̿̈́͝ǐ̷͉͚̗͓̖̮̩̦̼̃̿̀̊͊͂n̸̛̳̲͕̫͖͓̜̹͎̺͖̦̝̳͆͒́̍ ̵̫̹̲̬̘̋͗̌́̌́̑̊̎́̅̚̚͝͝ͅę̷͓̥̜̪̙͖͉̒͒̃̉͑͐͂̓̇̽͜v̴͕̘̺̣̣͙͍̟̠̮̩͍͍̖͍̈́̃̈̍̽e̷̯̹̳̼͛̉̌̉̈́̇͑̚r̶̨̮̩̦̗͖̩̝̠̻̤̫̝̉̀̎ͅý̴̛̞͓͉͔̳̘̖̳͇̱͙͇̟̓͆̂̎̈͌̅͘̚͜͠ͅt̸̥̓ĥ̸̡̢̻̼̹̣̰͉̏͐̄̑͂i̸̧͎͍͍̣͓̝͓̪̤͍̅̏̄̌̊̔̓̀͝ṋ̴͖̰͓̱͆̾͐̋͑͛́g̶̝̝̗̜̲̩̺̦̼̻̐͊́͂̍͠!̶̢̨̡̜̮̫̹̥̩̱̥̤̗̑
…
What?
What are these words?
Who wrote this in my journal in my handwriting?
This isn't me.
This shouldn't be coming from me!
"Meteor Shield!" Naofumi immediately summoned his strongest skill, protecting himself and his nearby allies as the horde of homunculi charged into them.
At the start of the surprise battle, Naofumi was focused on what was immediately around him first.
"Zweite Down!" Itsuki chanted, causing a yellow aura to appear around their enemies. "Bunker Shot!"
The spell should have definitely weakened them. But right before Itsuki's follow-up skill could make contact…
"An…Anti-Zweite Down."
The yellow aura around them vanished as one of the creatures finished speaking. Itsuki's skill was dodged as another creature had spoken a spell that covered himself and his brethren with a buff that increased their agility stats. The skill arrow exploded uselessly against a barrier that appeared around the throne that Kyo was sitting on.
"W-What the hell?!" Itsuki stumbled back in shock. There was no way, how had his hero-exclusive debuff magic been canceled out?!
"Raghh, RAGHHHH!" The creatures mindlessly charged into Naofumi's skill shield. Purple flaming fireballs began to appear around some of them.
"Air Strike Shield! Second Shield!" Naofumi summoned two additional barriers that pushed the monsters back and visibly frowned as they cracked under the fireball onslaught. Already, he could tell that this wasn't going to be an easy battle like the one they had outside.
"Alright, time to-" Daitan raised his mace as he charged up a skill.
However, his eyes widened in surprise as one of the Demon Dragon Trash hybrids appeared almost directly in front of him within the blink of an eye. "H-Huh-"
The Blunt Hero's body reacted, trying to twist to the side as bright purple fire surrounded the chimera's clawed hands, but while Daitan managed to avoid the first swing, the second clawed hand of the Trash Homunculi impacted against his armored side.
"GAH!" The Blunt Weapons Hero collapsed, his health bar dropping dangerously low from the one attack.
"Daitan!" Hoshi shouted in fear.
Phoom! Phoom! Phoom!
Akane's gem rifle lit up repeatedly as she unleashed round after round at near point-blank range. However, her shots barely left a scratch on the draco-morph's skin. The trash monster's only reaction was to turn towards her and for a series of fireballs to appear around him. Before the hybrid could launch its attack though…
"All Cannon Fire!"
Ethnobalt's new weapon form, brimming to the teeth with cannons, unleashed a volley of large cannonballs at the creature. However, to the Boat Hero's shock and dismay, his opponent batted the cannonballs to the side like they were nothing more than harmless flies.
"Formation One: Gale Tag!" That gave Hoshi the opening he needed to use his own skill.
While the chimera staggered from the hit, Yomogi brought the new Replica Sword Kyo had given her to bear and stabbed it into the creature. "Dragon Buster!"
The homunculi of Trash screamed as the skill incinerated it from the inside out. Ethnobalt sighed in relief. "Thank you."
Yomogi didn't respond though as she threw herself into the next pair of Chimeras. Putting their attention on her while Akane knelt by the Blunt Hero's side.
"Daitan, you ok?!" Akane asked worriedly.
"Ooooh, that really stings!" The young man said through gritted teeth. His hand was gripping his side.
When Akane lifted it off to look at the damage, her eyes widened in shock. The armor on his side had been torn off entirely by the attack. And his skin was bubbling and bleeding from some really bad burns.
"Ruby's Warmth." She put her hands over his side, focusing on healing the injury. She also took several Healing Crystals out of her weapon and forced her fellow Hero to crush them in his hands so they'd be able to heal him.
More of the draco-morphs charged forward at them. And while Hoshi was unable to assist further as that skill of his was on cooldown, Ethnobalt stepped in between the Cardinal heroes and the monsters with his boat. Changing it to a smaller version of the Invincible he normally used.
It still wasn't great for attacking, but as the monsters' claws and fireballs slammed into it. He barely took any damage on his HUD, and thus served as a wall for the Cardinal Heroes he was protecting while Yomogi continued to unleash hell on the monsters around her.
"Meteor Slash!" Boom!
Her skill missed the creatures but hit the ceiling above them. Part of it collapsed, burying some of the monsters and exposing a part of the sky outside. The remaining trash homunculi still charged Yomogi and Ethnobalt, despite that.
Nearby, seeing the trouble they were in, Naofumi acted. "Raph-Chan, Chris, help them out! Glass, Kizuna, will you be ok on your own?"
"Yes." "Certainly." The two girls responded while dodging a volley of purple fireballs.
"Rafu!" "Pen!" The two shikigamis rushed to assist Ethnobalt in protecting the three Cardinal Heroes.
Glass looked like she was trying to do one of her dances which she normally did when launching her skill "Reverse MoonFlower", but for whatever reason, nothing was coming out of it. A look of frustration appeared on her face. Kizuna barely reacted in time to catch one of the creature's claws inches in front of her face with her blade.
"Fishing!" Kizuna's weapon then changed to a fishing pole, and she hooked one of the creatures by the head. Yet as she pulled back to try and throw it up into the air, she seemed surprised at how hard it was to do.
"Kizuna!" It was Glass's turn to cover for her best friend, jumping in the way and tanking several blasts of purple fire with her fans followed by several clawed strikes from different directions.
Kizuna did manage to throw the Trash Homunculi up into the air and then down to the ground with her skill in the end. But neither she nor Glass had an opening to charge forward and kill him while he was down thanks to the other creatures around him.
"So much for Kyo not targeting the Cardinal Heroes or Kizuna," Naofumi muttered to himself.
Raphtalia could only grimace next to him in response.
Naofumi shook his head and decided to not dwell on it. He instead switched to the Spirit Tortoise Heart Shield and resummoned his Air Strike Shield and Second Shield skills.
This time, the hybrid's attacks, both their fireballs and their magic-covered clawed fists, didn't even manage to crack-
However, before the Shield Hero could think that they would be safe enough now to attack freely from his barriers…
"F… Fireball of Wrath." Several of the creatures chanted out the same spell, and the massive fireball that appeared before them slammed into Naofumi's skill shields.
The two skill shields in front of him were immediately shattered. And the massive fireball only fizzled out after hitting and cracking his Meteor Shield.
Naofumi was forced to step back along with Raphtalia and the others as the hybrids pounded the area in front of him with more high-powered area-of-effect attacks.
…
No way. Just how the hell were they this powerful?! The Spirit Tortoise Heart Shield was supposed to be the strongest shield in his arsenal outside of the Shield of Wrath III!
"D-Daddy!" Filo yelled in a frightened tone above him. "Does Daddy remember how Filo said that Trash Guy's magic would be a lot stronger if Trash Guy chanted?!"
"Is that why he's so freakishly strong right now?" Naofumi asked.
"It isn't just that. Whatever Book Idiot injected Trash Guy with, it's boosting his magic potential to levels Filo didn't think was possible for Trash Guy!"
Filo was attempting to sing as well while talking to her Dad using the second and third set of vocal cords her current monster form granted to her. A magical glow surrounded the others fighting in and around his Meteor Shield for their very survival.
However, soon after this glow appeared, another homunculi creature would join in, singing in some cursed rendition of Filo's voice. And the humming fairy's magic would vanish, removing the buffs it granted. Filo was singing at least three different songs simultaneously to try and counteract the enemy's magic potential, but nothing she tried so far was working.
As well as that, Glass's frustration seemed to be mounting. "Kizuna, I can't get my Performance Magic going! I'm not able to use any of my stronger attacks!"
"Damn it! I'll think of something! Just keep trying!" Kizuna shouted back to her best friend.
"Reverse MoonFlower!" Glass began slashing the air in front of her over and over again. The skill wasn't as fast or as powerful as her usual one though. The attacks only left small injuries on the enemy.
While Filo tried to buff everyone, one of her buffs affecting Maya disappeared right as the girl's illusion surrounding her was dispersed. The raccoon girl had been trying to sneak attack an enemy with her kunai, but her sudden reappearance and visible drop in speed caused her to stumble. The creature she'd been sneaking up on turned on her with a wicked grin on its face as massive purple flames surrounded its clawed hands to strike her.
"Dritte Shield!" Naofumi's skill shield appeared just in time, blocking the brunt of the attack meant for the self-proclaimed kunoichi and it allowed her to jump out of the way before the skill Shield shattered completely from the fierce onslaught.
"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!" Aksel's axe followed up, burying itself into the creature's skull while it was distracted.
To the knight's surprise, the attack landed and the creature fell over, brain matter splattering everywhere from its caved-in skull.
Before Aksel could revel in his victory though, a murky purple essence came out from the dead homunculi. It flew towards another glass container that rose out of the ground and held yet another transformed Trash homunculi that hadn't awoken yet for some reason.
As soon as the murky substance went into it though, the clone's eyes shot open. And the casing around it exploded outwards as it screeched and threw itself into the battle.
"Oh, come on! How the hell does that even work?!" Aksel screamed in annoyance as he adjusted his stance to block an attack from another Trash Homunculi before ducking to avoid being roasted by a barrage of deadly purple fireballs from the homunculi that'd just awakened.
"I… I do not understand what I am seeing," Glass stated worriedly as she managed to outflank and bisect another creature around that time with her fans, before being forced to fall back to avoid being overwhelmed by a group of different attacks.
While the creature she'd killed slumped over and died, the same purple murky thing Aksel had seen before flew out of it before shortly entering another homunculi creature that hadn't awoken yet before it too joined the battle.
And, looking at where Yomogi was fighting, several more chimeras were lying dead on the ground. But the amount she, Raph-Chan, and Chris were fighting to protect Ethnobalt and the others wasn't lessening in the slightest. "Are these… souls?" Glass asked out loud.
Her question went unanswered.
It was a back-and-forth battle with the Heroes and their allies mostly being forced onto the defensive against the enemy's surprisingly powerful magical prowess and ability to tank most of the hits they dealt to them.
"Blood Flower Strike!" Kizuna's skill managed to slash two Trash Homunculi monsters in half simultaneously. She then switched to her fishing pole and used Lure Needle to apply damage multipliers to some of the other opponents they were facing.
"Kizuna! Behind you!" Glass suddenly turned and yelled.
"Bunker Shield!" Naofumi, though he hadn't wanted to pull it out just yet, was forced to use one of the new shield skills he'd acquired to protect Kizuna from the pair of Trash Homunculi that'd appeared from an illusion behind them. Their fists slammed into the shield barrier, but Kizuna remained safe inside.
"Float Katana!" A second katana appeared in Raphtalia's other hand as she showed up behind the two monsters. "Brave Blade: Mist!"
Her two katanas slashed simultaneously, forming a cross that bisected both monsters. The same strange murky substances as before came out of their bodies though, heading towards fresh vessels for them to inhabit that had risen out of the floor.
"Thanks, I owe you one," Kizuna said shakily to the Katana Hero.
Raphtalia nodded and dashed forward again as more Trash Homunculi ran at them. As she did so, she noticed that their attention seemed to focus on her in particular instead of the Hunting Tools Hero.
Kizuna, after looking around and seeing more capsules rising from the ground, as well as seeing how those homunculi that died would just come back to life in a different body, decided that fighting an endless wave of these creatures wouldn't do them any good. So she used her fishing pole to grapple herself up towards the ceiling and throw herself across the battlefield to the remaining capsules popping out of the ground.
A few trash homunculi saw her separate from the group and grew wings from their backs to chase after her. But besides that, the rest stayed focused on Naofumi and those with him.
"Eagle Piercing Shot!" Itsuki pulled the string back on his bow and unleashed his defense-piercing skill into one of the monsters that was battering on Naofumi's Meteor Shield. The Bow Hero watched it fall to the ground, only for a fresh chimera to come out of a nearby capsule to replace it.
"Those spread skills of yours would be a really good idea right about now, I think!" Naofumi shouted at the Bow Hero. He then used Royal Shield in an effort to push the monsters back. Thankfully, it managed to do so before the skill itself shattered under their onslaught.
"Get more space between us and them and I'll try it! Otherwise, I'm just going to kill us all with friendly fire!" Itsuki shouted back as he used Erst Arrow to hit another monster.
"Huah!" Raphtalia slashed through another one of the monsters. Finally, she ducked into Naofumi's skill shield as it became near impossible to handle all the monsters that'd been converging on her.
Naofumi renewed the Meteor Shield surrounding him. But even as he did so, six more of these Trash homunculi creatures threw themselves at Raphtalia, cracking the outside of the skill again.
"RAGGHHHH!" "MYYYYYYY!" "OURRRRRRRRRR!" "WEAPONNNNNNNNN!" They all screeched nearly simultaneously, their multiple voices overlapping each other to form a distinct and disturbing echo.
The shock of it made Raphtalia freeze up. "N… Naofumi." Her body shook with revulsion and horror.
Naofumi didn't verbally respond. Instead, he pulled Raphtalia behind him, placing his body between these creatures and his girlfriend right as his skill shattered.
It'd shattered in less than fifteen seconds too. Meaning his cooldown timer for it hadn't finished yet. Itsuki was forced to back away as well. None went after him, thankfully. Instead, all the chimeras converged on Naofumi, or rather, on Raphtalia, whom he was protecting.
"RAGGHHHH!" "GIVE US!" "OUR!" "WEAPONNNNNNNNNN!" The nightmarish creatures crashed into Naofumi's body and Shield, pushing him back and threatening to overwhelm his defenses.
"Rishia!" Itsuki called out.
"Ha!" Dou-Lon and Rishia, who'd been busy holding the line at their part of the battlefield next to Glass, ran behind the monsters, slicing through them before they could try and bring the Shield Hero down.
Itsuki, for his part, joined as well by ducking under the creature's fireball barrage, closing the distance between them before bashing him in the face with the legendary bow by using it like a knuckle duster.
A little unorthodox, to be sure, but it knocked the creature back and off balance. Making it a simple job for Itsuki to follow up and dispatch it with Second Arrow right afterward.
"You alright, Sir Naofumi?" Dou-Lon asked.
"Yeah, thanks Dou-Lon. Itsuki. Meteor Shield." The blue barrier appeared around the group again, just before the other Trash Homunculi could throw themselves at him again. Dou-Lon nodded before rushing forward again with his katana held at his side.
"Itsuki?" Rishia rushed up to the Bow Hero as well. "Your shoulder."
Confused, the Bow Hero looked down and saw that he hadn't entirely avoided the fireball attack from earlier. His skin was lightly burned, though nowhere near as badly as what Daitan had suffered. Glancing at the accessory Naofumi had given him on his bowstring, the Bow Hero felt grateful for the large defense boost it gave him.
"I'm fine. It's just a scratch, don't worry." Itsuki smiled encouragingly at the green-haired girl. "You're doing great, by the way. Keep it up."
The worry disappeared from the girl's face, and she smiled brightly before turning around to help defend Itsuki and Naofumi from further attacks.
Glass, for her part, was doing well enough on her own now that she had the proper room to dance and maneuver around without worrying about allies getting in the way of her attacks. And thanks to the Trash homunculi all focusing on Raphtalia for that moment of time, a familiar-looking glow had begun to surround her, Naofumi thought she was about to unleash her signature move.
However, her dance looked different than before. And then, much to his surprise, distinct Will-o'-wisp-looking flames began to appear around the spirit woman.
The Trash homunculi refocused on her too late.
"Flame Stance Rondo: Fierce Flutter!"
As she stepped forward, thrusting with her fans, bright fiery feathers appeared all around her. These same feathers then sped forward through the ethereal flames she'd made, catching on fire before they went on to stab into the various creatures over and over again.
The cloned chimera howls, rambles, and chants cut off into screeches of pain and agony as, while the attack didn't kill them, they were left heavily damaged by the feathers. And, as if to rub extra salt into the wound, some of those hit by the feathers also caught on fire, with bright red flames covering their entire bodies and damaging them further.
Glass sagged a little after the attack ended, but afterward, she straightened out again and rushed forward into the mass of burning creatures. She used her fans to dispatch them while they were distracted by their wounds.
Fierce Flutter had been a move that Glass had obtained from the Vermillion Bird Guardian Beast of her world. However, due to how much energy it consumed to use the skill, she hadn't pulled it out in many battles before.
However, the accessory that Naofumi made for the Spirit Woman had increased her own supply of energy to the point where she could use it without collapsing in exhaustion immediately afterward. Drenching herself in a Soul Healing Water also helped to restore the energy she'd lost using that powerful attack.
As for why she couldn't use it sooner… these demon dragon hybrids weren't just canceling out Filo's Singing Performance Magic. They were also somehow canceling out her Dance Performance Magic.
Fierce Flutter's true effectiveness came when it was paired up with Flame Stance Rondo. It'd only been because she finally had an opening where they weren't focused on her that she was able to use the full Flame Stance Rondo: Fierce Flutter combo at that moment.
Either way, the attack helped to make things a lot simpler for the Heroes, as they were finally able to begin pushing back all of the homunculi of Trash. Killing them off at a rate that kept them from being overwhelmed by the new hybrids joining the battle.
With so many of them burning or dealing with wounds simultaneously, Filo's singing was finally able to start buffing the Heroes while debuffing their enemies once again. It also made things easier as Itsuki was finally given enough room to use skills like "Air Strike Spread" and "Saint Arrow's Rain" which worked even in the confines of the underground lab to dish out damage to multiple targets.
The only one of them having a bit of trouble was Dou-Lon because his katana looked very similar to the weapon form that Raphtalia currently had equipped. This made multiple trash homunculi try to attack the tiger man, as they mistook his weapon to be the Vassal Katana.
However, just like he had done when facing the girls of Trash's harem while in the Capital, the hakuko male weaved through various magic and physical attacks. Striking calmly only when the rhythm of battle allowed him to do so. And because of his efforts, the Homunculi were slow to regain their numerical advantage.
Ethnobalt stayed back protecting Akane, Daitan, and Hoshi, who didn't try to participate any further in the battle this time around. And while Raph-Chan and Chris managed to deal with all the Demon Dragon Trash Homunculi that'd been attacking him previously, the real surprise contributor to their side of the battlefield was Yomogi.
The girl charged around like a burning bulldozer, spamming her new replica's skills with wild and reckless abandon while constantly screaming in fury loud enough to even overpower the volume of the roars of their opponents.
While looking at it from the corner of his eye, the Shield Hero couldn't help but wonder once again who the hell this woman was. She was able to keep up with and sometimes even beat Raphtalia and Rishia in terms of the sheer damage that was being dealt. Was she some kind of natural prodigy too, like Rishia? Was that why Kyo kept her around?
Despite these advantages, and despite Kizuna working in the background to fight off the Trash Homunculi chasing her while also destroying the capsules around her, the battle was drawn out for another few minutes. And over that period of time, Naofumi figured out some disturbing details about their opponents.
They were, of course, capable of using chantless magic, just like the original Trash could. But some of them chanted out their spells, and those were the ones he really had to look out for, as those spells were capable of tearing through his various defenses. On top of that, they were able to counter all sorts of magic. It was super annoying as the Aura spell he'd cast on everyone while outside the mansion wore off and when he tried to reapply it, one of the chimeras was able to dispel it and hit them with a debuff spell instead.
That was also around the time when the Homunculi began to press forward again. Slowly putting them back on the defensive.
Filo had to switch from trying to buff everyone to countering the creature's debuff magic again. Which, in all honesty, she had the best shot at doing, since she was super capable of reading magic on the fly. Naofumi, Itsuki, and Raphtalia definitely struggled while holding the line against the main brunt of Trash Homunculi.
Dou-Lon, Rishia, and Glass, on the other hand, were having the most success. Debuff spells did little to affect the spirit woman due to her race, while Dou-Lon and Rishia were very experienced when it came to fighting up close like this.
"Spiral Strike!" Rishia's katana let out a familiar attack that eviscerated the homunculi in front of her over and over repeatedly.
Dou-Lon said nothing as a Trash homunculi tried to grab his weapon. The hakuko merely turned himself sideways, moving beside the enemy who overextended itself before bringing his weapon down and slicing off the homunculi's head. He then spun around again, avoiding another homunculi's claws before his blade stabbed through the creature's chest.
"Arrow Spread!"
Itsuki used another spread skill that peppered the forward homunculi while simultaneously aiming at and disabling other capsules trying to rise up out of the ground, making Kizuna's job in the background easier. That girl was still fighting off two of the flying hybrids while destroying whatever capsules she could.
Yet even with Itsuki managing to use the spread skill without hitting any of their allies, those murky substances went through the floor instead, and more Demon Dragon Trash Homunculi tore themselves out from the ground trying to get at them.
"Is there any way to make these bastards die permanently!?" Naofumi yelled out of frustration. He was taking a moment to down another Soul Healing Water, but he hadn't expected to use so many of them while facing Kyo's 'cannon fodder'.
"I'm… I'm not sure." Glass watched as another one of her opponent's souls flew from the body she'd just killed.
The truly strange thing for her was that it felt like it wasn't multiple souls that they were fighting. But rather, one that was spread out across multiple bodies.
… such a thing should not have been possible. "If we want to stop their resurrection, we will either need to destroy the remaining homunculi, or find a way to prevent these souls from reaching them."
As Rishia killed another Trash Homunculi, she heard Glass's words and an idea came to her mind. When the murky substance came out to fly away, she pulled out a Summon Ofuda and threw it at the next capsule the soul was escaping towards.
A Soul Eater sprang to life from the ofuda. And the murky substance was eaten up by it with a crunch in a satisfying display of brutality.
The other Trash Homunculi instantly turned their attacks on the summon, killing it before it had a chance to do further damage.
But the fact that a new Trash Homunculi didn't join the battle was all the proof that Rishia needed. "Those things are definitely souls! If you destroy them, new enemies won't join the battle!"
Itsuki gave her a proud thumbs up before switching to his Soul Eater Bow. He stopped attacking the monsters at that point and focused on sniping their souls out of the air whenever Glass, Kizuna, Raphtalia, or the others killed one.
"I… I can help too!" Hoshi switched to a different ofuda weapon form behind Ethnobalt's protective ship, where Akane was still hard at work healing Daitan's side. And he threw out two ofuda that also summoned Soul Eaters that joined the fray, devouring the soul wisps emerging from the trail of bodies that Yomogi, Chris, and Raph-Chan were leaving behind them.
Akane and Daitan couldn't do much besides stay back and watch the remainder of the battle play out. But fortunately, it didn't last for much longer.
The Trash Homunculi began to grow fewer and fewer in number between Itsuki sniping them or Hoshi's Soul Eaters devouring them. They were finally nearing the end of it.
And then, when it was down to the last few, as the Heroes prepared to wipe them out once and for all…
The chimeras slumped over and died.
…
Not from wounds, or magic, or anything else. They died on the spot and fell over like puppets that just had their strings cut.
This confused everyone. And then, that same purple murky substance from before came out of their bodies. And it was only then that Glass realized why they'd looked so strange.
She couldn't recognize if it was part of one soul or multiple souls as it looked like the souls were decomposing before her eyes. As these last bits of soul hovered in the air, the demon dragon serum that'd given them such great power finally finished consuming the soul fragments. Making them dissolve fully into fine dust particles that disappeared into the air.
…
…
They all continued to stare. Confused, and maybe even a little disgusted.
The bodies of Trash littered the ground all over. There were many, many different capsules lying in ruin across the floor of the lab. Tables full of research or various projects had been upturned or flat-out obliterated. Nothing on the floor around them had been untouched. Only the area around Kyo inside his barrier had remained unaffected.
Naofumi and the others looked like a mess compared to the Book Hero, who was still sitting on his throne. During the whole fight, his smug smile never left his face as he observed them.
Strangely enough, he didn't seem to be mad or even annoyed in the slightest at the loss of his clone servants. Nor had he moved or done anything since the start of the battle.
Part of it could have been the scientist in him wanting to witness another experiment of his in action. Or, perhaps, he was satisfied to have watched Trash die over and over again in so many different and brutal ways.
Either way, Trash was permanently dead this time. They would never have to deal with him again. And as Kyo stood up, the barrier that'd appeared around his throne at the start of the exchange vanished. He spread his arms out wide as a creepy grin spread across his face.
"Hmmm, fufufufufu, it certainly took you all long enough to deal with such a simple-"
A streak of light tore straight through Kyo's throat and caused a few of the tiles on the wall behind him to shatter loudly, as the glowing magic arrow from the legendary bow impacted against them.
"Itsuki!" Kizuna screamed at the Bow Hero as she rushed back to the group.
"Not this time, you son of a bitch." Itsuki spoke in a dry voice. Completely ignoring the glare Kizuna was giving him. "No more stalling. Get off your &%#$^%& chair and get ready to die!"
Unfortunately, the major injury Itsuki inflicted on the Book Hero had already healed. This caused most of the people there to frown, and Itsuki sighed. "Right, of course, he regained his ability to regenerate. No wonder the bastard just sat there the whole time and watched while looking all smug. I &^%&%$ hate him."
"Fuehhhh! Itsuki!" Rishia looked at her Hero in shock.
However, Kyo was not smiling smugly anymore and was instead scowling at Itsuki. "You know, I'd feel angrier about this cheap shot, but I really should have anticipated that you'd do this again after how you greeted my mimic in Lazuli last time.
"Still, it's good to know that your trigger-happy, opportunistic, violent, and psychopathic tendencies are still as strong as ever, Bow Hero. They will serve you well today. And F.Y.I. Yes, I did figure out how to replicate the Tortoise's regeneration effect outside of it. Wanna learn how?"
"We don't care." Naofumi glared as he stepped forward next, raising his Shield in front of him. "Just stop blabbering and fight us already."
"Wait, Naofumi!" Kizuna yelled at him.
"Fufufufu! So eager to get into the battle then?!" Kyo's vassal book opened by itself on his waist ominously. "Ah, but there's so much more that I have planned! So much left for me to say! But very well, if you're truly going to give me no other choice, then-"
"KYO! STOP!"
The loud voice that rang out then made both sides pause. Kyo especially.
Yomogi pushed herself to the front of the group, even shoving Naofumi out of the way. She glared up at the Book Hero. "Enough of this! What the hell are you doing all this for?!"
"You said we'd be ending the Waves together! That we'd make a peaceful world for everyone to live in! I can't say anything for these Otherworld savages accompanying them, but Kizuna and the other three Cardinal Heroes are here to talk, not fight!" Yomogi continued yelling, heated passion filling her tone.
"So why… why do all this?! Why act like a Demon Lord when we all want to end the Waves?!" Yomogi pleaded, tears falling from her eyes as she looked desperately at her Hero. The man who'd taken her in when they were children so long ago.
…
…
"Hmhm… Hmhmhmhmhmhmhm!" Kyo began to chuckle maliciously and looked away from Yomogi. "Yomogi, you really should learn your place, you annoying tramp."
The green-haired woman stepped back. A look of shock painted itself on her face. "K… Kyo?"
Kyo's chuckling turned into full-on laughter. "Honestly! Since when did you become audacious enough to start talking back to me like that?! I've tolerated your presence so far because you were sort of useful as a human paperweight for me to leave on whatever crap I couldn't be bothered with at the time. But what good are you for now if all it took for you to turn on me was spending a short vacation in Sickle?"
Kyo's face took on a crazed look while his eyes continued to look up at one of the lamps on the ceiling. Kizuna looked just as horrified as Yomogi did, but Glass was already charging up a skill with her fans. She looked ready to attack the Book Hero at any moment.
"You trash! You worthless pile of garbage! Did you actually think that you ever meant anything to me? That I cared about your worthless opinions? No! Not as kids, and certainly not now!
"You were always just an asset! A tool for me to use and discard! Just some damaged goods that I picked off the floor on a whim! You stupid, naive, bullheaded moron!"
"K… No. Why are y-" Yomogi began to stutter. Struggling to hold her sword up while trying not to cry.
"Kyo, stop-" Kizuna tried to speak again.
"No! I've been waiting for years to get this off my chest! So now, I am going to say it for the whole world to hear!" Kyo howled gleefully, his face twisting unnaturally. "Yomogi, you're-"
THUD!
"ENOUGH!" Ethnobalt shouted after slamming the butt of his staff into the tiled floor of the lab with enough force to crack it.
…
The Book Hero didn't finish his sentence and simply turned his head to look at the Boat Hero with an indiscernible expression.
Ethnobalt floated forward until he was beside Yomogi, his hand then reached out and planted itself firmly on the girl's shoulder in a reassuring way. But Ethnobalt's eyes were focused only on the Book Hero in front of them throughout it.
Naofumi and Itsuki were confused. But when Ethnobalt spoke again, his tone was clear, and his voice was hard.
"Kyo, stop this farce.
"You and I both know that you're a terrible liar."
…
…
…
The rabbit-man's challenging words were met with a long drawn-out silence.
Naofumi's shield lowered slightly, as did Itsuki's bow. They weren't sure who to believe right now. Kyo, who'd clearly been showing how evil he was. Or Ethnobalt's cold, hard declaration of what he considered fact.
But then, to their surprise… Kyo began to chuckle again. Only, it was missing the maliciousness it'd held before. "Oh? Are you saying that I'm lying, Ethnobalt, my esteemed colleague? And what, pray tell, makes you so certain of it?"
"The fact that you never look a person in the eye when you're lying to them." The rabbitman continued to defiantly glare at the Book Hero. "At least, not when it's someone whose opinions you value."
"So if you really mean everything that you've said, then repeat it again, but this time look this woman in the eyes when you're doing it, Kyo! She does not deserve to be hurt like this unless you believe what you're saying is the cold absolute truth!"
Yomogi's tear-filled eyes looked up at the librarian rabbit and then up at the Book Hero again.
…
After another tense moment of thoughtful consideration, Kyo looked away and began to chuckle once more. The malicious aura around him fell away entirely as he continued to laugh in a good-natured way.
"My goodness! Is it really that simple? How embarrassing! I truly had no idea, but thinking back on it, you're absolutely right, Ethnobalt!
"Ah, then again, I was never much good at this whole social interaction thing. That's why I always preferred to rely on Yomogi in regard to such matters." The Book Hero shook his head again and smiled as he looked at the girl again.
"Forgive me for my harsh words from earlier, Yomogi. Believe me, the last thing that I wanted was for you to end up here. To see what I was actually working on. To be caught up in this whole mess and risk your life for my sake. But now that you've seen it, I figured it would be better if you thought that I'd always hated you. So that your hands wouldn't tremble and your heart wouldn't hesitate the next time you'd be forced to point your weapon at me."
"Wh… What?" Yomogi asked, still blinking tears out of her eyes. "What do you mean, Kyo? What are you working on?"
Naofumi shook his head and raised his shield again. There was no way that this guy would actually spill anything after all that happened.
"The same thing I've been working towards ever since Kizuna was kidnapped by the Mirror Hero and thrown into the infinite labyrinth. I've been working to end the Waves, Yomogi. As for how…? Well, you've already seen all the cloning vats, the soul manipulations, the various ways that I've harnessed the powers of soul energy, and whatnot.
"The ultimate result of all that research is creating a new immortal and invincible physical vessel for me to inhabit. And then power it up with the soul energy that I took from their world." Kyo pointed a finger at Naofumi and the other Heroes.
…
Itsuki's bow slacked in his grip. He looked stunned, just like most of the others there. Glass, Naofumi, Rishia, and Kizuna were grimacing, however. It appeared that the spirit woman's theory hadn't been too far off the mark after all.
But the most surprising part was how readily Kyo was divulging this important info now all of a sudden.
"But… but how would that work, Kyo? I don't understand." Yomogi sniffled, looking lost. "Why did you not want me to know about it if that's all it is? Is the body you're making the device that'll help to end the Waves? How will that cause worldwide calamities that'll require uniting the whole world to be prepared for them?"
"And what about those girls you sent with me to Sickle?! Why did you give them weapons that turned them into suicide bombers?! Why did the enhancement drugs turn them into monsters that turned them against each other?!
"Please, I want to believe in you! Just like before, but I can't accept everything that you've been doing! Did you really try to murder the other Cardinal Heroes in Lapis?!"
"Shhh, patience, Yomogi. One thing at a time." Kyo said in a surprisingly gentle tone, cutting the girl off from saying any more.
"Regarding the weapons, aside from yours, they were meant to self-destruct, yes. I designed them as expendable single-use things that would fall apart, once they ran out of energy so that no one could reverse-engineer them afterward.
But in my rush to cut corners, I didn't quite fully remove the spike familiar's original programming. So instead of just breaking apart, like intended, they ended up exploding at their full force. I used them as a base for the weapons, due to their unique properties of being able to channel energy from earth veins, and since I had a lot of them leftover."
"Th… Then, had you known about it, would you have called us back so you could fix them?" Yomogi asked hopefully.
…
…
"Kyo?" Yomogi asked, her voice breaking.
"No. In the end, those women were just a bunch of useful idiots. Nothing more, nothing less." Kyo shook his head. "Even if the attack failed, I knew that Kizuna would take you in and that L'Arc would spare you. Either way, this would have put you out of the picture for a while. That's what I cared about more than anything else with that particular plan. Making sure that you'd be out of harm's way for the endgame.
"Though, I guess it'd be hard to fulfill that now unless I were to send you to another world first."
"As for the new body I have developed. Yes, it is the device that I mentioned that will save our world." Kyo continued. "It will do so by granting me the abilities of a physical god. Activating it, however, will have some... notable destructive side effects. Hence the need for a centralized and firm control on the world and its people to minimize the resulting fallout."
"Next, for the women, or rather, the monsters you met outside..." The book hero shrugged. "It was simply the consequence of their own foolishness and hubris. Once they learned that their strongest members had failed in their assault on Sickle and got captured, their desire for revenge overcame their common sense. Instead of continuing to train and joining Luvar's army, they begged me to give them the same drugs that I gave to their strongest members and let them go to Sickle too. I warned them that their levels were too low and their wills too weak to handle the side effects, but they didn't listen. And well... you saw yourself how well that had turned out."
"And lastly, yes, I did try to kill those three fools you have standing in the back there, while I was in Lapis. It was not something I really planned for, but seeing their useless stupid mugs made my blood boil and I figured I might as well punish them for the negligence of their duties while I was there. It's not like their continued survival was necessary for the safety of our world anymore since I had everything ready for my master plan by that point."
"I believe that's all your questions, Yomogi?"
"..." Yomogi's lips trembled. More tears began to fall from her eyes.
"Now, as for you, Kizuna…" Kyo turned away from his retainer, facing Kizuna with a bright smile on his face. "I have to say, you've really grown since the last time I saw you! And I don't mean just physically either! I almost didn't think the image of you I could see through my mimic was real, but after watching you battle today, I can safely say that you are more than worthy of your title of hero now!"
"K… Kyo." Kizuna breathed in deeply. "I… I know you have your idea for saving the world, but I wanted to tell you that-"
"Oh, hold that thought, Kizuna. I actually just remembered something. I have a gift for you!" Kyo suddenly interrupted.
…
"A… a gift?" Kizuna asked, looking uncertain. But as long as it got Kyo to open up. To accept the possibility of what she had to say, then...
"Yes!" Kyo said excitedly as if he was a little kid opening a present at Christmas. "You were imprisoned by Albert Nikuya, the Mirror Hero of Mikakage, correct?"
"I- yes, but Kyo, what does that have to-" Kizuna began to ask frantically.
"Surprise!" Kyo snapped his fingers, and another capsule slowly rose out from the ground next to his throne. The glass first cracked loudly and then shattered, making its murky brownish-red contents spill out on the tiled floor.
…
…
(WARNING: For readers with lesser stomachs, please skip this section. It will not be safe for you to read.)
At first, no one could understand what the ugly gelatinous mass of flesh that they were looking at actually was. The horrible, twisted, bloated lump looked like it was made up entirely of scar tissue. A variety of foul-smelling and looking liquids seemed to be seeping out from under the pile of meat, forming a disgusting brownish-red puddle of the same color.
Was this some kind of mutilated corpse? But of what? There was no trace of fur or eyes or anything else of note to identify the ruined rotten pile of flesh. Not even the white jagged bits and pieces of bone poking out from random parts of it could identify what it was supposed to be.
It stirred.
Once.
Twice.
The abominable mass of flesh was still somehow alive.
Something akin to a gasp came out from it, as one of the numerous holes littering its body sucked in some air before letting out a quiet wail of pure pain and despair. One of the scabs that'd been leaking blood turned out to be its mouth. Or... was it a gaping lung? A part of its throat?
It could not have been its mouth, since upon closer inspection, broken yellow human teeth could be seen growing out of random parts of the creature's body, mixed with ingrown lumps of hair that continuously seeped pus out of them.
It was so bizarre. Even more so since the sound that it had made almost seemed to have come from a human being.
"K… Kyo? What… what is… that?" Kizuna finally asked. Her face was turning green, as was Yomogi's and the faces of the other Cardinal Heroes. The Hunting Tools Hero had also taken a step back in horror. Not even her HUD identified what the creature was, meaning that it wasn't actually a monster.
"Not what. Who." Kyo smiled warmly.
…
Kizuna still did not understand. None of them understood the Book Hero's cryptic response.
But before more questions could be asked, Itsuki's eyes widened, and despite everything he'd seen and done up till then, the Bow Hero had to force down dry heaves as he pointed a shaking finger at the top of the gelatinous mass. "I-Is that the Vassal Mirror?!"
Their eyes moved from the front of the creature to the very top of it. Where, amongst more scars and a lump that could have resembled an eye at one point…
Rested a lone, simple Mirror, with a gemstone embedded into the center of it.
…
It did not take long for them to finally understand what… or rather, who, the creature in front of them was at that point.
Kizuna and Yomogi immediately vomited onto the floor together.
Behind them, Akane and Hoshi also began to vomit as well. And it wasn't long after that when Daitan followed suit. Ethnobalt barely managed to hold the contents of his stomach in by covering his mouth, visibly sickened at the state that one of their world's Vassal Heroes had been reduced to.
Naofumi and almost everyone else just stared in growing horror. They had seen A LOT of things in their time. Soldiers disintegrated before their eyes. Spiked atrocities that gutted everything that moved and exploded when killed. Crazed religious zealots slaughtering innocents, child slavery, murder, rape, and many, many other horrible things besides those.
And yet, somehow, what they were seeing before them exceeded EVERYTHING else they'd thought possible as the worst of the worst. And while no one in their group was vomiting, Maya and Raphtalia both looked like they were choking. Aksel and Dou-Lon both began cussing and turned their faces away in sheer disgust at the display before them. Naofumi moved and covered both Filo and Raph-Chan's eyes. However, by that point, it was already too late as what was left of Albert had been engraved into their memories.
"Tortoise Shell Cracker!"
Out of everyone there, Glass was the only one to act upon the realization of who the creature was. While it could have been seen as her getting revenge on the one who imprisoned her best friend all those years ago… right now, the only thought that was passing through her mind was to stop the truly inhuman suffering that was happening in front of her right now.
The skill went right through the center of the mass of flesh, bones, and organs. Destroying its insides entirely.
A last shuddering sob of relief and gratitude came out from the creature that'd once been Albert. It was his only way to thank them, as the Book Hero had taken his ability of speech as well.
…
(You may resume reading here if you skipped the above)
After a few seconds, all the disgusting sounds coming from it finally ceased. Only the sound of its blood spilling from the massive open wound onto the floor around it could be heard.
That whole while, Kyo's facial expression hadn't changed. He was still looking at Kizuna with a wide and genuinely happy smile. Like he'd just done something worthy of the highest praise.
However, when Albert died, Kyo's smile did briefly falter and he looked at the corpse weirdly. The Vassal Mirror, which had stayed attached to the lump of flesh till that point, hovered in the air above it. Almost as if not being able to believe that it was actually free.
But after another moment, it vanished from the scene in a flash of light.
"Huh… I guess I did more damage to Albert's soul than I thought. If the Vassal Mirror was able to escape, that probably means he isn't controlling it anymore." Kyo scratched the top of his head. "I guess that his physical form was the only thing holding his soul together at that point… oh well." The Book Hero shrugged and his happy grin returned as he looked at the Hunting Tools Hero again.
"So, did you like my gift, Kizuna?"
…
Kizuna was still dry heaving. And at that point, Glass had to move to help her friend to stay standing.
"What… how did you do that to him?" Itsuki responded instead, still looking absolutely horrified.
"Oh, nothing special, just a little spin that I put on the Healing Potions from your world." Kyo shrugged to himself. "Did you know that combining it with your world's version of Decay Magic as well as some alchemical tricks that I learned a while back can heal a person, but in ways they should have never been healed?
"Crazy, huh? It's like bottled cancer, but you can use it over and over again to make sure that the recipient won't die no matter what. It's a really great way to torture someone, actually. I highly recommend it!"
The casual way that the psychopath in front of them dropped even more info about how he'd accomplished his torture of the Mirror Hero somehow made what happened even more disturbing.
Naofumi actually found himself grateful that he was cut off from being able to use Decay Magic. If it could actually be used like this, then he never wanted to even try and touch that branch of magic ever again.
…
Well, unless it was against Bitch. But even that was doubtful. Raphtalia would never be okay with it. And even if she had been, as Naofumi tried to picture himself doing something like this to the runaway princess that had ruined his life… No, he just couldn't.
As much as he might have hated her, he didn't want to put her through something that'd make him feel sorry for her. That'd kind of defeat the whole purpose of getting revenge. Kizuna's reaction right to Albert's fate was clear evidence of that fact.
"Kizuna, surely you can see now that Kyo is beyond reason. There's no saving him from what he's become," Glass told her best friend firmly. "We have to fight him."
…
However, after several seconds, Kizuna was certain that her stomach wasn't tying itself into knots anymore. She shrugged off Glass's supporting arms and turned to face Kyo again.
The spirit woman grimaced and stepped back as Kizuna opened her mouth.
"Kyo… I came here to tell you that I'm going to fight off the Waves. That the other Cardinal Heroes have agreed to help fight off the Waves as well."
"..." Kyo's head slowly tilted to the side in confusion. "What?" Why was the Hunting Tools Hero just brushing off his gift to her? Didn't she appreciate how the scum that had ruined all of their lives with his actions had been punished for his horrible, horrible misdeeds?
"Daitan, Akane, Hoshi, please come behind me." Kizuna beckoned the three Otherworlders to her.
The three looked at each other unsurely, still looking a little sick from earlier. But they showed their trust in Kizuna by walking up until they were behind her in plain view.
"See, all four of us are here now." Kizuna continued, looking at the Book Hero pleadingly as she spoke from the depths of her soul. "You don't have to work to stop the Waves on your own anymore, Kyo. You don't need to become a Demon Lord and force everyone in the world to obey you!
"We're going to stop the Waves ourselves, just like the Cardinal Heroes of the past always did! And we'll make those leaders listen to us this time!"
"We're going to save the world! And make it a place where everyone can smile and laugh together without any conflict!"
"So please, Kyo! Please, stop it, whatever it is you're planning on doing, and help me save the world again! Please!" She extended her hand out to him, looking at her old friend desperately.
…
…
"Kizuna…
"Answer me this." Kyo sighed. "Have the Heroes with you shared their strengthening methods with you yet?"
"How are we supposed to do that when Hoshi, Akane, and I don't even know how sharing your methods is supposed to work?!" Daitan yelled before Kizuna could answer.
…
"I see… so you're still just as useless as before." Kyo shook his head while scoffing at the Blunt Weapons Hero. "Though I guess it's understandable now why you had to keep them at the back, away from the action for most of the battles in reaching here. They would surely die as soon as they took a single step at the site of any Wave."
"K-Kyo, wait! I know they may be weak right now, but once they understand that Heroes can share methods with each other, then-"
"Kizuna, you truly disappoint me with how naive you still are." Kyo sadly shook his head.
"K-Kyo?" Kizuna asked, tears appearing in her eyes.
Kyo turned away from her and walked back and forth in front of his throne while completely ignoring the pile of blood that'd gathered around Albert's corpse. His boots left red imprints of blood on the floor under him. "Even if the other Cardinal Heroes have joined you. And even if they come to believe that you can share methods with the other Heroes. It would still be completely meaningless.
"Did you not give even a single thought to what I told you back in Lazuli?
"How none of this matters? How what your plan entails will result in nothing but a net zero gain for the future of our world?"
"I-I did think about it, Kyo! I thought about what you said every day since then! But I just don't understand! How are my actions meaningless!?" Kizuna screamed desperately at him. Trying to find any foothold in the Book Hero's mind for her argument to cling onto.
"I know things are bad right now! But if I keep on showing the world how peace is the best option forward then the people will eventually listen! I will be able to get it through the thick skulls of their leaders that war is never the right answer!
"That will inspire change! We'll stop warring with each other and learn to get along with one another despite our differences! I know it could work! I've met people from all around the world and-"
"And it'll still mean nothing because the leaders will never change!" Kyo screamed, cutting her off.
…
…
"H… Huh?" Kizuna blinked in confusion.
Kyo continued on though, ranting almost as if he were a madman. "You don't understand- no, you can't understand! Your pure-hearted ideals mean nothing here Kizuna! They might mean something to the average Joe smuck on the side of the road, and maybe they'll mean something to honest and good people like L'Arc and Corrin, but for people like me, it is a reality that will never come to pass!
"Not now! Not in a million years! NEVER!
"Your ideals will die before people like me! People who don't give a &^%$ about the world or its people! People who only want more power and are willing to sacrifice everything around them to get it!
"Just look at that pile of trash on the floor behind you! Even after all the experiments I did on his body and soul, who did he target the most out of all of you?! Who did he converge the most on and launch the majority of his bodies at, all in a desperate attempt to claim a weapon that never belonged to him!?"
Kizuna didn't want to, but Raphtalia and the others looked back. Seeing the bodies of Trash's homunculi still wasting away on the floor. Their skin was sizzling as the Demon Dragon serum ate away at their bodies as it had with his soul. Many of those bodies were around where Naofumi had been.
But the memories of that fight were still vivid. And it didn't take long for them to know who they'd tried to target when Naofumi's skill shields fell, and they looked at Raphtalia; more specifically, at her Katana.
"All the people in charge everywhere are just like him, Kizuna! They are obsessed with greed and power and control over what they cannot have! And they will not go away, nor will they disappear after the Waves are over!"
"They'll just keep on coming back! Hitting at the pillars of this world until it is theirs, or otherwise, until the world they desire so much to rule is destroyed!
"Even if you and the other Cardinal Heroes are united now! Even if you manage to fight off this set of Waves! What about the people in the future who'll have to deal with the next set of Waves along with these degenerates left in charge!? Or the set after that?! Or the ones after those are over?!
"How long can this cycle repeat before we eventually fail!? Before countries like Lapis are breached and turned into ruined lands! For their immense magic and powerful technology to be lost to time, never to be rediscovered again just because those dumb &^%$& wanted to ensure that they'll remain in power for as long as they want without anyone being able to rise up and oppose their unfair rules?!
"Do you truly think Heroes can just fight off the Waves forever when the world's situation grows worse and worse between each set of Waves thanks to them?!"
"Kyo… but… what are you even…" Kizuna couldn't speak.
Kyo continued. "My plan though! It will ensure that our world will never face the Waves again! It will ensure that no one like me is ever sent to disturb our world's peace ever again! It will ensure that nobody ever has to suffer ever again!
"I will be able to completely guarantee that everyone will be able to smile and laugh, just like you want! That good people will be able to live without the bad corrupting everything they touch like they are now! And if that can't happen, then at the very least, I will ensure this endless cycle of greed, debauchery, slovishness, and everything else that has plagued the leaders of our world and what makes the people of our world suffer needlessly will finally stop!"
"Kyo… but how? How are you going to do this?" Kizuna asked. Her last, final hope for this encounter shimmering in her eyes as she looked at the Book Hero pleadingly.
"How? Hmhmhmhmhmhmhm." Kyo's malicious chuckle rumbled in his throat as he adjusted his glasses and looked Kizuna straight in the eyes.
"Why! By destroying this world completely and starting over!" Kyo proclaimed proudly.
…
…
…
…
…
The weight of his words hit everyone there like a runaway train.
"De… Destroy the world…" Yomogi almost fell backward. Words could not express the look on her face right now.
"That… that is…" Glass looked similarly shocked.
"Tell me, are all of you here familiar with the concept of nuclear fission?" Kyo smirked as he shrugged. "Well, for whoever doesn't know about it, go read a book written by a past hero or something, I'm not your physics teacher."
"My point is, soul energy is an incredibly, incredibly densely packed material." The Book Hero raised his hand, revealing a wisp of blue flames dancing in his palm. "You would not believe the sheer amount of power that it truly holds within it! And until now, I was only barely able to harness a fraction of a fraction of the real power stored within it, the lifeblood of our worlds!"
"What all your weapons have been blabbering about, it's all true! To actually harness its full power would completely tear reality itself apart at the seams!" The Book Hero closed his hand by balling it into a fist, reabsorbing the soul energy back into his body.
"But what your weapons failed to tell you is that it would not be the end! Oh no! Not in the slightest! It would be just the beginning! Even if everyone else dies! Even if the whole world gets destroyed, I won't die! With the ultimate perfect body that I have created, I'll be able to endure it all! And then, I would absorb all of the soul energy left behind in the wake of the old world's destruction and become a god!"
"Kizuna! I will use that power to make a new world! Free of corruption, of greed, of malice, of evil! Free of the waves!" Kyo continued to speak, sounding more frantic by the second. "And then I'll revive you and Yomogi and Ethnobalt and all the other good people so you can all inhabit it!
"We'll all be able to live in a world of my design! Free to live happily and smile and laugh without the threat of the Waves coming ever again thanks to me!
"'They'll' never interfere with our world again! I'll make sure of it! We will live in eternal bliss without any problems! It will be a paradise, Kizuna!
"And... even if I fail, it would still mean that we won't have to suffer ourselves anymore or force anyone else to endure this harsh reality either!
"Yet if I succeed, it'll be heaven on earth! For real! You'll even be able to fish to your heart's content all day every day! Time would have no more meaning, space would have no limitations! I'll finally be able to join you on those fishing trips of yours just like you always wanted me to!"
"IT'LL BE THE PERFECT WORLD FOR ALL OF US TO LIVE IN KIZUNA! ISN'T THAT WHAT YOU DESIRE ABOVE ALL ELSE TOO?!"
…
…
No one else was speaking anymore.
There weren't any words any of them could have hoped to say in the face of such insanity.
Naofumi didn't even remember what he'd thought at the time.
"Please, help me Kizuna! Help me to make this world that you always wanted a reality!"
"Help me to destroy everything so we can all live together!"
But if there was one thing Naofumi could recall… it was seeing Kizuna's shoulders fall lower and lower. As her body sagged and visibly aged before his eyes. He hadn't realized it before then, but all the stress Kizuna had been putting on herself before now had resulted in a strand of her brown hair turning gray. And it only became visible to the Shield Hero at that moment, there, on the right side of her head.
The girl who could have passed for a child when they first met… now looked far older than he ever had.
Kyo finally finished his frantic pleading. His open hand was stretched out towards his old friend, and a wide grin of happiness was painted on his face.
It just felt so… so wrong. After everything he'd said to them. After everything they'd seen before this.
What… what the hell happened to the villain they'd faced no more than a few weeks ago?
Who was this man standing in front of them now?
…
Kizuna's face was hidden in shadow.
Kyo was still breathing in and out heavily, his dead gray eyes looking at his friend expectantly…
…
…
…
…
…
"Lure Needle."
The hook of Kizuna's fishing pole slammed into Kyo's chest.
It did absolutely no damage.
But it'd still left an impact as Kyo stumbled back in surprise. Everyone else was surprised too.
"You… you… you…" When Kizuna lifted her head, her eyes were painted a deep orange.
Despite everything that'd happened, from learning about his actions in another world to his actions in this world, Kizuna had never lost faith in her old friend. Believing that, at some level, it was still possible to save him and have Kyo from the days of the Demon Dragon back. To bring him along on one of her fishing trips. To get him and Yomogi to confess to each other and marry and live a happy life.
Her faith in him had been shaken several times, but it'd never broken.
Not when he'd announced his plans to become a Demon Lord in front of every nation.
Nor when she'd helped to take care of the girls of Trash's harem.
Not even when she learned about what he'd done in Naofumi's world to Glass and L'Arc and the people of that world in general.
…
But then she'd had to kill the girls of Trash's harem.
And witness the horrid fate Albert had suffered.
And so many other things in between those things too.
Yet she'd still persevered. Desperately trying to reach out towards the good that she'd thought was still left somewhere inside her old friend.
…
But after hearing what his plans would entail… at hearing how he'd destroy their world even with the chance that he wouldn't be able to rebuild it as he claimed…
Kizuna's fishing pole began to grow more menacing as cursed miasma leaked from it.
It was clear to see by the shaking of her shoulders and the tears falling down the sides of her face how devastated the Hunting Tools Hero was. How seeing her friend fall so far had utterly destroyed her. And beyond those tears… was a face twisted with fury.
"Y̶̛̗̫̗͇͂͗̄͗Ö̸̯́̇́̀̓U̷̢̱̅͐ ̶̟̮̈́B̸̲͔̀̈͛̚Ã̶̮̞͓̂̄̎͠S̵̡̘͉̃͆̍̓͘͜T̸̛͇͐̄͘A̴̙͊̍͛̈̍Ŗ̸̤͚̳̯͆̈́͠D̵͓̗̤̺̓͘!̵̧̛̣̖̗̽̽̋͘"
Her pole turned into a large tuna knife. And Kyo fell back in shock as Kizuna appeared in front of him, slashing her long blade at chest height.
It was clear then. She'd been going for the kill.
"K-Kizuna-" Kyo tried to speak.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Kizuna brought her blade up to slash it down, but before she could, Glass and Ethnobalt appeared behind her and restrained her.
"Kizuna, no! Don't use your Cursed Series like this!" Glass screamed in fear.
"You bastard! You bitch! YOU DEVIL! DAMN YOU!" Kizuna howled in complete and utter fury.
Naofumi and Itsuki, as well as the other Cardinal Heroes and everyone else, stepped back as a thick dark burst of cursed miasma came off of Kizuna's form, enveloping the two Vassal Heroes restraining her. Kyo backpedaled back on the floor, still looking down in shock at the young girl being restrained by her closest friends.
"K-Kizuna, please." Ethnobalt coughed. Both he and Glass were struggling to remain upright as Kizuna's Sloth Series seemed to drain them of their will to do anything.
Kizuna though looked anything but slothful at that moment. Her intense emotions were far from being calmed by her own Curse. She screamed as she tried to break free from the grips of her friends to lunge at the book hero.
No, not her Book Hero. The Book Hero she knew was her friend. He was helpful and polite. He could always be counted on to get them all out of a pinch no matter what. To always make the perfect plan to save everyone she held dear. To show that nothing is impossible if you put your heart, soul, and mind into it.
This was not her friend. This was the devil. The devil who had murdered Kyo and was now wearing his skin to mock her.
"YOU AREN'T THE KYO I KNEW! I DON'T KNOW WHO THE HELL YOU ARE!"
"Destroy the world?! Snuff out the lives of everyone I know and love!? YOU'RE INSANE!"
"You're beyond redemption! I'll kill you! I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU!"
"Kizuna…" Glass choked back a sob as she forced herself to hug her best friend. Knowing that if she let her go, then Kizuna would do something she'd deeply regret.
As much as Glass had wanted to kill Kyo, after everything he'd done… that desire completely left her as she finally came to understand just how much Kizuna had wanted to save him. And how her best friend had broken when she herself realized such a thing was no longer possible.
Ethnobalt did much the same. Looking too lethargic to speak, but forcing his body to move like Glass had. Hugging Kizuna and preventing her from moving forward to attack.
"Pen…" Despite the danger he was placing himself in, Chris, the ever-adorable and expressive penguin child of Kizuna and Glass waded through the miasma as well. He came up to Kizuna's leg and hugged himself to his mommy while tears fell from his eyes.
Kizuna had tears running down the sides of her face too. She was looking more and more destroyed by her sadness and fury with every passing second.
"You're not my friend!
"You're a monster!"
"Damn you! DAMN YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"
Kyo calmly looked at the girl, the girl who embodied the concept of the milk of human kindness like nothing else…
The girl who'd always gone above and beyond for her friends. The girl who'd done all in her power to bring peace to their world in the past. The girl who'd always had faith in her friends… who inspired so much good in everyone around her…
To see her finally break, because of him…
…
For just a moment, the gray in Kyo's eyes diminished. Revealing the tint of blue still hiding underneath them.
"I know." He said pathetically. His eyes were unable to meet hers as they filled with pain, guilt, and regret.
"I'm sorry."
His words only made it even more heartbreaking as she briefly stopped struggling to glare at him, her mind filled with not only rage but also confusion. But whether his words or the feelings expressed in them were real or not, it was already too late, as all color then proceeded to leach out from the Book Hero's eyes. Kyo wholly gave into his Despair.
"But enough of this. If you won't listen to reason, then I'm done talking, Kizuna!" Kyo snapped his fingers, and the wall behind him slid down into the floor. Revealing large tanks full of… Soul Healing Water?
"Different world, different reason. Shatter the barrier walls, and summon the great phenomenon!" Kyo began to chant. As he did so, the massive tanks of Soul Healing Water behind him began to drain rapidly.
Naofumi didn't like the horrible chill that was traveling down his spine. He looked to the sides, but because of Kizuna's outburst, no one had a skill ready to attempt to stop what Kyo was about to do.
"Kizuna, get back!" He shouted at the girl as he raised his Shield.
The otherworld Cardinal Heroes immediately fell back behind Naofumi. But Kizuna and those with her stood, transfixed, almost as if only a shell of her was observing her former friend. Glass and Ethnobalt were unmoving with her too. Tears were falling from their eyes as Kizuna finally realized what she'd just done. What she'd tried to do.
But there was no time to process it all. To unequip the Cursed Weapon, to even try and plead for one last chance. At last, Kizuna's fallen friend said the final words that permanently sealed his fate.
"Waves of Destruction!
"Dimension Wave!"
"Are you good to keep walking, my love?"
"I… I believe so, dear."
Mirellia held her husband's hand as they walked together through the newly renovated Four Heroes Church.
Before, they'd only managed to remove symbols and memorabilia that indicated this Church's rather spotty past in regard to the Heroes of legend. But now, the interior had been redone entirely. The walls had been painted over and statues of the four Heroes and their weapons were placed in the central Cathedral beneath the area of the Hourglass and along its halls.
The two monarchs had been able to listen to a sermon from the Four Heroes priest as he gave it out to the people of Melromarc. And Mirellia had watched as her people attentively listened to what the priest had to say about all four of the Heroes individually.
The Spear represented loyalty; to one's nation and one's family. The Sword represented power, earned through one's strength and hard-fought effort. The Shield represented one's desire to protect and the ability to inspire others around them to protect themselves. Finally, the Bow represented justice through fairness, whether young or old, peasant or noble.
These were the tenets that the weapons upheld. And it was these tenets that the people of Melromarc had begun to learn in their purity for the first time in centuries.
It made the Queen feel relieved. There was still no sign of her first daughter, but hopefully, as the Four Heroes Church's core doctrines spread throughout Melromarc, it'd make things easier for Naofumi after his return.
There were still people who argued that he was a devil because of the Three Heroes Church's false doctrine. And those who said he didn't deserve forgiveness since he'd been accused of raping a woman and had never been cleared of that charge. But the Queen could see how the attitudes of the people were slowly changing.
Naofumi's sacrifice in saving the coalition army from the Spirit Tortoise's breath attack and then his subsequent charge to the core of the Spirit Tortoise had not gone unnoticed by the average soldier. And even if most of them hadn't been there, the elites she'd brought with her told the rest of the coalition stories of the Shield's heroism which spread through all the ranks like wildfire.
After returning home, almost every single one of her knights had spread what they'd witnessed and heard of the Heroes in action against the massive Guardian Beast to every part of her nation. And most notable among the stories were the feats of Naofumi.
These stories joined with others that'd been told. About Naofumi and the Heroes beating Balamus. Of them stopping the Wave at Cal Mira. Of them going through Melromarc to save the people from the flocks of familiars from the Spirit Tortoise. And others besides those.
Mirellia hoped that the merit Naofumi was garnering for himself would sway the opinion of her people around soon enough. She'd feel more at peace if Naofumi wasn't hated in this world.
And then, when that happened-
Ksch!
The ground around them shook, almost toppling the Queen and her husband over. "W-What was that!?" Mirellia spoke out fearfully.
"My Lady, the Hourglass!" Shadow appeared next to Mirellia, pointing up at the Hourglass in the back of the room above them.
Mirellia and Aultcray, as well as the priest and everyone else in the room, looked up. Their eyes were wide as they witnessed something truly terrifying.
The next wave in Melromarc was not supposed to arrive for at least a few more weeks. But the sand at the top of the hourglass was forcing itself rapidly into the bottom. Draining the top faster and faster and faster.
"D… Dear…" Aultcray, who tore his eyes from the hourglass, looked out of a nearby window and then pointed something out to the queen.
Cracks were beginning to appear in the sky above their city. Like a glass that was slowly starting to break.
Mirellia looked between the hourglass and the cracks forming overhead. And her face drained of color as her brain tried to go into overdrive. First trying to think why a Wave was happening now, before throwing that out and thinking of how she could possibly mobilize her knights or anyone to help them in time as she didn't know if the Heroes would appear for this Wave because of its sudden appearance and…
The Hourglass behind her hit 0 before she could give it any further thought.
CRACK!
Reality broke above the skies of the Capital, and monsters began to pour out from the seams of Glass's world into the city below.
Naofumi and Itsuki looked up through the gaping hole in the ceiling above them and then at one another in shock. No words were exchanged, but both of them understood each other perfectly.
That spell, or skill… or whatever that Kyo had just used. It had just…!
"A… a wave?" Aksel looked up too and spoke out hoarsely while holding Maya close.
Through the cracked ceiling of the lab, everyone could see that the fog outside had dispersed. And as a result, a part of the sky had become visible. But it did not greet the heroes with its familiar clear blue hue. Instead, the crimson light of blood and fire filled it. In the distance, they could spot countless tears akin to gaping wounds that glowed with an ethereal light.
"That's…! That's impossible! Ethnobalt said that there shouldn't be any waves starting in this world until next week!" Raphtalia yelled, turning to face the Book Hero furiously.
Looking around, there was no sign of Kizuna, Glass, Chris, Ethnobalt, or Yomogi. They'd vanished at the same time the Wave in the distance appeared.
"You son of a bitch! What the hell did you just do!?" Naofumi shouted at the Book Hero who was still calmly standing in front of them.
"Hmhmhm…" Kyo chuckled again with a shrug. "Do I really need to spell it out? A quick glance up would tell you all you need to know about what just happened. Or did you mean to ask this: 'Why did Kizuna and the others vanish?'
"The answer to that is quite simple too. They are all people who were either registered to Luvar's Dragon Hourglass or were partied up with them, as is the case for Chris and Yomogi. You lot must have been in a separate party system, a bit of foresight I must commend you for. My guess is you kept your parties separated since Yomogi trusted Kizuna more than she trusted you.
"But anyway, you should already know what happens to heroes when a wave starts."
…
"So they are-" Naofumi's glare faltered somewhat.
"Fine, yes. They are at the center of the wave that just appeared. Knowing them, it's nothing that they can't handle by now. Hell, their appearance should give L'Arc and the army with him an actual fighting chance against my forces." The Book Hero looked up at the hole in the ceiling as well with a wistful look.
"The wave that you just summoned, you mean!" Itsuki roared and raised his bow, pointing it at the rogue hero. "How the hell did you even do something like that!? That should be impossible since it's a natural phenomenon!"
"Oh? Is that the conclusion that you've come to? An interesting theory, to be sure. Ah, but it really is such a shame that none of you were registered at Luvar's Hourglass. Oh well." Kyo chuckled to himself again but then his face hardened and he lowered his head and turned it to look directly at Naofumi with a more serious expression.
"Shield Hero." The Book Hero began as his gray eyes bore into Naofumi's own green orbs. "I know that you and the rest of your friends are quite eager to tear me to pieces. But please humor me for another moment and hear me out."
"Naofumi! He's just stalling again! Don't listen to him!" Itsuki cried out and tried to fire another life-force-enhanced arrow.
"Itsuki, wait." But before the Bow Hero could let it loose, Naofumi interrupted him by grabbing his hand and then looked back ahead. "What do you want?" He responded to the Book Hero's inquiry.
"Do you see those countless vortexes in the distance?" Kyo spoke up again, looking strangely at the Shield Hero and his allies. "All of those reality cracks lead back to your world.
"Now. You must have also noticed my airship parked next to the mansion's entrance when you arrived. It's fully operational, refueled, and ready to go. The green-haired woman with you should be able to operate it and fly you through the Wave. This will allow you to return back home to your own world."
…
Naofumi narrowed his eyes. "And why should we do that?" He asked while everyone else looked at the Book Hero in confusion.
"Think about it," Kyo replied while making a wide sweeping gesture around him with his hand. "You have nothing to gain here and everything to lose. You should have never even been able to get to this world. And its problems were never any of your concern. You have your own world to save.
"Do you really want to risk its continued safety by possibly dying here fighting me just to satisfy your ego and bring me to 'justice'? There is no wisdom in continuing to pursue me. And you know it."
"Are you feeling so cornered that you've finally decided to start bargaining, Male Bitch?" Naofumi scoffed.
"Cornered…?" Kyo cocked his head to the side in confusion and then began to chuckle. "Hmhmhmhm! Oh, goodness, no! Not in the slightest! I know you must feel quite confident after slaughtering a bunch of mooks and rejects brought about as a side effect of my experiments. But I assure you, I am still very much fully convinced that I will remain the sole victor by the end of this day.
"Though… I am now not entirely sure if my plan will succeed the way I want it to."
Kyo shook his head and then his gray eyes hardened again. "And that is precisely why I am offering you and your allies this one last way out. As well as a small request, should you choose to agree to it.
"What would that be?" Naofumi narrowed his eyes.
"Should you choose to leave, take Yomogi, as well as L'Arc, Corrin, Glass, and as many of their allies as possible with you through the cracks in the skies. Convince them to abandon this world and go through the portal with you. Use their weapons and the Vassal Katana to convince Kizuna's weapon to leave this world too if you must.
"For all of my genius, I do not know for sure if I'll be able to save everyone or not with my plan. So I'd rather you get as many of them out as possible, so that if I fail, then at least only those who deserve the kind of death that I'll be unleashing will pay the price."
"... How generous." The Shield Hero drawled. "And what brought this sudden gesture of goodwill from you, if not desperation?"
"Consider it my gratitude to you for rendering me a great service." Kyo's hand dropped at his side as he looked at the Shield Hero again. "You've performed nothing short of a miracle by locating our world's Messiah. Something that not even I was able to do. And you brought her back here alive and well too.
"You didn't harm Yomogi either. And I can't imagine that she was an easy prisoner to handle. I thank you for your restraint in that regard. For all of my flaws, as many of them as there are, I am not an ungrateful man. Nor am I merciless for those I care about.
"If you choose to take my offer of mercy, and if you do take those I've listed off-world with you, then I will also rescind the promise that I made to you last time. I will not seek vengeance on your world. You'll never see or hear from me or anyone else from this world again. You'll be able to get back to your original task to save your own world like nothing ever happened. And while Kizuna's weapon would die immediately, the Katana, Fans, Boat, and Scythe would survive for long enough to aid you in your world until this set of Waves passes before the Weapon Spirits in them died as well.
"Whatever memories all of you have made here will fade with time. And it will be for the best."
…
"You know. This is definitely a much more tempting offer than what you tried to sell us last time. I'm almost touched that you're giving room for these so-called 'friends' of yours too." Naofumi scowled. "Unfortunately, I have several issues with it. And all of them revolve around you destroying the world Kizuna loves!"
Itsuki scowled as well, charging his Bow up with a more powerful skill. The others around the pair of Cardinal Heroes prepared for battle too. Though some looked more reluctant than others.
Checking his HUD, Naofumi found that this wave was definitely connected to his world, as he and everyone else had the combined levels of both worlds right now. With the left being what they'd gathered in this world and the right being the levels from their original world.
Naofumi: LV: 74 + 83
Raphtalia: LV: 75 + 84
Filo: LV: 72 + 79
Dou-Lon: LV: 76 + 69
Itsuki: LV: 78 + 88
Rishia: LV: 68 + 68
Aksel: LV: 78 + 86
Maya: LV: 79 + 85
"But the most important reason for why we won't be leaving is…" Naofumi looked away from his HUD to glare at the Book Hero standing in front of them. "Because I'm going to take back the souls you stole from all the innocent people of our world and avenge Ost's death while I'm at it! So shove your 'mercy' up your %$# and then get ready to get it kicked, Kyo! We're not leaving!"
…
"Hmhmhmhmhm." Kyo's all too familiar malicious chuckle returned once again and he closed his eyes before reaching up to his face with his hands to take his glasses off.
"[Float Book]"
He spoke out calmly and a second copy of the vassal Book appeared in Kyo's hand.
The remaining heroes and their allies immediately braced themselves, ready for battle.
"I figured that this would be your answer." Kyo slowly and carefully folded his old glasses and then stored them away into the gem of his weapon. "Oh well. Don't say I didn't warn you-"
"Hey, uh… I really hate to be that guy, but you also realize that we're still here too, right?"
…
The threatening atmosphere around Kyo faded somewhat as his eyes narrowed first in confusion, and then in rage. "What?! Those three idiots are still here?!"
Yep, though they'd moved to stand behind Naofumi after Kyo began chanting earlier, Daitan, Akane, and Hoshi were still there. Unlike Kizuna, they had not been teleported to the site of the Wave.
"Well, duh?" Daitan looked confused as well. "Did you forget how we're not registered at any hourglasses for Waves at the moment?"
"Honestly," Akane shook her head. "Even if they accepted your offer, we wouldn't be able to accept it."
"Not… not only are we tied to this world." Hoshi started, his voice small yet still able to be heard. "But we know Kizuna wouldn't want this. No one in our world would want this.
"My weapon is being loud and clear right now." Daitan raised his mace at the Book Hero. "We will rise up and stop you, Kyo! For the sake of all the innocent people that'd be left behind by your plans! We'll do it!"
…
…
…
The only thing the Blunt Hero got in response was a low-spirited chuckle from the Book Hero. The threatening atmosphere around him intensified again.
"Such complete and utter fools." Kyo's tone was dripping with malice. "I will make sure you three especially shall pay for every life you refused to save after you gave up on our world."
"T̵̢͓̯͕̱̰͉̟̫̝̒̈́͜ờ̵̰̓̐̈̈͂̈͛̊̃͝m̵̨̳͔̟̬̭͓͈̙̥̥̭̑̆̄͒͑͌̾̐̓̐͘͘͠e̵̫͕͓̺̻̩̰̫͖̪̻͉̖̒̔͝ ̶͔̼͈́̉͗̏͊͑̕͜ȏ̸͇͓̙̹͎͚͇͈̦͖̒̈́̏͗̄̄͝f̵̨̧̰͎͈̠̩̫̱̱͙̟̼̈͌̕ ̴̡͔͎͉̆̿́̈́̀̑̾̀̈́͘͘P̶̺̘͓͎͔͎͎͓͔̻͇̻͆̎̄͜r̵̢͓̬̲̺̪̤̲̳̔̒͝i̴̜̩̋̈́̑͐d̵̰̲̈̍́͋̄́́ę̵̤̟̻̗͙̯̙̘̇́̓̒̐̊̂̓̾̉̕."
With a burst of purple fire, the first copy of the Vassal Book on his belt transformed into a sinister form with flayed yellowed pages bound in crudely stitched human skin. The ribcage of some small creature protruded from the cover around the murky gray gem.
"Wait, is that…!?" Itsuki's eyes widened in realization.
"%^&*! Everyone, blast him with all you've got!" Naofumi shouted out.
"Both you and her…" Kyo grit his teeth, glaring at Naofumi. "Are just so s̴t̷u̶p̷i̴d̷l̵y̶ ̶s̵t̴u̸b̸b̵o̴r̵n̵. To the point you inspire it in everyone around you!"
"Eagle Piercing Shot!" Itsuki fired a life force-enhanced defense-piercing skill at Kyo, but the barrier from before appeared around him. On top of that, the arrow was absorbed harmlessly into it, just like with Naofumi's Bunker Shield skill, instead of passing through it as it had before.
"What…" Itsuki nearly stepped back in shock. Kyo chuckled from within his barrier.
"Surprised? The same trick won't work on me anymore."
"Spiral Slash!" Rishia yelled.
"Yin Yang Thrust!" Raphtalia, charged with magic power, thrust forward.
"Shooting Star Blow!" "Shooting Star Gem!" "Shooting Star Ofuda!"
The Three Heroes fired off their most powerful skills into Kyo's barrier. Joining alongside Maya, Raph-Chan, and Filo who were all launching ranged magic attacks at it.
"Explosion Shot!" KABOOM!
This time, Itsuki's skill exploded powerfully against Kyo's barrier. The attacks began to destroy other parts of the lab around them, and the barrier finally started to crack from the onslaught of their attacks.
Yet even then, Kyo did not flinch, and held up his Float Book in his other, spasming hand.
"[Switch Book: T̵̢̢̰̪̺͕͍̜̟͑̓̍̂̎̔͌̒̐͜͠͝ö̸͇̦̻́̃̍͋̃̇̉͛̀̂̎̂̕͘m̴̮̹̳̞̓̂͆̀̐̀̈́̽̌̈́͝ͅe̴̛̘͎͚̍̏̽́͗͐̑͘͜ͅ ̷͔̈́̀̃͐̎̒͌̐̋̇́̈́̄͝o̴̳͌̍͒̅̂̃̑̓͛f̸̨̹̬̰̞̹͔̭̘̺̫̋̊̃̈́̎̏̏͑̍͘͝ͅ ̵̫̐̔̄W̴̡̡̻͇͓̜̲̠͉̋͛̄̾̎̒r̵̫̯͖̬̈̓͋̔͠ḁ̴̧̡͙̄̔̃́͛̓̃͋́̕̚̕t̴͖̟̹̯̒̐̆͋̆̀̓̈́̾͒̅̿͘̚h̴̩̠͂̏͐̃̎͊̋̊̋]"
The Float Skill burst into flames too, transforming into a black charred form with a screaming face on the cover.
"What- Another one?!" Raphtalia's eyes widened.
"You will b̷r̵e̸a̴k̶ ̵t̸o̸o̸, just like she did. Ideals and hope can't stand up to the c̷r̵u̸e̴l̶ ̸a̸n̵d̴ ̷b̸r̶u̷t̴a̶l̷ ̴r̷e̶a̶l̷i̴t̶y̵ of human nature!" The Book Hero screamed, his voice gradually starting to sound more and more warped.
More and more skills and spells from everyone rained down at the barrier. It was gradually falling apart but Kyo paid little regard to it.
"Don't say that I never tried to give you a chance to l̷̯͖͋͐̚͝e̸̱̖͛̿̒a̴̺̒͗̕͝v̵̨̦͎́͘è̷͕̮ ̵͚͉̀̂! To s̸̛̖͐͒a̵̟̲̿̉̓v̸̩̥̇ę̵͎͐ everyone in this world who d̸̤͔̒̍̂ệ̶̅̉š̸̲̳è̷͙͉̙̊͝r̸̝̹̗͑v̶͚͝ẻ̵̯̬̺̒s̷̥͍͎͐ such a blessing!" The Book Hero screamed, his skin taking on an unhealthy pale tone and his eyes burning wild with hate and madness.
"Damn it!" Naofumi began to rapidly chant to boost everyone's stats with All Zweite Aura while Itsuki prepared the same for Zweite Down. It looked like they were about to have a real battle on their hands.
But before they could finish, they were interrupted when Filo suddenly stopped attacking and latched onto Naofumi's arm.
"Daddy! Bow Uncle! No! We must-"
"Honey! Not now! I know we promised Kizuna that we-" Naofumi tried to tell her to get back to attacking.
"No! That's not what Filo means! Something bad is about to happen! Daddy, you need to get all your shields out and make everyone hide!" Filo protested with a scared look. The lone golden strand of hair standing above the rest in the middle of her head rapidly swayed back and forth while glowing.
"Huh, what do you-" Naofumi blinked in confusion.
Kyo continued to ignore the barrage of attacks raining down on his rapidly degrading shield as Itsuki's Down spell finished, yet bounced off the barrier in front of them.
The rogue Hero's left hand grabbed the first cursed tome still resting on his belt before spreading his arms out, holding a cursed tome in each hand with a wicked grin.
"Everyone, fall back! METEOR SHIELD!" Naofumi hastily chanted, conjuring a protective dome around himself as everyone retreated under it.
The Book Hero swung both of his arms with the same eerie grin.
And then thrust the cursed tomes into his torso like knives. Right into the spot where Kizuna had planted her Lure Needle skill. The sound of the double damage multiplier being activated played out.
…
Naofumi's eyes, as well as the eyes of everyone else, widened in disbelief at the shower of gore that erupted from Kyo's chest with a disturbing sound of breaking bone and rending flesh. Blood splattered on the floor of the lab that separated them from each other.
Kyo let out a grunt and gurgling gasp, his face was still twisted into a smile that was straight out of a nightmare. His choking mixed with laughter as he straightened out again and lowered his hands, his blood flowing and dripping freely onto the ground. The gems of the two cursed tomes shone faintly from within his own ruined chest cavity.
"What… what the hell….?" Itsuki muttered. Had his Bow not been attached to his body, it would have dropped from his hands and clattered onto the floor.
"Daddy! Hurry! It's not enough! We need all of your shields!" Filo urged Naofumi and shook him with desperation. "One won't be enough! Summon all of them! Even the new ones! Hurry!"
Naofumi was still not certain just what was happening, but he chose to trust his daughter's intuition at that moment.
"[Air Strike Shield!]
"[Second Shield!]
"[Dritte Shield!]
"[Royal Shield!]
"[Hundred Shields!]
"[Bunker Shield!]
"[E Float Shield!]"
More and more layers of defense began to appear in the air around Naofumi as everyone hurried to take cover behind him. He even used the skills that he'd gotten recently, most of which he'd planned on saving for when the battle with Kyo started. Yet whatever Filo had felt in the air earlier was now gradually starting to become more and more apparent to everyone else too. And saving such skills for future plans and gambles did not feel so prudent at the moment.
"H̴̗̄̌͋ͅa̸̦̘̹̍͜h̸͖̃̈́h̸̳͔́̇̄͝h̸̪͓̩̗̐…̶̹͙̓͆͂ͅḫ̶̈̈́͘ḁ̷̪͗̍h̸̡̺͚̹̔ĥ̵̢̪̋̇̊…̶̧̹̺́̂͌͘.̴̛̱̱̼̀̽͐" The Book Hero's heinous wounds were healing over, yet his ruined lungs still gasped as he took something out from one of the tomes in his chest. It was a standard glass test tube. A core element of any chemistry set.
But what it was filled with…
The pitch-black tarlike liquid bubbled and boiled within its container as if trying to escape from it. The aura of malice emanating from it not only matched the two cursed tomes sizzling inside Kyo's body right now but seemed to somehow exceed them.
The Book Hero grinned madly and held the vial up as if making a toast.
"C̴̙̻̾͂͗͆̽̋̈́̒̕ḩ̶̨̧̛̦̦̜̳̘̲̺͔̣͓̣͎̯̈́͌͊͑͗͌̂̈́̐̂͊͐̃̆̒̉̆̓̚͝ȩ̷͔̯̣̘͇̤̻̬̪͆̃̈́͂̈́̇͗̔͘ȩ̷̧̧̢̧̡̛͔͓̮͕̩̫͖͚͕̻͇͔̫̠̺̰͓͙̐̋̃͑̈́́̍́̃͂̇͛͛̍̅͋̇͒͂̌͛̑̚͜r̴̡͓͈̲͆̾̃̄̍̈́͑̾̉̄̐̀͗̈́̍̊̾́͛̅̎́̑͛̿̃̋̆̿̈́́͜s̶̡̨̡̛̫͍̻̰͕͕̺̣͙̤̩̰̏̐̒́͑̓̃̾̅̃̑́͋̐̈͑͂͛̓̒́̑̊̑̿͝͠͝ͅ!"
He let out one last laugh and downed the contents of the vial in one gulp.
…
For a moment, nothing seemed to happen and Naofumi even wondered if the maniac's hubris and insanity finally got the best of him, making his mad ploy backfire somehow.
Such hopes did not last.
...
...
...
...
"Ą̶̢̡̧̺̻̪͚̗̣̜̼̭̮̦͖͙̙̳̭̼̦͉̜̱͈̼̻͙̩̰̟͕̙̬͚͔̳̻̘͂̀̌̈́̅̅̈͆̓̋̏̀̆͗̌̎͊̆̕͜͝͝H̶̨̛̹̠̥̣͔͎̬͇͛̇̈́̾͋̒̚ͅH̴̡̨̛̛̛̘͉̥͓̬̗̱̤̪̜͓̣͖͔̺̦̙̏͐̆̀̏̊̀̍̏̀̊͛̏̀̾̈́́̓̐͗͒̀́͘̕͘̚̚̕͝ͅḨ̵̧̧͍̹͇̗̼͉̤̹̦̹̼͕̤͓̤̠͉̞͎͔̙͓͕̩̮̪̣͈̲̝̳̱̣̭̈́̂͋̏̔͜͝ͅḤ̸̢̢̗̙͎̫̟̰̺̞̘̠̩̪̹̮͎͓͓̲̮̭͔͈̮̮̩̝͕̹̪̮͚̮̹͖̟̙̞̲̀̈́͒̔̾̿̆́̅̿̑͗̿̌̊̋͌͒͂̋̌̆̔̐̄͑̆̓̾̾̽̏͒̊̓̚͘͘͝ͅḨ̴̡̛͖̙̠̩̪̩̬͓͔̝̟͕͍̦̹͔̲͈̣͙̥̝͖͉̻̘̞̦͍̘̭̹͇͎̝̰̽͛͐̈́̔̊̈͂͗̈͂̈́̀̾̈̿̿̿̇͋̽̆̿̊̄̚͘͜͠͝ͅH̷̛̱͓̩͈͇̠̜͙̤̦̮̺̜̣̜̗̪͊̌͌̈͘͝ͅͅḤ̶̡̨̢̲̳̞̭̱̜͖̗̤̰͍̦̟̟̥̞͂͐̀̎̅́͂̂̾̂̃̑͛̃̐̊̒͊͛͒͊͛̍̀͒̑́̋̔͋͘͜͠H̶̨̧̧̛̲̩̮͍̬̜͓̱̥͖̗̰̼̲͕̱̜̰̠̗̪̗̪̠̩̖̬̙̞͈̳̺̃̍̆̑̓̐̀̀͂̇̇̂̋̓̈́͗̆͑̓͐̚̚͜͝͝ͅH̴̢̡̛̰̖͔͚͉̺̗̖̪̗̲̬͈̼̩̻̠̯̩͇̤̜̖̟̊̀͗̿̇̾͊̈́̃̓͑̇̔̉̽͛̀̓͐͗̿̐̈́͆̓͐͘͜͝͝͠͝͝H̵͓̯̬̘̦̋̉H̶̡̨̧̧̩̱̲̫̤͚̭̤̥̠̬̜͉͉͕̪̣̣̮̝̙̗̤͚̲̫̟̝͉̘̝̹͍̹̼͇͚̖̹͙̳̯̺̐̐̿̈̽̓̔̏̔̓̏̑͒̾́͑̚̚͘͜͜ͅH̶̨̢̢̧̢̛̛̛͙̫̣͉̣͇̺̰̙͍͖̺̩̮̱̪͙͚͇̯͍̙͎̩́̈́̈̀̊̂͗͌͋͊̈́̽̿͌͊̽̇̊̀̽̑̉̓̀͗̍̋̀͌̈́͛̽̾́̇̏̿̚͘͜͝ͅͅH̴̛̱̱̣͚̣̭̐̑̋͌͒̾̇̈́͗͊͌̀̆̋͛̎͌͆͗̋̋͊̽̈́̐̊͘͝H̴̢͖͍̖̱̮̲̬̜͍͉̞̞̣̺͖͎̜̥͓͎̯̫̘͚̖̥̲̹̬͎̚͜͜H̸̢̨̧̡̢̛͔͓͇͚̜̪̫̰̺̹̖͚͇͖͔̳͓̰̲̤̱̻̞͙̱̹̱̟̹͉͕̮̫̩̱͈͓̣̯̙̩͎̐̑̇͛̎͂̔͑̉̀̀͌͋̊̂͐̅̂̂͋̓̏̔̍̎̓̽͊̈́͐̽̍̍̾̿͘͘͘̕̕͜͝͝H̷̢̢̡̲̥͎̹͍̯̬̮͕̲̟̝̯̰͔̪͇̦̯̥̥͍̟̰̤͎̯͉̥̦͚̲̠͙̬̫̠̒̊͆̽̏ͅͅH̴̨̢̧̨̢͉̖̼̯͖̺̮̠̝̤͎̣̙̬̼̩͈̞̣̠̭̙̟̠̜̠̗̹̭̯̺̩̲͎̫͙̰̀͌̏͑̀̈́̐͂͐͒̊̽̍͂̾̔̑̌̈̐́͌̑̇̀̍̾̇̀̓̈́͜͝͠͝ͅĤ̸̨̢̛̖̣̱̝̰̫̘̙̜͖̰̝̣̼̹̝͉̠̹͕̪̩̯̃̎̿̿͋͋̈́̾͗͆̔̃̊͊̽͆̐͌̀̌̑̅̈̈́́͐̊́̚͘͠͠Ȟ̷̡̡̧̧̢̢̧̛̛̛̖͕̬̲̺͍̥̱̩̥͔͍̠̝̥͇̭̩̣̥͉̟͔̳̖̞̗͕̬̣̩̮͓̼͎͈̘̞̙̐̑̈́́̃̈́̿́͒͒͑̀̈́͑́́̊̈́̾̊̓̊̿̊̍̂͌͂͒͋̃̿̔̇͐̕̚̕͜͝H̶̨̢̡̨̧̛̜̝̞̝̰̙̥̖͎͇̩͈̱̣̼̣̻͔̬͚̲͈̞̤̜̼͍̻̿̌̆̃̐̂̅̈́̈̇͆͗̔̈́̄͂̑̄̈́̅̑̔͑̄̉̔͗͒͌̓́̇̄̒̉̄̕͘͘͜͠͝͝͝"
...
...
...
A horrible scream of rage and agony escaped Kyo's lips as his entire body burst into dark purple flames. A high-pitched screech began to emanate from it, growing higher and higher in volume and tone, making everyone think back on the sound that the Spirit Turtle's spike familiars would make before they would detonate.
That was the only warning required for everyone to huddle together behind Naofumi.
"[CHANGE SHIELD: SHIELD OF HOPE II!]"
Naofumi barely managed to change his three Air Strike Shields as well as the newly summoned One Hundred Shields and Float Shield to his best Blessed Shield in time as an overwhelming crashing sound and blinding light from an overpowering magic explosion washed over him and the rest of his friends.
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
"Hack, hack, cough!" Dou-Lon gasped while rapidly blinking his eyes and shaking his head to get the ringing out of his ears. "What, what just…?"
"Is everyone okay!?" Naofumi raised his voice and quickly looked around both at his HUD and surroundings to confirm that everyone was alive and well.
"Yeah, just a bit startled." Itsuki swallowed hard as he shakily got up.
"I'm, I'm okay!" Rishia raised her voice too while rubbing her eyes.
"Filo? Raphtalia?" Naofumi asked next.
"I'm good, no worries!"
"I'm okay, daddy!"
The Shield Hero glanced around some more. He also drank a Soul Healing Water from his shield. The usage of all those skills had almost entirely drained his much larger pool of SP which he had thanks to his combined levels.
The explosion from before had destroyed every layer of his shield skills right up until the last dozen or so of the One Hundred Shields and the Float Shield that'd been inside his barrier. Bunker Shield and the others had been destroyed as well.
Talk about good timing in unlocking these skills. He would have had to take the brunt of the blast otherwise. Also, it was nice to note that Change Shield could also change all the shield skills he had out. That might come in handy later on…
If they survived the rest of this encounter, that is.
Looking around them, they saw that with the exception of the small island around Naofumi, the area where the mansion had once stood was now completely destroyed, leaving the crater that they were in exposed under the blood-red sky above. A giant purple inferno of cursed flames raged around the area whose ground was left burned pitch black, with the fire eating away at the earth and trees.
The cursed fire slowly melted the surrounding rock too, making the resulting slurry of molten earth drip down from the edges of the giant crater and flow down its walls.
The forest outside was ablaze with the same cursed flames, making colossal pillars of black smoke rise, adding an even darker tone to the already unnatural-looking crimson-painted sky.
A thick smell of sulfur permeated through the scalding hot air as embers and bursts of steam erupted from the burning ground around them at random. Clouds of smoke and ash swirled around the crater, dancing around the lingering pockets of cursed flames.
"Did…did that crazy bastard try to kill us by nuking himself?" Daitan looked around the ruined area with discomfort and fear.
Itsuki scanned the area around them for any signs of the Book Hero but it was hard to tell things apart from the sheer amount of fire that still continued to gradually spread out. And, after looking up, Itsuki shuddered in place.
Daitan's remark was not a hyperbole.
A giant mushroom cloud was expanding out up above. He almost couldn't believe that Naofumi had just managed to protect them all from that kind of attack. And Filo had just saved all their lives with her warning too.
"I can't see anything. Did anyone get an experience notification on his death or something?" Naofumi asked while examining the deepest part of the crater directly in front of them.
"Would we even get one if he committed suicide though?" Rishia swallowed hard as she looked around herself too. "Also, we have multiple Cardinal Heroes here. So we wouldn't get any experience points regardless."
Naofumi scowled and continued to look around the infernal ruins of Kyo's mansion around them.
"Grr..."
The Shield Hero's eyes immediately snapped in the direction of the sound but it turned out to be just Raph-Chan… whose fur was bristling wildly while she glared at the center of the crater with her fangs bared.
And she was not alone either. Maya, Dou-Lon, and Raphtalia had their ears held flat against their heads. The demihumans' tails were firmly tucked in between their legs too.
"S-sir Naofumi! T-this feeling, it's like-" The hakuko managed to speak out through gritted teeth while also staring intently at the bottom of the crater.
"The Spirit Tortoise." Raphtalia finished for him as she raised her Vassal Katana with shaking hands.
"No, it's not like the big turtle at all! It's all wrong!" Filo shook in place behind Naofumi's legs while hugging him from behind. "D-Daddy, Mommy, be careful!"
The earth shook once.
Naofumi hastily raised his shield again and looked ahead at the center of the crater too.
From the center of the purple inferno, a figure began to rise.
And rise.
And rise.
And rise, until the smoke around it finally cleared enough for them to see its head poking out above the edge of the crater and the burning tree line beyond it.
▮̶͖̹͉̟̖̜̪̦̮̞͓͖̲̪̮͔̘͖̮͙̙͓͚͖̘̤͉̞̯̞̃̉̏̈̋̓́̃͗̽̊̏̋̑͂ͅ▮̸̨̢̡̠̥͍̦̪̹͈̤̥̰̳̙͕͚̟͔͙͈̹̪̞̖͍̳̟̻̽͋́́͋̎͌̈́͌̄̓̓̊̌̇͑̆̽̍͘̕͘͝͠͝▮̵̮̮̙͓̖̼͈̉͂̀̂̈̏̇͐́̊̀̎̈͗͆̌͌̂̀͊͆͐̾̊̌̔̈́̊̚̕͘͝͝ͅ▮̴̙̝͖̥̯̻͖̹͇̀̐̓̊̐̓́̅̂̊́̎̎͒̈́̃̓̉͗͂̾̆̕̚͝▮̴̰̺͕̔̄͒̀̃̓̓̈́̓̍͛̓͒͗̾͂̓͘͝▮̵̧̢̻͕̤̲̗͚̤̩̩̤̭͎͔̭̤̯̠͖͎͉̠̻̽͌̄̑̃̍͗̓̉̄͘͘͝͝ ̷̢̨̛̛̹͎̺̠̮̠͚̪͖̣͚̻͈͙̳̮̞̟̼̖̲̖͖̓̀̆́̓͒̅͗̈̓̈̊́̑͘͜ ̴̧̡̘̗͕͔̜̲̩͇͙̗͕̬̞̝̯̤̖̗͎̼͑̎̾̌̑͆̏̊͆̀̓́̑̅͝ ̶̢̢̢̡̛̛̘͍̦͚͓͎͕̯̦͈͙̖̪̙̱͈̖͎̹̯͇̜͍̫̓͒̌̄̎͊̓̓̀̓̑̅̌́̋͂̀̑͠͝͝͝͠ͅ▮̴̬͖̬̼̓́̈́̾̓͂̈́́͗͝͝▮̶̡̢̛͉͕̗̖̖̱͖̻̘̜̜͎̙̠͇̞̯̳͚̦̠̬͖̪͔̝̩͕̉̓͑̆̑̎̓́̿̓͛̇͆̈́̀́̏̉̎̊͆͂͘͜͠ͅ▮̸̡̛̩̠̭͕̦͚̲̤͇͎̣̣͇͚͉͇̑̑͂̈́̿̓̐̀̀̈́͛̆̓̋̿̕͠͝▮̷̧̠͍̞̭̋͂̊̀̆͒̉̀̔̏͐̑̓͌̀̎̓̓̿̀̀̅͊͘͜͝͝͝͝.̵̘̦̦̤̰̣̯̣̀̍̒̅́̈̍͛̿.̸̨̡̛͙̰̩̖̻̣͉̳͍̩̪͙̭̺̲̟̩̙̦̫͓͙̪͓̜̯̇̅̔̽̏̊̿̋.̵̧̛͙͈̻͇͚̙͔̩̥̦̟̫̘̼̙͔̣̫̑́̀͗̈͊͑̆͛̾̀̃͑̾̆̇̀͐̕̚͜͠͝!̶̧̛̲̼̪̥̩̬̭̥̻͚̱̗̖͙̺͇̋̎̍̿͆͌̐̀ͅ
...
...
A deafening unearthly roar rumbled through the air.
Four large purple wings spread out and flapped once, blotting out the dark red skies above them.
The resulting gust of wind briefly flattened all the cursed flames burning in the area and forced everyone's hair and clothes to flutter violently.
THUD!
The creature landed outside of the wall of flames on its hind legs, the intense heat dancing and reflecting off the lustrous armored scales covering its entire body.
THUD!
Its long sinuous tail lashed out, smashing into the ground and kicking up a cloud of scalding ash. Each of the razor-sharp spines covering the tip of the tail looked powerful enough to carve through diamonds like paper.
The rest of the body appeared from the smoke. The horned head set upon a long muscular neck turned sideways. Its mismatched reptilian eyes, one red and the other gray observed the group of heroes with malicious disdain and hatred.
Two gems of matching colors shone in its chest, the two cursed tomes overlapping and fused into the creature's flesh.
Pages from these tomes, their edges burnt, frayed, and twisted with the paper itself darkened beyond charcoal, surrounded the newly formed hybrid dragon like an endless swarm. Eldritch symbols of some ancient language covered each one, drawn in fresh blood instead of ink.
On the bright side, it revealed that Kyo's new wings weren't nearly as massive as they'd first pictured, as most of the reveal earlier had turned out to come from the swarm of pages.
That was the only bright side to their situation.
In total, Kyo's transformation had made him over five meters in length. He was standing as if he was still a human, which somehow made his new transformed state look even more terrifying and unnerving.
A deep cackle escaped from the dragon's throat as he stood up to his full height. The creature towered over the puny ants below it, relishing the looks of fear on everyone's faces.
A text box appeared over the monster in the Shield Hero's vision. Something that'd never happened with Kyo before.
[BOOK DEMON: LV: ? + ?]
...
...
"S̵͎͙̝̰͔̺̥͈̮̤̤̹͓̞̗̮̊̌̈́̿́͜͝H̷̢̟̼͈̪̜̲̺̱̟͚̫̲̲̖̹̮̊͛̄̃͂͆́̈́͜͝I̶̧̢̢̙͇̯̳̠̝̰̭̲͊̄͘Ē̸̡̨̢̢̧̨̛͕͖̯̱̹̮͇͈͖̝̥͔̰͎̘̈̄̍̌͆͒̊̀͊͛͂̓͂̽̐̓̚̚͜͠L̵̨̯̟̺̙̊͜Ḑ̸̙̘̹̙̹̩̘̮͙̞̣͚͍̺̼̖̗̱̗͎͖̼̙͚̹̃̄̔͐̏̈͊̒̏́̉̂̈́̚̚͠ͅͅͅ ̸̡̢̙̯̖̠̝̦̬̖̗͕̺̝̬͖̍̐͑̍̎̉̑̏͋͜ͅH̸̢̧̙͇͔̬̼̰̺̤̖͚͎̲͙̰̗͖͉̯͍̼̲̱̠̯̋͜ͅȆ̶̛̛̪͕͔͈̦̱͚͈̣̳̭͕̪̮͚͍͍͋̿́͛̉̋́͗̀̎̍̋̀̾͂̍̑͗̆̏̎̆̈́̀̈́̕̚͝͠͠Ȑ̵̹͇̣̙̗̗̖̗̦̳̞͕͇̹̻̲̜̰̲͚̳̻̠͓̜̱͕̯̯̟̺̝̭̽̐̊̀̃̑̂̾̎̏̓̇̓͛͛̋͐̉̅͗̚͝͝Ỏ̶͙͉̠͕͎̗̼͉̅͒̉̐̈̃̆̽̈́̌̈́̌͌̓͌͘͜.̷̨̧̛̹͙̙̖̦͍̇͒̽̏̏̉̑̌̔̌̓͌͊͋̔̚͘.̶̰̲̞͚͉̳͇̩̩͍̙̻̣̋́̈̾̾̀̽́̾̐̉̈̂͋̑̆̈́͑͗̍̄̆̄̌̚͝͝͝.̶̧̢̧̦̦̺̩̖̪̝̬̤̙̜͇̘͕͗͝ͅ"
...
...
...
The creature opened its gaping maw as it spoke in a distorted form of the Book hero's voice, revealing countless dagger-sized teeth in the process. Its breath was so hot that the air in front of it began to distort.
...
...
...
"D̷̛̛̞͎̖͈͆͛̂̀̋̀̍̓͂͒̓͒̽̊͑̋́͠͠Į̷̨̞̳͇̙̞͇̥̗̤͓͕̻̘̞̥͇̈́͛͗̅͒̓́̃̋͊̀̊̅̄̕͜͝͝Ȩ̷̫̣͇̱̜̞̼̰̥̠͔͇̖̺̫̫̞̬̼̞͋̉͗̍͆́͠!̵̛̘̦̟̗̙̣̼̬̲̟͓̋̾̍͒̈́̍͆͋̒̐̉͋̇͛̅̇̈́̀́̅̈̎́̈̽̿͑̕͜͝͝͝!̸̞̞̭̩̼̜̱͔͎͕̜̿̽͊́͐̇͛̉͐̈́͐͘ͅ!̶̖̰̠̥̲̝̟̰̞̤̘͓̝̝̫̳͙̹̱̯̭̹̬͔̩̈́͗"
...
...
With another roar, an unstoppable surge of cursed flames erupted from the Demon Lord's throat.
The group standing forth to oppose him disappeared beneath its onslaught.
Hero Clips!
Unorthodox Use of Shields
"So you're able to change all of those shield skills simultaneously, right?"
The group stood in the middle of all the destruction. For all intents and purposes, they should have been preparing for the battle of their lives.
Yet for some reason, Itsuki had just asked that question to Naofumi.
"Yeah, why do you ask?" Naofumi asked.
"To be honest, after all that happened this chapter, I'm not really in the mood for a life-and-death battle, so I was thinking…" Itsuki began to whisper the rest into Naofumi's ear, much to everyone else's confusion.
Naofumi grunted and nodded his head a few times. After a moment, he looked at Itsuki again. "Aren't you the one always accusing me of having crazy ideas?"
"Yeah, so are we going to do it or not?" Itsuki asked.
"... fine, might as well." Naofumi shrugged before moving to set things up.
…
Moments later, Kyo rose out of the dust of the crater. His dragon form looked large and imposing. "Finally, puny mortals, your time has-"
"... … … what?" Kyo's voice came out confused.
"YEAHHHHH! WOOOO!" Daitan cheered while dancing cringily amongst a plethora of shields.
You see, Naofumi had used his One Hundred Shields skill again and placed them all around the group. He'd then used Change Shield to change them to a shield that he'd gotten from some random monster in Kizuna's world. The Rainbow Alligator Scale Shield.
It wasn't strong compared to some of the other monsters in this world. But the shield itself held many different colors on it. And thanks to Maya and Raphtalia's light magic bouncing off all the various shields…
Yes, the Heroes had made their own little rave party in the midst of a nuclear blast zone.
Drdrdrdrdr!
Itsuki was duking it out alongside Rishia with an electronic guitar, an electric piano, and several other electronic instruments surrounding him, including the omnipresent electric boogaloo. The Bow Hero was dressed like a punk and had a mohawk, while his girlfriend was similarly dressed in punk style and had a nose ring as well as black eyeliner and lipstick on her face.
"Hmmm, now this is my kind of party." Maya, dressed in a skimpy bodysuit, was dancing close to her favorite knight. Or, rather, she was grinding her backside against him while Aksel had the happiest, horniest look ever on his face.
"I CAN TASTE THE RAINBOW!" Dou-Lon was pulling out a series of epic moves in the center of the entire group that'd move Michael Jackson to tears. Raphtalia, Naofumi, Raph-Chan, and Filo all cheered the tiger man on.
"What… what is even happening right now?" Akane asked, looking very confused and lost.
"Oh, have you never attended a rave party before?" Hoshi asked curiously. "Not that I can claim to have done so either. But I saw them happening quite a lot whenever I went to my night classes on campus. It always looked like the people attending them were having fun while promoting ideas like peace, love, unity, respect, tolerance, and happiness."
"I know what rave parties are… I'm just wondering why the hell everyone is having one now?" Akane pointed out. "Don't we have a battle with a dragon to deal with?"
Well, they did have a battle with a dragon to deal with. However…
"Do you think you can outperform me, hakuko?! I was known as the Demon Lord of Dance back in my day!"
Kyo, despite being a five-meter tall towering dragon, was dressed in a sparkly white and blue tuxedo. A wig of hair was slicked back on his head. And he was pulling out moves like he was the legend himself.
"Fancy moves! But you've got nothing on me!" Dou-Lon yelled back as he got on one hand and spun his entire body around epically.
360, 720, 1080, 1440 degrees; he just kept going and going! It was amazing, absolutely spectacular!
Akane and Hoshi slowly blinked. And then, seeing Daitan attempt to pull off the same move in his corner, only to fall flat on his face, they smiled and decided to join in the fun as well.
Thus, thanks to Naofumi's Unorthodox use of his shield skills, the group ended up throwing an impromptu rave party. And Kyo was soundly beaten by Dou-Lon, the king of dance, in a dance battle. Forcing the Book Hero to give up his plans for world domination.
The end.
Till Next Time
Allen
Notes:
So many things happening. So many moving parts all coming together. I hope you all are ready for what's next. We are fast approaching the final Showdown between the Heroes and Kyo. It's going to be fun.
Chapter 17: Final Showdown: Part One: Equally Matched
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
- ENTRY #88 -
I found out how Kizuna disappeared all those years ago.
I paid a visit to Albert while conquering Mikakage to confirm the news.
He is getting the punishment he justly deserves from it.
My mind feels clearer again, but for how long?
Those thoughts won't leave me alone. The feeling in my chest won't go away.
I…
What is happening to me?
Yomogi, please, come back.
I'm scared…
"Take them down! Take them down!"
"There's too many of them!"
"Hold the line!"
Therese wished she could say that everything was going well from her vantage point, but this was not the case.
The ground battle down below was going poorly.
It started out simple enough. Ryoma and Corrin had taken charge of all the ground forces, allowing Therese to use a LAAT to try and find L'Arc and other survivors on the snowy, smoke-filled battlefield.
The two Royal Gem Commanders had extended their forces out from underneath the Acclamators in the front. Making a solid semi-circle with their siege and anti-aircraft weapons at the back. Even a few LAATs that'd survived the landings were brought out.
The one Therese was riding on had the most energy, and had been used to evacuate other survivors from around the battlefield, but the remainder of the ships were landed in front of the army to grant them more cover and fortifications.
However, even after hunkering down and returning fire with all of their Gem Lightning Rifles, ballistae, Gem Lightning Gatling Guns, and other ranged weapons, the remainder of L'Arc and Label's soldiers had to move to the forefront to halt Xander's cavalry charge.
While the will of the soldiers hadn't broken after the cavalry charge, it'd still allowed the rest of Xander's forces to close the gap.
The battle had become a disorganized mess from there. There were still the fighters holding the semi-circle line near the Carriers. But the two large armies were intermixed with one another across the whole battlefield.
"Agh!"
An iconic scream accompanied a large boulder crashing into the battlefield below. The LAAT Therese was on swerved to the side, avoiding another rocky projectile launched from Luvar's side of the battlefield.
It hadn't come from a catapult. A group of performance dancers on the enemy side moved as one in perfect sync. As they stepped back and flicked out their hands in front of them, a series of fireballs began to rain from the sky.
"Shining Stones: Falling Rain!" Therese channeled one of the accessories on her body to quickly summon rain clouds. The fireballs flickered and died while passing through her gem spell, saving the lives of some of the soldiers fighting down below. But the rain could do nothing to stop other spells coming from Xander's own gem magic users.
"Watch those gem rockets!"
"Scrap them!"
"Die clankers!"
Lapis's noblesse commandos were the loudest voices on the battlefield. Even up here, she could hear their battle cries over the thick of battle.
Therese saw Corrin in his shining armor. He flew through the air with his sword out as he led several squads of his soldiers into the thickest part of the battle. His shining, diamond-encrusted blade cut down many foes, but then L'Arc's men unleashed another stream of arrows that blotted out the sky, and when the arrow barrage ended, Therese had lost track of her cousin.
Label's samurai stood at the forefront of the battle. The ones up front held katanas while the ones behind wielded naginatas. The front samurai engaged with the riders while the naginata wielders stabbed repeatedly at the horses Xander's men had been riding.
Xander himself was at a different part of the battlefield, still sitting atop his majestic steed. An eerie green glow surrounded his figure. It appeared that Kyo had entrusted the man with the same buff potion he'd used on his minions in the Spirit Tortoise.
The black lance he was holding then glowed as he and his horse surged forward towards a line of L'Arcs knights. The first man would never know he'd died to a replica of the Cardinal Spear when Xander's weapon skewered him through the chest. And while the others tried to stand and fight, they were quickly cut down as well.
A fireball slammed into Xander's chest, but the man was hardly damaged. He merely pulled his lance back before a ring of fire surrounded it.
The noblesse commando who'd launched the fireball raised his Gem Lightning Rifle and began to fire, but it made no difference. Only a few shots later, a pillar of fire came up around the man, engulfing him.
When it faded away, it revealed the charred remains of the former soldier and his destroyed armor. Xander didn't spare his remains so much as a glance as he continued to plow through line after line of soldiers.
Therese's eyes watered at the sight, but the LAAT was already moving on from that part of the battlefield.
It was all a large bloody mess. Men and women on both sides were dying, screaming in rage or fear as they clashed with one another in a bloody and chaotic slaughter.
Therese almost felt sick watching so much death happening all at once. It wasn't just the soldiers dying here.
The armor Corrin's soldiers and noblesses wore gave them plenty of protection. But it didn't make them invincible.
The gems could still be overworked to the point of breaking. And in a battlefield like this, between flying around, feeding energy into their rifles, tanking hits for other soldiers, and a variety of other factors, there were many gems dying for the friends they strove to serve.
It was terrible. There'd already been so much life lost on both sides in this one battle.
CRACK!
But then, things suddenly got worse as the ship that Therese was riding in was shaken by the sound of the sky cracking open above it.
"What the- MY LADY, HOLD ON!" The gem pilot yelled back to her.
Therese opened her mouth to ask what just happened, but her hand held tight as the ship suddenly veered hard to the right, nearly launching her out the side of it.
Hanging on for dear life, her eyes widened in shock as she saw what the Gem Pilot had narrowly avoided.
The sky above had turned from a smoky blue to blood red. Wave cracks began to form all over the sky.
"What… what is…" Therese tried to speak out, only for the LAAT she was on to swerve harshly to the left, planting her back inside the ship once more.
A Luvar ship blazed past. The LAAT's Gem Pilot barely avoided the cannon fire it'd unleashed.
That same ship then began to fly past one of the tears in reality the Gem Pilot had just avoided. As the enemy vessel began to bank around to pursue Therese's LAAT, monsters poured in through the crack, landing directly on the deck of the Luvar ship.
"What the- AH! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Therese heard the screams clear as day as the large creatures tore into the crew on the deck. Some of them then began tearing the hull of the ship apart.
What… how…
This was impossible… how were they suddenly in the middle of a Wave?
"My Lady, was a Wave supposed to happen in Luvar today?!" The Gem Pilot yelled back to her in fear.
"No! Luvar's Wave isn't supposed to be for- VEER RIGHT!" Therese shouted.
Her warning was barely heeded as the Gem Person veered the ship out of the way of a monster that fell from another Wave Crack high in the sky above them.
As it passed by, Therese saw its name appear over its head.
Interdimensional Shadow Drake
The monster itself looked like a large dragon with horns on its head. However, it was completely lacking any sort of wings, and it was made entirely of shadows. It freefell all the way to the ground below.
Its landing crushed both Luvar and Sickle's soldiers alike. The monster then proceeded to let out a loud roar as it settled onto the new battlefield.
"What-" "What the-" "AHHHHHHH!"
More screams came from down below as more monsters landed on the battlefield. Some soldiers kept fighting one another. Others turned on the monsters.
Some forgot formation outright and began to flee in terror for any kind of safety. But on a wide empty battlefield like this, there was none to be found anywhere.
The airships dueling in the sky now found themselves having to battle each other, as well as the swarms of Interdimensional Shadow Wyverns and Interdimensional Shadow Wyrms flying out of the cracks to attack them with claws and magic.
"By the earth…" Therese stared, almost dumbstruck at how things had already gone from worse to worst in a short time.
"My Lady… what are your orders?" The Gem Pilot asked nervously.
Therese stood almost entranced. Unsure what to do. Unsure how to even act.
"My Lady…" The Gem Pilot asked again, still facing ahead so he could focus on flying. His compatriots manning the turrets suddenly found themselves having many more targets to shoot at compared to before.
Therese continued to stand in place, frozen in shock.
Why… why did things keep getting worse?
Therese was trying her hardest, wasn't she? She'd only wanted to find L'Arc and get him to safety. But now she was going to have to find L'Arc in this mess.
At the thought of the redhead, his health bar, which had been gradually recovering earlier, suddenly took a dip on her party HUD.
He'd just been hurt by something. Or someone.
…
Therese fell back into one of the seats inside the LAAT.
"My Lady, I need orders! We are in danger! Should we retreat and try to regroup with the sky or ground forces?!" The Gem Pilot yelled back at her.
"I… I don't…" Therese's voice came out weak.
Was she really capable of doing anything right now? She couldn't even lead any of the coalition's armies because she was so focused on finding her beloved.
Wyndia… how had she managed to operate through this kind of pain? How had she been able to step forward even while fearing that step wouldn't have her reach her beloved Sword Hero in time?
"My Lady!" Boom!
One of the gem people manning the turrets blasted an Interdimensional Wyrm out of the way in front of them. But it was clear that one ship wouldn't last long in this mess on its own.
Therese was frozen in shock and terror. L'Arc was still somewhere down there amidst the miles of bodies and monsters. And here she was, witnessing things taking another turn for the worse. Being unable to do absolutely anything about it on her own and-
"Therese! Therese, are you there!"
The Gem Woman was finally jarred out of her downward spiral of depression as a familiar voice came out of one of the ofuda on her belt.
Pulling it out, she found that it was Glass's ofuda. "G-Glass? Is that you?"
"Yes! I am with Kizuna, Ethnobalt, and Yomogi! We appear to be standing on one of Lapis's Acclamators. But… what the hell is going on here?" Glass's voice trembled as she asked.
"Is… Did L'Arc appear by you, by any chance?" Therese asked, her voice almost choking.
"Huh? No, he is not here. Regardless, I need your help! Kizuna is catatonic and I can't get through to her no matter what I try!" Glass pleaded.
…
Therese's hand almost fell to her side. It felt like a numbing sensation was going through her heart right now.
Oh… she was being called to help out with something else right now? Was that all she was good for?
"Fly us back to the Acclamators." Therese finally ordered the Gem Pilot. "After that, contact General Ryoma to get further instructions."
The man nodded his head, swerving the LAAT around as it passed back over the battlefield.
On the bright side, they no longer had to deal with any ranged attacks from below.
On the downside, some of the monsters wouldn't leave them alone.
The two gem people operating the front turrets dealt with some of the monsters, but Therese still had to assist frequently. She nearly froze up time and time again in her chants.
Her breathing was heavy, and every second that passed made her desire to curl up into a ball and hide away in a random corner somewhere increase all the more.
She remembered what she'd told Wyndia long ago. How she'd been proud of the drive the Dog Girl had when her Hero was missing. How she'd admitted that, had she been in her shoes, she would have just given up and cried.
It'd turned out to be true. It was taking everything she had to stay here in this moment. To push the worry of L'Arc being missing in this large battlefield out of her mind. But that didn't stop the tears from entering her eyes.
It was only thanks to the fact that she knew that L'Arc was still alive out there somewhere that she was able to force herself to stay in the present. To launch one gem spell after another at the monsters that harassed them.
Finally, as the head Acclamator appeared beneath her, Therese jumped out onto the surface of the ship. Allowing the LAAT to fly back towards the battlefield below in search of Ryoma.
Just several dozen feet in front of her, Therese found her friends waiting for her.
Or, rather, Ethnobalt was waiting for her.
Glass had her fans out and was attacking any monsters that came too close alongside Chris. However, she was moving slower for some reason. And she looked very, very tired.
Yomogi held a sword in her hands, but instead of fighting, she stared blankly ahead next to Kizuna. And while Ethnobalt tried to smile at Therese, his face looked pained and fresh tear tracks were visible on his cheeks.
"Where are Master Craftsman and the others?" Therese asked urgently.
Ethnobalt shook his head. He tried his best to speak and answer. But his voice kept breaking, and then he finally turned his head and gestured to Kizuna and Yomogi, both of whom were still blankly staring at the battlefield in front of them.
"Kizuna?" Therese approached the girl at Ethnobalt's urging.
"I… I tried to kill him…" Kizuna muttered darkly. Not looking at her older sister figure.
"I… why…"
"Kyo… why…" Yomogi sniffled, tears falling from her eyes. "Why did it have to be like this?"
After she dealt with another monster nearby, Glass walked up as well. Chris continued dealing with random monsters, eviscerating one with his flippers while the Spirit Woman pulled out a Soul Healing Water and poured it on herself, but it didn't seem to help her that much. This day had been filled with nonstop fighting and her ghostly body was barely keeping up.
"Glass, what the hell is going on!?" Therese asked again.
"Kizuna pulled out her Cursed Series and tried to kill Kyo." The Spirit Woman answered. "I got her to unequip it after being summoned here. But she and Yomogi are still out of it. And me and Ethnobalt are low on energy because of our efforts to snap Kizuna out of her Cursed Series."
…
Therese took a deep breath. Thankfully, she didn't need to hear much more than that. That one answer helped her to understand what'd gone down better than anything else.
After all, there were not many scenarios Therese could picture that'd make the Hunting Tool Hero's resolve break enough to want to murder another person she considered a friend.
However, despite that, that didn't make what Therese was going through any less severe.
"Kizuna, regardless of what happened, you must snap out of it! We're in the middle of a wave!" Therese said as she walked up to the Hunting Tools Hero again.
"..." Kizuna looked in her direction but didn't seem capable of focusing on her.
"I… I tried to murder Kyo…"
"I… I couldn't help him… I couldn't find any good left in him…"
"It… it was all my fault… if I just hadn't-"
SLAP!
"Therese!" Glass cried out in alarm as the gem girl suddenly slapped the Hunting Tools Hero on the face hard enough to make the short girl recoil.
Therese made sure to hold back, but the strike had definitely hurt, seeing as Kizuna raised a hand to rub the fresh bruise on her face. Her brown eyes were still unfocused, but shock registered in them regardless.
"Gods damn it, Kizuna! Get a hold of yourself!" The blue-haired girl then roughly grabbed her friend by the shoulders and shook her violently.
"I get that everything went to &%$# and that you want to blame yourself for it, but we don't have any time for this!"
After taking a few ragged breaths, Therese moved the girl back to arm's length so she could look her in the eyes. "We need to fight. A Wave is going on, and everyone here is dying and needs our help!"
"H… Huh?" Kizuna's eyes focused a little more. And then they widened as she finally took in what was going on around her.
The battle was growing worse. More monsters were flooding the sky and ground. Screams of pain and terror and the dying were like a constant chorus of the damned.
And yet, for some reason, both armies were still fighting one another on the ground and in the sky while also dealing with the monsters amongst their ranks.
"We're not strong enough to deal with this on our own! I'm not strong enough to be your kind and caring older sister right now!" Therese screamed as she pointed with one hand at the carnage down below. "L'Arc is down there somewhere in that mess, and besides him, members of my family are down there fighting for their lives right now too!
"I want to understand what happened with Kyo and Master Craftsman and the others! I want to coddle you and help you through the pain you're going through, but I just can't! Not when I'm unable to do anything by myself!"
"So please, Kizuna!" Therese yelled in desperation. "Please put what happened aside for now and help us! HELP ME!"
…
…
Kizuna shook her head. There were still tears in her eyes, but a determined glint shined in them again. "I… right. You're right, Therese. Thank you.
"For now, I'll just have to trust Naofumi and Itsuki to deal with Kyo. Even… even if it means he'll die. And…" Kizuna's eyes filled with sadness for just a moment.
Then she slapped herself and faced the battlefield. "Wow, that's a lot of monsters! And they seem to be based on dragons too.
"Darn, almost sounds fitting with what we've had to deal with today. Kyo really didn't skimp on the details, huh?" Kizuna was trying to sound more like her upbeat, normal self.
But it felt so awkward and hollow that no one was fooled.
Yet, Kizuna was setting her own internal turmoil aside for now and when she looked back at her friends, it was with her forced signature smile. "Glass, Chris, help me find the Wave Boss on this battlefield. We need to deal with it ASAP if we want to keep this mess from getting any worse. We'll try our best to separate the armies during that as well.
"Ethnobalt, help Therese find L'Arc. Make sure the two are able to reunite."
"Of… of course." Ethnobalt, despite still looking tired, nodded his head as his boat moved in front of the Acclamator, changing back into its classic Invincible form.
"What… what about me?" Yomogi finally spoke up. While she still looked in great pain herself, Therese's blunt honesty seemed to have sparked some life in the stubborn girl as well.
"Go with Therese. See if you can use your authority as Kyo's retainer to stop as much of the fighting in the air as possible." Kizuna told her, not even hesitating as she spoke. "Don't worry about Yomogi not having an Order Ofuda Therese. She is definitely on our side now. We can fully trust her to help us, I promise."
Therese didn't even pause to question it. She was trying her best not to cry as she bowed to Kizuna, thanking her before running up the ramp onto Ethnobalt's ship.
"I… I'll try." Yomogi nodded her head unsurely, but her grip on the hilt of her sword tightened.
The boarish girl also boarded Ethnobalt's boat. As she did so, Ethnobalt pulled the green-haired girl's original blade out from his Boat's gemstone and wordlessly offered it to her.
Yomogi accepted it and gripped both Legendary Sword replicas in her hands. Staring straight ahead into the mess before her.
Therese looked back at Kizuna with tearful, yet hopeful eyes as Ethnobalt moved to the helm. "I promise. We'll talk again after the battle is over. And I'll make sure to listen to whatever you have to say then."
Kizuna's smile was a bit more genuine. "Don't worry. I can tell a lot's happened while I was gone too.
"Let's fill each other in later after the battle, ok? Hopefully, we'll both be a bit more emotionally stable by then."
Therese sniffled and smiled as Ethnobalt's ship turned around and flew right into the thick of the battle below.
…
Glass walked up to Kizuna's side, still looking exhausted but steadfast. Kizuna's smile faltered as a look of guilt crossed her face when she looked the spirit woman and their familiar over. "I'm sorry, you two must have lost a lot of energy trying to restrain me back there-"
"It is ok, Kizuna." Glass turned her head to look at her best friend. "You promised you'd always be there for me for everything we'd go through together in life.
"I would be a horrible best friend if I could not do the same for you.
"Do not worry, I can still fight."
"Pen!" Chris, who'd looked tired just seconds ago, perked himself up and nodded his head with determination. Giving his two moms a soldier's salute with one of his flippers.
"And it looks like Chris can keep fighting too." Glass laughed, a note of mirth entering her voice as her hand rubbed the top of the shikigami's head. Chris's face became even more happy at the attention.
"... sniff, alright. But if either of you get yourselves hurt, I'll be super mad at you!" Kizuna yelled at the two.
"Same here," Glass smirked tiredly in response.
"Pen!" Chris lifted his flippers up happily.
Kizuna couldn't help but laugh this time, in a more real and genuine manner. "Fair enough. Thank you anyway. I promise I'll wait till after the Wave is over before I break down again."
"And me and Chris will be there to put you back together when that happens." Glass promised with a smile, which was mimicked by the shikigami by her side.
…
The Spirit Woman wanted so badly to apologize then. To apologize for not realizing how much Kizuna had wanted to save Kyo. For not trying harder to help her to do so…
But Kizuna's hand gripped hers before she could voice such thoughts aloud. "Later. Ok?"
…
Looking into the Hunting Tool Hero's vulnerable eyes, Glass nodded her head. "Yes. Later."
Together, the family of three launched themselves off the top of the Acclamator to land somewhere down in the battlefield down below.
Far in the distance beyond the Capital of Luvar, the rise of a mushroom cloud could be seen forming in the sky. However, due to the immediate battle around them, nobody noticed it
Nor did they notice the accompanying boom from the shockwave that followed soon after.
When Kyo's breath attack finally stopped, the ground in front of him had been reduced to a bubbling molten puddle. A disappointed grunt rumbled out from the Book hero's new monstrous form. As far as he could tell, there was nothing left of his adversaries.
Was this some kind of jest? After all their big speeches and ultimatums. After showing themselves to be worthy of their titles. After surviving his, quite literally, nuclear transformation; after all that, they were unable to take even one of his new attacks?!
What a disappointment. And here he'd been actually looking forward to a fight against those whom he considered to be worthy opponents…
Looking down beneath his feet, Kyo brushed some of the smoldering ash aside with his tail, revealing a metal blast door beneath where his throne had been. It had gotten somewhat warped from the heat and the force of the explosion, but it was still intact.
This was the only section of the mansion still left that hadn't been incinerated or damaged in the nuclear blast he'd unleashed to wipe out everything around him.
Good. The Book Hero used to feel wasteful about stripping his personal mine bare to build a panic room out of a solid block of adamantium. But in hindsight, it ended up being rather useful.
As for the loss of the rest of his mansion? It did not matter.
There had been nothing of value left in that place. After all what purpose could any material possessions serve for someone who has already given up his humanity?
Now, all he had to do was wait another thirty minutes or so for his new body to finish its long-awaited and complex growth process down below. Then, he could leave this current monstrous form behind, and his soul would be able to enter the newly prepared body, and…
Although, was his current form really that bad? It felt so empowering and fun! If he was already this powerful as a Demon Lord, couldn't he spend some of his time enjoying himself before he ended everything?
After all, it would be far too merciful if all the scum in this world would die in the blink of an eye. No no no. It would be far more appropriate to hunt them down one by one and drag their deaths out as much as possible, like what he had done to the mirror hero. Yes, it was decided then. He would-
Wait.
Kyo's eyes snapped on the area where the other Heroes had disintegrated under his powerful breath attack. There was nothing there, however.
Strange, he could have sworn-
Kyo realized what was going on at that moment, but he was one second too late in reacting.
"HUAH!" Raphtalia burst out of her illusion on Kyo's left, swinging with her blade and cutting cleanly through one of Kyo's four wings. On his right, Rishia appeared simultaneously and did the same thing to another wing with her own weapon.
"GAHHHHHHHH!" Kyo howled in pain as he was forced back. The black pages floating around his form like a swarm of bats moved in to attack the two girls.
"Bunker Shield!" A blue dome appeared around Raphtalia. The pages slammed into it and broke through the barrier after only a few seconds, but by then, Raphtalia had already fallen back.
Rishia, in the meantime, handled the pages sent her way just fine. She avoided each one, or otherwise, shredded them apart with the tip of her blade just like she had while in the Spirit Tortoise.
"Tornado Arrow!" Itsuki entered the fray then as well and a tornado of wind appeared around the area where Naofumi and the others had been.
When it faded away along with the lingering cursed fire and illusion magic Maya and Raphtalia had cast together, it revealed Naofumi and the others still standing there. Naofumi's Meteor Shield skill was cracked, but it'd held under the cursed fire breath attack, especially since he'd equipped the Shield of Hope II onto his arm.
A pair of Air Strike Shields fading behind him revealed how Rishia and Raphtalia had gotten out of the cursed flames to attack.
"I'm sorry, were you thinking that was enough to do us in?" Naofumi taunted as a scowl took over his face. "Because I could have sworn I said you'd be paying for what you've done!"
"That's right! It's the end of the line, you bastard! No more hiding! No more mimics! Get ready to die!" Itsuki yelled as he pulled the string of his bow back again.
...
Kyo's face, which had been twisted into a snarl moments before, slowly turned into a pleased grin. "Hmhmhmhm! Well done, heroes! Splendid! I was hoping that you'd at least survive my first attack. After all," As Kyo spread his clawed arms out, a blast of menacing purple aura came off his form. "It'd be super boring if our fight had just ended then and there, wouldn't it?!"
Huh, he actually wanted to draw the fight out? But why?
Naofumi didn't pause to give it much thought.
"Shield Prison!" He tried to summon the barrier of shields around Kyo's form to buy them time for their next move.
However, as the ball of chains and shields tried to surround Kyo's main body, his remaining two wings flared out, and the ball shattered as it wasn't large enough to contain the Book Hero's new, larger draconic form.
Well, so much for that idea. If Naofumi wanted to use that skill to entrap Kyo, all four of the Book Demon's wings would have to be cut off first.
Fine then, he'd just go with what he wanted to do after that skill. "Itsuki, Aura and Down!" Naofumi barked an order. "The rest of you who can, cast magic alongside us!"
"Got it!" The two Heroes began chanting simultaneously. At the same time, Filo began to sing while Raphtalia and Maya prepared more illusion spells.
"Ahahahaha! That's right! Go all out! Allow me to test out the limits of my new form!" As everyone began to chant out their spells, Kyo's maw opened and magic power began to surround his form like a hazy purple cloud.
"All Zweite Aura!"
"Zweite Down!"
Filo's song began to buff everyone as Raphtalia and Maya finished chanting at the same time as well. "Drifa All Hiding!"
Everyone disappeared from Kyo's vision. But it did not matter as he shouted to the heavens up above right after the last spells had finished.
"P̵̹̤̽͝Ŗ̵͙̈́I̵̩̚M̶͙͘Ạ̵̒L̵̻͎̐̚ ̸̜͓͒R̵͕͝E̷̹̿L̵̩̚E̶̟̙͂͝Ą̸͆̓Ș̸̆Ë̵̻͉́͝!̸̤̅̕"
The surge of power he'd been gathering around himself washed over the whole area.
Simultaneously, everyone was brought back into view. Every buff spell disappeared from their HUDs, and the debuff spell on Kyo vanished as well.
In short, all magic that'd just been cast was canceled out at the same time.
Naofumi scowled.
"Good call with casting all your buff and debuff magic right off the bat! But I have the Demon Dragon's blood running through my veins now! Your magic won't help you here!" As Kyo shouted that, another disturbing detail became visible.
The two wings Raphtalia and Rishia had slashed off with their first attack were growing back. Not instantaneously like Kyo's injuries in the Spirit Tortoise, but the regeneration was still there.
"Tch. I told you we should have ganged up on him as soon we spotted him in that damn basement." Itsuki clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"No use looking back at it now, Itsuki. Keep your head cool and stay in the here and now." Naofumi raised his shield and took a step back. "Besides, don't forget that we got confirmation at the start that he needs to see magic being cast to cancel it out. Our illusion trick earlier wouldn't have worked otherwise.
"We'll just have to cast our buffs and debuffs when he isn't paying attention to us."
"Oh? Have you noticed this detail too? Well done!" Kyo stated smugly. "By all means, then, go ahead! Try it! I am eager to find out how you'll do such a thing without me trying to cancel it out! Just know, that while it might take me a while to charge up that one ability, I am also capable of casting anti-magic chants in this new form. So going at it one chant at a time won't work for you either."
Naofumi looked at his girlfriend, who'd had her blade sheathed since her first attack. He then looked back at Kyo and smirked. "Then we'll just have to cut you up to pieces in melee. Now, are you done yapping yet, or are you going to start attacking us?"
To his surprise, Kyo obliged.
The Book Demon appeared in front of them, and his clawed hand smashed down, right through Naofumi's Meteor Shield like it wasn't even there.
The skill shattered, but unlike the previous times, something different happened.
Some of the shards stayed in the air, and several of them even launched themselves into Kyo's eyes.
It didn't really do any damage, but still, having shards of glass-like substance in one's eyes was not a comfortable experience. "Gah!" Kyo's arms began flailing around in fury.
Heh, good job accessory. Naofumi liked this change to his Meteor Shield skill it provided.
"Are you ready, Raphtalia?!" Naofumi yelled to his girlfriend.
"Just finished!" With one smooth motion, Raphtalia pulled her Vassal Katana from its sheath. Immediately, her form blurred as her mouth began speaking rapidly.
It was far too quick for any of them to pick up any words. Raphtalia's chant finished only a second later while shards from Naofumi's skill still hovered around him. Itsuki and Naofumi had started chanting as well. Kyo rubbed the useless shards from his eyes right as Raphtalia cast her spell.
"Drifa Light!" This time, a burning sun appeared right above Naofumi's head. The light reflected off all the falling shards, causing Kyo to howl as his eyes were burned by the light made even harsher by Naofumi's skill shield being adjusted thanks to the accessory on his Shield.
"All Zweite Aura!" "Zweite Down!" This time, Naofumi and Itsuki successfully got their spells off while Kyo was blinded. Green auras surrounded everyone while a yellow aura mixed with the red and gray aura coming off of Kyo's form.
"That trick will only likely work once," Naofumi warned the others. "We have until that buff wears off to bring him down. If you get hurt, use the healing crystals stored in our Hero weapons to heal up. I doubt that bastard is going to let me cast healing magic anytime soon."
Kyo howled furiously as he stomped his large, scaled hind legs into the ground again. The damage to his eyes had already healed over, and his wings had grown out again. "Filo, since we're connected to our world again, please use your Filolial form. Performance Magic isn't going to be useful here."
"... got it, Daddy." Filo almost reluctantly changed from her humming fairy form to her Filolial Queen form.
It felt like it'd been a long time since she'd last done so. Yet even though she'd listened, she felt like using this form was the wrong choice.
Before Naofumi could give the order to attack, Kyo's furious howling turned into maniacal laughter. "OOH! YES! SUCH A DIRTY UNDERHANDED TRICK! I LOVE IT!"
"You are definitely not the flimsy cockroaches I thought you to be before! You are more than worthy of facing me at my full power! Hahahahahaha! Come at me then, Heroes! Let us enjoy ourselves one last time before the end!"
The Shield Hero felt a chill go down his spine at Kyo's words, but he hardened his resolve regardless. "Go!" Naofumi rushed forward, bringing his shield up while charging Kyo.
"GRAHHHHHHH!" Kyo's palm was covered in purple fire as he brought it down on Naofumi.
Yomogi wasn't sure what to think right now.
Actually, if she was being honest, thinking wasn't one of her strong suits.
Kyo would often ask for her insight regarding various topics, explaining that her input was valuable. But she just didn't see it in herself.
As a child, she'd been nothing, worthless. Her parents died before she was old enough to get to know them. And the people at the orphanage always called her stupid and other such names.
Serving Kyo and his parents had helped her to become educated. And it'd also been the first time she ever felt valued by someone else.
She'd strived her whole life to repay him for that.
Yet now…
"Thunderbolt Slash!"
The Interdimensional Shadow Wyrm she slashed into screeched as the first sword skill inflicted a deep wound into its head. With a fierce battle cry, Yomogi then stabbed her second sword through the wyrm's eye socket before twisting it harshly, killing the Wyrm and making it dissipate into a murky puddle of darkness.
Now, Yomogi felt conflicted. She was sad, but she was also furious.
"DAMN IT, KYO! I SWEAR WHEN I'M DONE HERE, I'M GOING TO SLAP SOME SENSE BACK INTO THAT STUPID HEAD OF YOURS AND MAKE YOU APOLOGIZE FOR EVERYTHING! YOU HEAR ME?!" Yomogi yelled at the cracked and bleeding sky.
"Is it alright for her to make so much noise?" Ethnobalt asked unsurely. "She's attracting all the monsters to her."
As if to prove the point, all the Wyverns and Wyrms flying around the ship began to converge on the boarish girl.
"That should be fine." Where Therese stood at the ship's railing, staring hard at the ground below, she spoke up. She looked a bit better than she had earlier. "The fewer monsters me and those below have to deal with, the better."
"Dragon Buster!" Yomogi thrust forward with both swords, unleashing a dual pair of fiery dragons from the blades that bit and clawed into the Wave monsters around her.
While the Replicas could not hold a candle to actual hero weapons, having two copies of Ren's sword in her hands provided Yomogi with a distinct advantage. Something that not even actual heroes could do.
She was able to use two different skills at the same time.
The girl then followed up her earlier attack by charging one of the monsters that survived, stabbing into it with both her blades before throwing herself into the air above it, spinning and slashing into another monster as another skill was ready. "Crimson Blade!"
The wyvern roared as it was burned away. Yomogi landed back onto the back of the first monster, the force of her impact dealing the killing blow to it. She stayed on the deck of the ship and continued fighting with a brutal ferocity that was almost scary.
Yomogi might have believed that she wasn't good at thinking everything through. But her battle instincts were impeccable. It'd been a very good idea on Kizuna's part to have Kyo's retainer help them out. Therese could focus all her attention on the battlefield down below now thanks to the extra backup.
Ethnobalt sagged at the helm, but he forced himself to stay awake.
He really had lost a lot of energy restraining Kizuna back at Kyo's mansion. As a librarian rabbit, he was capable of going multiple days without rest, but now he was starting to wonder if not taking a moment to nap while on the way to Kyo's mansion had been a bad idea after all.
Oh well, he could think more about it later when he had the energy to spare. He swerved his ship over another part of the battlefield. "Any sign of L'Arc's flagship yet?" He asked.
"I… no, come on, where did that idiot crashland at?!" Therese screamed in frustration.
"Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, couldn't you just use an ofuda to-" Ethnobalt began to ask.
"DO YOU THINK THAT THOUGHT DIDN'T CROSS MY MIND?! THE IDIOT NEVER ANSWERED!"
…
Ethnobalt wisely shut up when he saw the scary aura emanating off the Gem Girl from under her armor.
Therese went back to scanning the smoky snow-covered battlefield. Trying desperately to find a sign of her beloved.
Ranged attacks and monsters bounced uselessly off the ship's hull, but she paid them little mind. Ethnobalt's weapon forms were incapable of being damaged or destroyed. As long as his defense stat remained high, the rabbit man himself would be just fine against these types of attacks.
Her breathing came in and out heavily again. But this time, her hands clenched the railing of Ethnobalt's ship with a firm resolve.
L'Arc was still alive on her HUD. He was still alive and down there somewhere.
She just had to keep moving forward. She had to believe that it was possible to extract him from this mess! To find the path that'd make everything work out for them!
She wouldn't give in! She was going to save her Hero just like Wyndia had! If the dog girl could do it, then there was no reason she couldn't do it too!
Just as that thought passed through Therese's mind, the Vassal Boat passed over a particularly smoky part of the battlefield and the Gem girl's eyes widened. "THERE!"
There was a lot of fighting in the area. The majority of soldiers were from Sickle, with little more than a squad of gem commandos helping them out.
There were no Luvar soldiers here. This small army, the remains of L'Arc's reckless charge, was holding the line against waves and waves of monsters. And fighting at their head to get them out of this mess was…
"Deadly Dance!" A heavily injured L'Arc cut through the head of an Interdimensional Shadow Drake, killing it instantly. He continued past the first monster, blood dripping from a gash on his forehead as he cut into the horde; performing what could only be described as a dance against death itself.
The worn-out, badly injured king of Sickle was still fighting with everything he had to reach the Acclamators in the distance. It'd be a cold day in hell before he allowed himself to see Kenshiro early, just because of some stupid wave monster getting the upper hand against him.
"L'Arc! I see him!" Therese said excitedly. "I see-"
Boom! "Ack!" Ethnobalt cried out in pain, heavily veering the ship to the side and nearly causing both Yomogi and Therese to fall overboard.
Therese turned around, wanting to scream at him as the rabbit man began flying away from L'Arc's position.
But then she saw that he wasn't flying away, but was engaging in evasive maneuvers as more volleys of cannon fire ripped through the air around them and exploded midair.
At least half a dozen Luvar ships descended through the air between the wave cracks after Ethnobalt's boat. Their cannons were already alight and firing off more volleys. Some at Ethnobalt's boat, and others at the Wave Monsters around them.
It was then that Therese remembered something important.
There was still an aerial battle going on amidst the Wave cracks.
And it didn't look like there were many of their escort ships left to fight against both the Wave Monsters and Luvar's fleet. The latter of which had reinforcements beginning to pour in from all directions.
"Therese, I'm sorry, but I can't land without drawing their attention to L'Arc!" Ethnobalt wiped the blood away from his mouth. At the very least, that hard hit had been enough to get his adrenaline pumping. "We need to deal with them first before we can save L'Arc and his troops down below!"
"... fine." Therese scowled as she put her helmet back over her head. Her hands glowed with Gem Energy that only needed to be shaped into spells. And more gem energy coalesced on her back.
She'd finally spotted L'Arc. He was still alive and needed her help.
She was not going to cry and curl up into a ball now that she had a goal that was within her grasp.
Yomogi stayed on the deck of the ship, dealing with random monsters while Therese jumped overboard and propelled herself and her wrath at the ships of Luvar's fleet.
"RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan launched herself off Naofumi's shoulder and impacted against Kyo's leg.
The large dragon's attack changed course only slightly, but it was enough for the Shield Hero to duck underneath the fiery fist and pull one of Kyo's large, thick legs down by his thigh. "Good job, Raph-Chan!"
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan jumped back onto his shoulder while Kyo howled and tried to throw Naofumi off.
Despite his much higher strength stat, Kyo felt even heavier to Naofumi than the Spirit Tortoise had been. The Shield Hero barely held the large demon in place long enough for Raphtalia to charge in on Filo's back.
"Powder Snow!" Her attack hit Kyo across the face, draining away his magic power. Filo's clawed foot slammed into his chest, allowing her to jump out of range of his winged counterstrike.
While that was happening, pages swarmed around Naofumi, forcing him to let go and jump back before his arms were entrapped by the cursed paper.
He still grimaced though as he held one arm to himself. Just that brief time holding down Kyo had almost pulled his arms out of their sockets. Seriously, between the Waves, the cursed tomes, and his new dragon transformation, just how high were Kyo's stats right now?!
Even if it wasn't his ultimate body, this one alone was probably enough to fight the Waves single-handedly! And if he leveled up even more and incorporated the methods of all the Heroes of his world…
That was almost too scary to consider. Naofumi felt glad that hadn't happened.
"Hmhmhm! Not bad! Not bad at all! But tell me, why pick that particular skill to open up with?" Kyo's large-scaled foot suddenly appeared in front of the Shield Hero's face, and a surprised Naofumi barely reacted with his shield in time.
He took quite a bit of damage, but he managed to protect Raph-Chan on his shoulder. Still, a shock wave came out from the strike, and Naofumi was pushed back at least a dozen meters from the force of the hit. "Aren't you all trying to beat me? Draining my near 'endless' reserves of magic power isn't going to do-"
"Shining Arrow!" Itsuki's light arrow spread skill fell down from the sky over Kyo.
Kyo stopped speaking, but he was smirking maliciously as a group of pages intercepted the attack. Without saying anything, Itsuki jumped to the side as Kyo spat out another large purple fireball where the Bow Hero had been standing, leaving a new crater behind on the ash-covered ground.
Itsuki then fired off another skill, making more of the Book Demon's pages move to deal with him. Naofumi took the time the Bow Hero bought him to crush a Healing Crystal in his hands, healing the damage he'd taken.
Dragon Vein Unlocked! 2500 EXP Acquired!
It was definitely far more convenient than using Health Potions from his world. And he didn't mind the experience he got as a bonus either.
Rishia and Dou-Lon moved around to flank Kyo on the opposite side while Itsuki had him distracted. But as the two closed in, Kyo's head swerved towards them, and a wicked smirk crossed his features as more of the Book Demon's pages converged on them.
The two danced and weaved through the barrage, but as the Book Demon spoke in a low voice, the Performance Magic Dou-Lon had been inadvertently using before to enhance his speed and dexterity was forcibly cut off by Kyo.
The hakuko's movements slowed, and though he cried out in surprise, Dou-Lon managed to escape the swarm with nothing but scratches on his arms and legs thanks to Rishia's quick reaction. "Spiral Strike!"
The pages around Dou-Lon were shredded into pieces. The girl, despite being forced to defend the hakuko, had only suffered a single cut on one of her cheeks as she weaved through the rest of the pages around her. The emerald flower in her hair shone as brightly as she did as waves of life force continuously erupted from her body.
Now that Naofumi had trained in life force, he could see Rishia's full power for himself. And it surprised him as much as it had surprised Itsuki the first time he'd seen it.
The Bow Hero paused in his attacks to smile brightly. "You got this, Rishia! Show him just how much more powerful you are now compared to last time!"
Rishia smiled at her Hero as she continued forward under her own power. She weaved and struck down the last of Kyo's pages in her way before thrusting forward with her katana. "Swords of Ice!" Several blades of ice appeared alongside her to join her attack.
"Yes!" Naofumi cheered. Kyo only had enough time to bring one of his wings in to shield himself before every attack from the girl landed.
Yes! Yes yes yes yes yes! Even if the rest of them were struggling to get a proper hit on him, there was no way he'd be able to stand against Rishia's onslaught. The girl was already bringing her katana back to prepare for her next barrage.
"Hmhmhmhmhm."
Rishia's eyes widened, and instead of attacking, she instinctively jumped back from Kyo to put some distance between them. "What-" Itsuki started to say, only for his eyes to widen as well.
Kyo's nearly undamaged wing lowered, revealing Kyo's monstrous visage once again. "How interesting! So I was right in my analysis of our previous battle! You too are using a variation of natural soul energy without realizing it! That's why you were able to hurt me last time!"
"What are you talking about?!" Itsuki yelled at him.
"Hengen Musou, AKA Life force! An appropriate name to be sure! The ability to draw on the power of your own soul! It is a dying style in your world, because of how hard it is to learn. Yet you have not only learned how to use it effectively, you are able to draw on the power of your soul in its entirety, with no apparent ill side effects!
"You are a most interesting specimen, Rishia Ivyred!
"Unfortunately for you though, I learned how to negate your defense-piercing and defense-rating attacks. Such tricks won't damage me anymore." Kyo's smirk grew just a tad bigger.
...
Naofumi's stomach sank.
No, that wasn't possible. Hengen Muso wasn't even that well known in their world. How had Kyo managed to not only figure it out but learn how to counter it too?!
"I must thank you for providing me with such invaluable research material. A variation of your fighting style also exists in this world, but it is not so nearly refined as yours." The Book Demon grinned as he pulled another glass tube out of one of the gems on his chest. A few green strands of hair were stored within.
"By cloning you with that katana-obsessed fool's method and studying your essence, I was able to glean some incredible insights regarding your unique physiology! What a peculiar mutant you are, Rishia Ivyred! Your body is a natural conduit for the world's energy, akin to adamantium ore! If you somehow survive this encounter, I suggest you look into learning your world's human version of dragon vein magic like what that Sword Hero's dog girl wielded! It would be a perfect fit for your type of abilities!
"But now, allow me to return you the favor for what happened last time!"
Kyo balled one of his clawed hands into a fist as he pulled it back. A pulse of dark energy erupted from his body, creating a corona around it just like the one that Rishia had. "Now, what was the name of this skill again? Ah, yes!"
"HENGEN MUSO: G̷̡̃O̴̙̒Ḑ̸̈́'̸͑͜S̷̤̄ ̵̢̚B̶̨̀L̸̳̀O̸͍͆W̶̭̓!"
Rishia was so shocked by what she was seeing, that she was barely able to summon her own life force to negate most of the attack. Yet, the weight behind it was still strong enough to send her flying backward.
"Rishia!" Itsuki jumped high, managing to catch her in time.
The two landed on the ground, and Itsuki had already pulled a Healing Crystal out for his best friend, who crushed it in her hands. She was coughing up blood though, and she struggled to stand on her own two feet.
Nearby, where Naofumi had just handed a Healing Crystal to Dou-Lon to help him with his wounds, Naofumi's eyes widened.
"Bunker Shield!" His skill shield appeared over the Bow Hero and his companion as more pages from Kyo tried to assault the pair. It bought Itsuki enough time to heal his girlfriend and for the two of them to fall back.
Kyo continued to laugh menacingly. "Hahaha! Oh my, that wasn't nearly as impressive as I thought it would be! My apologies, I am still pretty amateurish at this whole thing, since this was my first attempt at using it!"
"How?!" Naofumi yelled at Kyo. "How did you learn about Hengen Musou?!"
"Interested, are you? You see, in our world, there is a similar way of fighting known as the Freegem Style.
"Glass's old master actually used to teach it long ago. Though his practice is dying out, so it took me a while to connect the dots! Not that it matters! This girl's blood that I stole is basically a cheat that allows you to use it with no training whatsoever when mixed with the Demon Dragon's own blood!" The large dragon began to howl with laughter again as if he'd just discovered a good joke.
Naofumi didn't know what to be more surprised by. The fact that a style of fighting based on life force did actually exist in this world. Or that Kyo had freely answered his question.
"Come, let me see what else you have! Don't think I haven't noticed your two allies who have as of yet to participate directly against me." Kyo raised a clawed hand towards Maya and Aksel. "Surely you have a trick that'd also allow them to join in the fun, hmmm?"
Filo and Raphtalia were both grimacing deeply. Naofumi grimaced as well, but he still charged forward and decided to try a different tactic he'd prepared since the Male Bitch was asking for it.
"Air Strike Shield! Second Shield! Dritte Shield!" He summoned all three shields around Kyo. And as pages from the swarm moved to swipe them out of the sky, he called out another skill.
"Chain Shield!"
Chains burst from the different shields, wrapping them together and trapping Kyo in place with the three shield skills.
"HUAH!" Aksel and Maya both charged in at that moment. With Raphtalia, Filo, and Dou-Lon joining them as well.
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan also joined them. Charging from behind and jumping onto Kyo's head to use the same trick from earlier in case he tried to physically break through the skills and counterattack using either his body or his pages.
Unfortunately, Raph-Chan's attempt to use illusion magic like she had before failed. Kyo did not react with a physical attack.
"A̸L̶L̵ ̶D̴R̷I̵F̴A̶ ̶P̶U̸S̸H̶!̵"
A large force of gravity came out from him on all sides. All those who'd tried taking advantage of the opening Naofumi gave them were launched back from the Book Demon.
"Hmhmhmhmhmhm." Kyo chuckled deeply. "Nice. Finally, something new. I know I asked you to do it, but I didn't think you'd actually do something to give those two lovebirds a fighting chance.
"You almost did catch me off guard with that brain of yours though, Shield Hero! Bravo!"
Naofumi felt more and more angry at the casual way that Kyo was addressing them.
It was like he was having fun sparring with equals instead of participating in a battle to the death. And it made Naofumi wish he'd go back to calling them cockroaches or cavemen.
That would have been preferable to this.
Kyo shook his head once with a grin, and Raph-Chan was immediately flung off. Naofumi caught her out of the air, but his eyes were focused on Kyo as the dragon stood up to his full height again.
The pages around the Book Demon impacted against the skill shields repeatedly, shattering them and the chains that'd been binding Kyo in place.
"Shooting Star Blow!"
"Shooting Star Gem!"
"Shooting Star Ofuda!"
The three Otherworld Heroes tried attacking at last, while Kyo focused on obliterating the skill shields. However, Kyo didn't even try to move out of the way of their attacks. All three hit against his chest, flying past all his pages.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
…
…
…
The eyes of the Cardinal Heroes widened in fear, and Kyo's chuckle grew even deeper. "Even when buffed by Aura. Even while I'm debuffed by Down. You are still too weak to hurt me.
…
"E̷̘̍V̴̞͊È̸̲R̶̻̂Ỳ̴̗O̷͚̔N̷̨̓É̷̲ ̴̯͠E̸͉̎L̸̫̑Ś̶̤Ë̴͖́ ̵̪̚H̵͚́A̸͖͋S̸̞̓ ̶̭͆É̴̙A̵͖͛R̵̘̂N̶̦͘E̷̜̿D̴̹͘ ̷͔̀T̸͈͑H̸͇̃Ḛ̴̂ ̶͙͊Ŕ̷̰Í̷̞Ģ̴͗Ḫ̸͊T̴̻̓ ̸̜͂T̸͚͆O̴̗̚ ̵͖͠B̴̟̓Ẹ̵̄ ̴̯̎H̶̠͂E̵̬̕R̷͕͛E̶̲͒!̴̙̋ ̶͖̎Y̷̲̌O̸̝͝Ǘ̸̻ ̵̤̍T̴͍͐Ḫ̸͗Ř̵̰Ḙ̸̽E̸̲̍,̶̤͆ ̶̥̈́H̴͍̓Ö̶̖́W̶̟̅E̸͔̓Ṿ̸̌Ė̸̙Ŕ̴̩,̵̛̲ ̶̩̈D̶͚͝O̷̧͑ ̸̛̩N̴͆͜O̶̰͗T̷̯̿ ̷̼̚D̵͓̄Ë̵̟S̴̠̚È̸̞R̵̺̔V̴̩̓E̷̯͌ ̴̫̌S̶͓͆U̷̼͂Ç̸̀H̵̤͋ ̵̮̋A̵̲̎ ̵̺͛G̵̬̽I̴̦͂F̸͕̀T̴̞̊ ̷̳̍F̷̞̉R̷̙̓O̴̳͑M̷̙͒ ̴̢̈́M̴͓͋Ĕ̸̢!̶̭̒ ̸̠̿R̴̗͝À̵̤A̷̮̒A̸̛̬Å̶̻A̷͚͊A̷̹͋A̶̩̐G̷͓̚H̵̼͝H̶̽͜Ḧ̵̖́H̸͈̿Ḧ̷̠́H̵͍̎!̸̲͊" A stream of cursed flames surged out of the Book Demon's open maw to kill the Three Heroes right then and there. He was so quick that the trio couldn't even move to dodge.
Fortunately, Naofumi appeared in front of them before Kyo's attack could land.
"Bunker Shield! Shield Prison!" The two skills surrounded Naofumi. Both broke, but they were able to tank the hit until the cursed flames dissipated.
"Oh? Do you still insist on protecting them? That's fine, I won't mind playing around with you for a little longer! They can always die later! You're much more fun to play with anyway, Shield Hero!"
"Playing?" Naofumi growled. "What are you talking about!? Is this all some kind of damn game to you!?"
The Book Demon turned his head at the Shield Hero and ran his long serpentine tongue over his razor-sharp teeth. "Hmhmhm. A game? Yes, I suppose you could call it that, Shield Hero. But I personally think that this farce we are in is closer to a theatrical play in practice. With all of us here being unwilling and unwitting enforced method actors."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" The Shield Hero spat back.
"Who knows?" The dragon shrugged and shook his head in amusement. "Beat me and maybe you'll find out."
Again, Naofumi grit his teeth, but he and the others moved on Kyo again.
The three fledgling Cardinal Heroes, however, could do nothing but stand back and watch as the next few minutes of battle passed.
Naofumi and Itsuki as well as their friends tried everything they possibly could to fight Kyo and try to end the fight as quickly as possible. From skill combos between Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Filo to some insane life force combos that Itsuki pulled off together with Rishia. Dou-Lon, Maya, and Aksel also had their openings to assist here and there, but it was clear that the Heroes were having to take the brunt of the work upon themselves.
And yet even with that, nothing they tried worked. The strongest blows that they managed to land on Kyo healed within seconds while their own fatigue continued to slowly build up over time.
Maya and Raphtalia's illusion magic was useless. Raphtalia tried to sheath her blade for long enough to use the massive speed boost it gave her. But that made her open to attacks and after that first Drifa Light spell, Kyo wasn't very keen on taking another hit like that to his eyes.
"Enough with the footsie games! You're bringing shame to your predecessor with such cowardice! Fight me up close and personal, Katana Hero! Fast Pull!" Kyo raised one of his claws at the half-tanuki, and the Book Demon's gravity magic seized her body, causing her to rocket towards him through the air.
However, the dragon was met with a nasty surprise.
"Instant Blade: Swallow Reversal!"
Raphtalia had just received a notification that her sheath's special ability was ready. So she pulled her weapon out as she activated the skill, and her form became a blur as she slashed into Kyo's face, arms, and chest simultaneously.
The power behind the attack was so great that the Book Demon staggered back and was forced to cancel his focused gravity spell. Raphtalia wasted no time to make some distance between them again as she fell back with the remainder of the speed boost she had left.
Kyo didn't try to use this spell anymore after that. But it didn't mean that Raphtalia was ever able to sheath her blade long enough to utilize that speed boost again.
"Raphtalia? Why didn't you follow up on that opening? His guard was completely down when you turned his gravity magic back on him." Naofumi asked his girlfriend after she'd retreated.
Actually, that had been the first time she attacked Kyo's head or chest with a skill besides Powder Snow. She had as of yet to really attack him with one of her other hard-hitting skills.
Raphtalia didn't respond then, as she jumped out of the way of one of Kyo's page swarms. Slashing into it with her blade as she did so.
Naofumi never got an answer to his pointed question at that point in the battle.
Filo charged in at one point without the help of her parents. Switching in and out of her human form to help her avoid the Book Demon's pages.
But even with her Filolial side enhancing her hatred of dragons, Filo looked almost as reluctant to engage in close-quarters fighting as her mother. Or to engage in any kind of fighting in general.
"Filo, why didn't you use your Haikuuiku attack on him? Mommy's version of it worked very well earlier." Naofumi asked his daughter next when she pulled back after landing only a glancing blow that severed off part of one of Kyo's four wings with her clawed hands.
"Filo doesn't want to!" The girl protested in an unexpected way. She hadn't been hit once, yet she looked pained after landing a blow on the Book Demon.
"What?! Filo, honey, if you're worried about me keeping you safe, I know that I can-" Naofumi began to respond, confused about her suddenly acting bratty out of nowhere.
"But Daddy, this is wrong! This is all wrong! Filo... Filo isn't sure if Book Guy is a bad guy anymore!" Filo looked back with a hurt expression.
"Filo couldn't tell before, but even though Book Guy is a nasty dragon now, he only smells angry and prideful, instead of evil! Like how Daddy and Bow Uncle did way back!"
…
…
Naofumi, caught up in having to block another one of Kyo's attacks, was unable to put the amount of time necessary into thinking over her words. Yet they still stung in a way he hadn't thought possible before.
That was around the time when Naofumi finally began to notice a similar pattern that'd been repeating over and over again during this battle.
Raphtalia had the perfect opening to unleash devastating skills on Kyo at least twice thus far. At the start, and definitely after that pull spell of Kyo's, yet… she hadn't.
Itsuki was still going for the kill. He assumed Rishia and Dou-Lon, as well as Aksel and Maya were trying for it too, as they all tried their best under the cover of Naofumi's shield skills to help out. Even Raph-Chan tried to assist as best as she could without being able to use her signature illusion magic.
…
Actually, studying them all over again, besides him and Itsuki… everyone else seemed reluctant to really hurt the Book Demon.
Rishia at least appeared to be trying to incapacitate him. But with Kyo neutralizing Rishia's defense-piercing and defense-rating attacks on himself, all they could do was dish out pure, raw, natural damage the hard way.
The green-haired girl's stats had skyrocketed with the Wave combining her levels from both worlds and put her stat build on par with Dou-Lon right now. But without her being able to really dish out hurt on Kyo with her Hengen Musou abilities, the best she could do was destroy Kyo's pages and prevent the large dragon from hurting their friends.
Things were really beginning to look bleak. Yet the others continued to hold conflicted looks on their faces, matching what Raphtalia and Filo wore during the battle.
Seriously… why were they conflicted?! This monster had murdered so many people in their world, as well as others in this world!
He was the reason that Ost had died!
Naofumi felt his frustration coming to a boil as the timers on his and Itsuki's spells were getting close to running out. Screw it! He didn't care why the others felt conflicted about taking down Kyo! He was just going to make sure that it happened!
Fortunately, when he came to that resolution, Kyo was feeling a little too cocky as he allowed Naofumi to charge him again. "Go ahead, Shield Hero! Just try to hold me in place again! We'll see how well that goes-"
"Attack Support!" Naofumi summoned the dart in his hands and jumped up, slamming it into Kyo's chest between the two glowing cursed tomes embedded in it.
"What the-" Kyo stumbled back, looking surprised. "Is that a [Lure Need-"
"Meteor Shot!" Itsuki's strongest skill flew from his bow. Slamming into the damage multiplier skill Naofumi had just applied to the Book Demon's chest.
KABOOM! "AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Kyo screeched in deep pain and fury as a large chunk of his chest was blown out in a pile of blood, paper, and gore. It briefly revealed the two cursed tomes pulsating inside his body, above his dragon lungs and heart.
"NOW!" Naofumi roared at the others. "EVERYONE! LET'S END THIS BEFORE HE CAN KILL ANY MORE PEOPLE LIKE OST!"
His words finally seemed to spark some resolve from the others. Filo and Raphtalia began to glow as they charged up their most powerful magic attacks. Rishia also began preparing a life force attack by kicking the air in front of her. She was moving faster than Naofumi's eyes could follow, and it looked like she was preparing to use the combo move she'd performed with Granny long ago. This time, all on her own.
Itsuki drank a Soul Healing Water and then charged up his next strongest skill as his bow began to glow a bright orange. Aksel, Maya, and Raph-Chan charged in to attack Kyo's pages so they wouldn't get in the way of the others' strongest attacks.
They were finally going to be able to end the fight…
…
Or at least, they should have been able to.
Itsuki still looked to be going for the kill. But then, the brief resolve he'd sparked in Raphtalia, Filo, and Rishia with the mention of Ost's death vanished.
The moment came when their attacks were ready well before Itsuki's skill, yet they didn't unleash them. Naofumi was staring at them expectantly, and when they didn't unleash the attacks, confusion and anger washed over him again.
Why… why were they hesitating against the bloody Male Bitch? Why weren't they striking him down while they had a chance?
If only he could have seen what they were all thinking at that moment.
Their thoughts, though distinct and different from one another, went something like this: Was it really right for them to do this? Had it just been the Kyo they'd known before back in their world, there would have been no hesitation on their part. They'd all rush in to kill him without a second thought to avenge Ost and everyone else that they cared about.
But this wasn't the Kyo they'd known before. Their time with Kizuna had affected their judgment of him. Add in that this Kyo had pulled out two Cursed Series similar to what their Heroes had and their hesitation became all too real.
Unfortunately, their lack of desire to attack and finish the fight gave Kyo the time he needed to recover from the shock of the brutal attack he'd been hit with and retaliate before the Bow Hero could get another good shot in.
"Explosion-" Itsuki began to yell.
"Â̸̪L̶̯̋L̵͕̎ ̷͔͌G̸̯͝R̴̡̉Ȧ̸͖V̸̥͝I̷͇͆T̷͈̽Ÿ̶̢́ ̴̞̇F̵̛̞İ̵̫E̵̼͛L̷̹̂D̴͕̔!̸͇̍"
A wave of energy came off Kyo's form, covering the entire battlefield.
"Ah!" "Rafu!" Maya and Aksel collapsed alongside Raph-Chan, being the ones immediately close to the Book Demon.
Rishia's attack faded away as she was also pulled to the ground. Raphtalia and Filo followed suit right after.
The field of gravity moved over Itsuki and Naofumi last. The pair grunted as they suddenly felt many times heavier. But both of them were still standing.
The three Otherworld Cardinal Heroes fell back almost to the crater walls. But, fortunately, the offensive field of gravity stopped just short of them.
"G-Guys?" Hoshi trembled fearfully.
"C-Come on! We have to be able to help somehow!" Daitan tried to run forward, only to bounce off the wall of gravity before them with an ineffectual Clang!
"We can't help…" Akane had tears in her eyes as her arms huddled in on themselves. "We're still too weak."
"We're always too weak…"
While the three Otherworld Cardinal Heroes stood outside, unable to do anything…
"Urghhhhh!" Raphtalia managed to stand back up again after moving off of her daughter. But she strained with every part of her body to do so. Like this, she could hardly move.
Rishia struggled to get up as well. However, unlike Raphtalia, she was shocked when, unlike before, she wasn't even able to get on her hands and knees.
This Gravity Field… there was something far different about it. One that made all her training in Hengen Musou useless.
"What's wrong! Weren't you all about to do me in here!?" Kyo laughed, his eyes falling on Aksel in particular, as he was still struggling to get back up despite the heavy weight on him.
"A-Aksel, stop-" Maya wheezed next to him.
"URGHHHHHH!" The tank struggled against the gravity coming down on him. If Raphtalia could stand back up, then he should have been able to do so too! He'd gotten one of his hands underneath him and was forcing himself up so he could put his knee beneath him.
He wasn't going to let such a stupid attack take him out like this! He was going to stand up and keep fighting! Even if it killed him to do so!
But his struggles only made Kyo notice him and casually walk closer.
"Stupid. Just stupid. You might have the levels of both worlds, but your stats are still too low. And not only that…" Kyo held a hand up as if counting down to something.
When his last clawed finger fell, Naofumi's Aura and Itsuki's Down spells wore off.
"AGH!" Aksel screamed in frustration as what little progress he'd made vanished and he was forced against the scalding hot ground again.
Raphtalia also fell to one knee, only managing to stay upright as she dug her Katana into the earth. Rishia cried out as the force pressing down against her became even greater.
Naofumi and Itsuki staggered as the weight on them intensified. The latter was forcing himself to step forward while raising his Bow.
"What's wrong?! I remember you being much more energetic before while punching my face over and over again back in that otherworld!" Kyo howled, his monstrous visage coming down closer to the large armored man on the ground. "Are you not as strong as I believed you to be?!"
"URGH, I, YOU-" Aksel tried to yell out.
POW!
Kyo's tail swatted Aksel's face.
Despite the heavy gravity, the knight was launched through the air where he landed on his back next to Rishia. "Urgh…" The man moaned, blood pouring out of his broken nose.
"AKSEL!" Maya screamed.
"AHAHAHAHA!" Kyo laughed deeply in delight. "That's right! Scream, scream in futility as you finally understand that all your hard work amounts to nothing! All your preparations to face me, USELESS!"
"Don't worry though! I'm not so cruel as to tear two lovers apart for long!" Kyo's hind leg slammed into Maya's side next, breaking several of her ribs while launching the raccoon girl rolling across the burning ground, with her body stopping just short of her boyfriend's.
The girl immediately passed out from the pain.
"U… Maya." Aksel's voice weakly came out as one of his hands tried to raise up to touch her hair. But he felt too weak to do even that.
"That was a good fight. I had a lot of fun! But it's time to end this!" Above them, Kyo raised his foot up, preparing to bring it down on Itsuki's three friends.
"NO!" Naofumi tried to move forward but fell to his hands and knees as the gravity around him intensified. "Air Strike Shield!"
The skill shield appeared above the three, only for it to immediately shatter.
Kyo didn't even look back at Naofumi. Instead, a swarm of his pages slammed into the Shield Hero's body over and over again from all directions.
Rishia looked up, her confidence gone, her aura of life force energy dispersed. There was nothing left but sheer terror in the girl's eyes.
Aksel struggled to move. Desperately wanting to protect not only his girlfriend but the Hengen Musou prodigy as well.
Yet it was all in vain.
"You should have taken my offer when you had the chance!
"Now, DIE!"
Hero Clips!
Kyo's BSery
"WHAT THE ACTUAL &^%$?!"
For once, Naofumi's profanity was warranted. He, Itsuki, and their friends found themselves strapped to the chair desks of a very familiar classroom.
And at the front of it…
"Fufufufufu!" The Draconic version of Kyo chuckled to himself. He was arrayed in a teacher's uniform.
It became clear just what kind of omake this was going to be. And Naofumi wanted no part in it whatsoever.
"Come, now. Aren't you at least the littlest bit curious about how I'm pulling off all those sweet moves in our battle?" Kyo asked with a smirk on his monstrous face.
"The only thing I'm curious about is seeing whether or not my arrows are capable of making your brain matter splatter all over the back wall! E Float Bow!" Itsuki, despite being strapped down, summoned his float skill to his side. He then made it begin to fire one stream of arrows after another at the Book Demon.
Yet despite the rain of arrows coming at the speed of a gatling gun, Kyo's form blurred as he moved side to side. His easygoing demeanor didn't change in the slightest. "Now now, we're in a classroom. I haven't even taken roll call yet."
"&^%$ YOU AND YOUR &^%$&^% ROLLCALL!" Itsuki screamed.
"Fuehhhhhhh!" Rishia whimpered in her seat next to him.
"Hmmm, this is going to be a tad strange teaching like this. Then again, that one yellow balloon teacher somehow managed to make this work, so I'll give it a try myself." It looked like Kyo had shrugged, but it was hard to tell since his form was still blurring while dodging all of Itsuki's arrows.
"Let's see, first off, the reason why your defense-piercing and defense-rating attacks haven't worked on me." He began writing on the chalkboard behind him at light speed. "To put it simply, I spent some of my time learning how to negate those kinds of attacks via life force these last few weeks."
"Also, you can't say that's unfair since Naofumi there was learning how to do that very thing during his own training. And he had less time to prepare for it too."
Naofumi, who'd been about to yell how bull crap that was, shut his mouth.
Yeah, to be honest, that was pretty fair. He'd learned how to do it pretty quickly.
"I also learned how to use life force to enhance spells like that All Gravity Field I summoned at the end there. It not only allows me to concentrate gravity on certain individuals as I did with Naofumi, but it also allows me to prevent practitioners like Rishia there from using her own life force to stand and fight like what happened before in the Spirit Tortoise." Kyo continued to lecture, writing notes on the chalkboard as he did so.
Do keep in mind that he was still doing all this while blurring side to side as Itsuki's barrage hadn't abated in the slightest.
"While Rishia does have an absurd amount of life force contained within her, thanks to her being a true prodigy; my serum has transformed me into a dragon. Dragons in general have far more life force compared to even humans like Rishia. That is why they're capable of casting Dragon Vein Magic without using the environment around them to assist in creating the spell. She could not hope to escape my Gravity Field's hold with just life force alone as she has before."
"Ok, that sounds like a load of bull. Is that how it actually works?" Naofumi asked in a deadpan. "If I transformed myself into a dragon, would I suddenly have access to a lot more life force like you?!"
"In all fairness," Kyo answered. "It probably is a load of bull. But then, things can never be that easy for you Heroes, can it?"
...
"Actually, there's something I'm more curious about than that," Raphtalia spoke up at last. "Why don't you just use your wings to fly around since it'd help you maintain a colossal height and distance advantage for attacking us and evading our own attacks? Wouldn't that be a more realistic way of making this fight more fair?"
"Hmmm, Mommy has a good point. Why does Book Guy not fly around like Filo?" Filo asked as well.
Itsuki's float skill finally stopped launching arrows. The thing was glowing red from overheating… actually, was such a thing possible?
Either way, Kyo's form finally stood front and center. The large dragon simply shrugged in response. "The thing is, I never actually learned how to fly before taking the serum."
...
...
"What?" Aksel deadpanned.
"I can flap my wings pretty hard which kind of helps with jumping higher, but without proper training or experience, I would just fail and faceplant repeatedly. Kind of doesn't make for a good final battle then, does it?"
…
Literally, everyone in the room considered that to be super lame, especially since the Book Hero was able to use a move from Hengen Musou without training to use it but was somehow unable to fly.
Only Naofumi groaned in agreement. "Yeah, I guess I can see how the world is lame in that way."
"Right?! I mean, I spent most of my time with my Book being unable to do much of anything by myself! This thing is so stupid!"
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Itsuki screamed again as his float skill started firing arrows repeatedly once again.
Kyo's form blurred once more. The wall behind him was already destroyed and the wall behind that would soon give way. But at least the chalkboard was still fine.
"I mean, this world can be so stupid at times. Why is it that some things just work while other things actually follow common sense?" Kyo continued to rant. "It's ridiculous!"
"Yeah. I've been dealing with that same issue ever since my summoning." Naofumi boredly rested his face in his hand.
The two wound up having a civil discussion about all the crap they've had to go through after that… while Itsuki still tried his best to assassinate their teacher.
But unlike a certain classroom full of teenagers, the Bow Hero would fail to kill Kyo in the end.
Hero Clips!
I… What?
"By cloning you with that katana-obsessed fool's method and studying your essence, I was able to glean some incredible insights regarding your unique physiology! What a peculiar mutant you are, Rishia-"
"Hang on, you made clones of Rishia for your research?!" Itsuki suddenly asked.
...
The threatening atmosphere of everyone's life-or-death battle there was suddenly toned down by the Bow Hero's interruption.
"Uh… yeah? I think I just admitted that." Kyo said.
"So you're telling me that you had a bunch of naked girls floating in glass tubes at some point, correct?" Itsuki then asked.
...
The threatening atmosphere lessened even more. Naofumi and the others looked between the Book Demon and the Bow Hero confusedly. Rishia in particular looked the most confused of them all.
It wasn't long though before they were all starting to look at the Book Demon in disgust as lines of thought went through their minds.
"Holy- is he actually a pervert on top of everything else?" Akane asked in disgust.
"N-NO! No!" Kyo began to sweat in his monstrous form. "I only made them strictly for research purposes! That's it!"
The others didn't believe him in the slightest. Kyo quickly turned towards the Shield Hero. "You of all people should know how the Wrath Series erases one's libido, even when it's unequipped! Is it even possible to think about sex when all you're filled with is rage and a desire for revenge towards the world and everyone in it?!"
"... It does that?" Naofumi cocked his head in confusion. "Strange, if anything, my libido has only been increasing as of late."
"It… it has?" Kyo's head tilted in confusion as he looked at the Katana Hero.
Raphtalia blushed and didn't comment. Naofumi smirked as he slung an arm over her shoulders.
"Lucky." Kyo's frown cemented itself on his monstrous visage. Not that he'd been too interested in sex to begin with. Guess that was something that really set him apart from other reincarnators.
"All that aside, do you still have any of those clones left?"
SLAP!
Akane slapped the back of Daitan's head hard enough to bury him in the ground. "It's bad enough having one mega pervert here! We don't need you adding to the mess, idiot!" The Jewel Heroine yelled down at him.
"But-" Daitan coughed as he dug himself out of the ground with record speed. "I didn't say anything!"
"Who said that then?" Hoshi asked, looking confused as well.
…
Akane and everyone looked around in confusion. But then...
Itsuki stepped forward, his eyes filled with desperation. "Do you have any more of those clones on hand?" He asked again.
…
And that was the moment the remaining bit of threatening atmosphere went behind one of the burning trees in the background to shoot itself dead.
Rishia stared at her Hero boyfriend in shock. And then, as everyone's eyes fell on her, sharing in her surprise, she sunk into the ground as it burned thanks to the waves of embarrassment coming off her form.
Kyo slowly blinked, trying to process the Bow Hero's words. But he must have understood what the Bow Hero was asking for at a subconscious level as the door to his panic room, which had survived the nuclear blast, wordlessly opened and raised a glass tube out of it.
Its contents were a bit too murky to make out for everyone else. But Itsuki was close enough to see what was inside.
And what he saw could only be described as div-
"NOOOOOOO!" Rishia's katana, covered in energy, blazed past Itsuki's head and blew up the capsule, as well as the naked Rishia clone floating inside.
Rishia then rapidly turned on the Bow Hero and raised him off the ground by his collar. "R-Rishia, wait! I can explain!" Itsuki began to beg frantically, seeing his girlfriend's embarrassment transforming into anger.
"YOU IDIOT! IF YOU WANTED TO SEE ME NAKED, ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS ASK!"
…
The rest of Itsuki's excuse died on his lips.
"Why would you ask to see a cheap copy of myself when you have the real one standing right here?!" Rishia then screamed at the Bow Hero. "I've walked in on several of Maya and Aksel's lewd outings myself! Do you think that I'm not feeling sexually pent up as well?! Do you think I'd settle for a cheap clone of the Bow Hero over you?!"
…
…
…
The two stayed staring into each other's eyes, their bodies frozen and unable to move besides the heaving of their chests.
"You know, this is getting really awkward… I don't feel like fighting anymore." Kyo, as well as everyone else, sweatdropped after what they'd all witnessed. "I think I'll go ransack the Harpoon country for a while, and then we can meet up to finish this fight at a later date. Sound good?"
"Yeah." "Uh-huh." "Sure." The other Heroes and their allies quickly voiced their agreement. Looking just as uncomfortable as the Book Demon.
Kyo, because he couldn't fly, climbed out of the pit and began to run in the direction of the Harpoon Country.
Everyone else left quickly too to give the couple some privacy.
...
Finally, after all this time, the vanilla couple was going to seal the deal with one another.
Unfortunately… or perhaps, fortunately, the weight of Rishia's words in the heat of the moment finally caught up to her brain. The same thing happened to Itsuki too.
Holy... had she actually said that out loud?!
Had he actually asked that out loud?!
Instead of the two of them going off to do something lewd.
"FUEHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Yep, they fell to their knees and began to scream in embarrassment together at what they'd just done.
Ah, young love.
You love to see it.
Till Next Time
Allen
Notes:
Since I'm caught up posting on AO3, I plan on posting the doc that has the rest of this fight and the Aftermath that I have written thus far to my Discord Server.
For those readers here on AO3 who want to join btw, find me on Discord using the tag @allenblaster and I'll give you an invite to the server. Thanks again to those who've joined already.
Lastly, now that I'm caught up posting this story here from fanfiction.net, expect updates to this story every two weeks starting on November 27th.
Chapter 18: Final Showdown: Part Two: Diligence
Notes:
I finally watched the rest of Season Two since I've managed to write to the end of Diligence. I also went ahead and watched what has come out for Season Three so far. I can say that while I'm unhappy with the things they did wrong as well as the things they left out in Season Two, I still found myself able to enjoy it. The music was good, the characterization for some side characters was on point. And I was surprised by the feels I got on scenes, especially at the end of the thirteenth Episode with the cast visiting Ost's grave. I might have to do a one-shot based on that scene in particular based in the afterstory of this fic.
As for Season Three… it is better than Season One. Which makes it infinitely better than Season Two. I love it. It makes none of Season Two's mistakes. It is handling the new characters very well. The pacing is on point with Season One's coverage of the first four LN's (so not including the Cal Mira Episodes, which was the fifth LN), and on top of all that, THE MUSIC IS STILL A BOP!
Seriously, go watch it if you haven't yet. It will be worth your time, guaranteed. You are doing yourself a disservice if you like what I've done in my fic but don't want to watch this season of the anime. And again, what it is showing is what happened in the LNs. So you all will finally discover why I was inspired to do what I did early on in the story.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
"Blood Flower Strike!"
The Interdimensional Shadow Drake that had been charging forward was cut clean in two. A second later, Kizuna appeared behind the monster as its entire body disappeared into shadowy mist.
A trail of the same substance could be tracked across the battlefield amongst the soldiers fighting behind the Hunting Tools Hero. It was not her first kill, nor would it be her last.
Kizuna couldn't do a damn thing to stop the bloodshed between both sides. But she could at least prevent the monsters from making things worse than they already were.
"First Form: Pitfall!" Another Drake monster tripped into the earthen hole Kizuna made in front of it. As it tried to pull itself out to attack the Hero, a small penguin jumped onto its back and karate-chopped its head.
"PEN!" SLICE!
Chris's flipper, which was covered over in ice, acted as a deadly blade and cut through the monster's shadow essence like it was wet clay. The drake didn't even have the chance to cry out in pain as its body dematerialized into shadowy goo.
"Good job Chris! Keep up the good work!" Kizuna gave her son a thumbs up.
"Pen!" Chris jumped onto her shoulder, looking around at the chaos around them diligently.
A fearful cry came from behind the Hunting Tools Hero and she quickly turned around to find a Sickle knight who was about to be killed by a Luvar soldier. The knight appeared to be wounded and was holding his right hand over his bleeding side.
"Fishing!" Kizuna's weapon changed into its signature rod form and the line lashed out, grabbing the knight and pulling him back just before the enemy soldier's weapon stabbed into the ground where he'd been.
Before their foe could recover from his subsequent surprise, Chris slammed his flipper into the chestplate of his armor, knocking him back onto the ground. A subsequent chop to the head knocked the enemy soldier unconscious.
"T-Thank you, Lady Kizuna!" The knight she saved bowed to her. Still keeping a tight grip on his wound, he was escorted by another pair of knights back towards the back line where a field hospital was set up.
"We keep on getting a lot of small fry. But where the hell is that Wave Boss hiding?" The Hunting Tools Hero asked loudly over the sounds of battle.
"None of ours have spotted anything yet!" Glass approached then, dragging a squad of bound Luvar cavalry knights behind her. She was also closely followed by the Sickle soldiers these cavalry knights had been fighting. The men and women all shivered in terror behind her. "And neither have theirs."
Kizuna couldn't do a damn thing about the bloodshed, but Glass could, and she did. Even exhausted as she was, the Fan Hero was more than strong enough to knock out the enemy soldiers and intimidate the others into surrendering when their attacks barely left a scratch on her body.
It wasn't the whole army. But every little bit helped.
Kizuna nodded and turned to look forward again. She wanted to focus on the next group of monsters she'd spotted earlier, but another squad of Luvar's soldiers had already disposed of them and were charging to attack her next.
"Take them down! Take them down!"
"We must defeat Sickle!"
"PEN!"
Too bad Chris was still there. He jumped off Kizuna's shoulder and slammed both fins into the ground. The ground under the group of enemies then turned to ice, causing them to slip and fall.
While they were getting back up, they didn't even realize Chris had dove into their midst until it was too late.
"What the-"
"It's just a penguin!"
"How is a penguin this strong?!"
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The enemy charge fell into confusion and then terror as Chris beat them all up one after the other with either his flippers or more ice magic. In the meantime, Kizuna found another group of monsters attacking some gem commandos. Her hunting knife glowed brightly in her hand as she dove into their midst.
"Instant Blade: Sunflower Strike!"
The group of lesser shadow dragons burst into clouds of gore as one. The inky-black ichor that composed their bodies was left hanging in the air in the form of several sunflowers.
"Look, brother! It is the Hero of the Hunt! She has come to aid us, no doubt!" A pompous voice was heard from one of the gem commandos that Kizuna had just saved.
"Indeed, brother! What great fortune! Surely this is a sign that our cause is righteous and that this battle will-" A second pompous voice began to respond.
Cole suddenly appeared behind the pair, slapping the back of their helmets with his weapon. "You dolts! Nobody speaks like that these days! Speak properly while we're in the middle of a battle!"
"Urgh, sorry, force of habit." One of the two brothers said.
"But it's so much fun to do." The other sighed.
While the two brothers rubbed the backs of their helmets, a small smile appeared on Kizuna's face. "Cole, is that you?"
"It is." Corrin's royal adviser looked at the Hunting Tools Hero, taking off his helmet to reveal a sweat-adorned face. Before he could speak though, he saw something coming down from above and directed a hand up towards the sky.
"My name is Cole Diamante. My friends, heed my call and form a spike to tear my enemies asunder! Shining Stones: Earth Spike!"
The advisor's armor glowed with gem energy as the ground in front of him tore itself open. As soon as it did, a large earthen spike launched itself into the sky, skewering the Wyrm monster that was about to dive down toward the Hunting Tools Hero.
Kizuna looked up at the falling remains of the monster and then back down at Cole. "Thanks for the assist, Cole. But you should really skedaddle out of here and hide in the backline somewhere. You're the highest-ranking commanding officer that's present here at the moment. If something happens to you, your commandos will be left in disarray."
"Nonsense. I might have lost track of Emperor Corrin and Lord Ryoma in this mess, but I am still capable of fighting alongside my men." With the immediate threat above disposed of, Cole focused on Kizuna again. "Did things go well with Kyo? Is that why you and the others appeared to help us?"
…
The girl could only grimace in response. "I'm afraid the Wave split us up while we were at Kyo's mansion. Naofumi and his allies are still there fighting him now."
"I… I see…" Cole's face fell. "So we still have to deal with this battle and the Wave."
"Have you tried calling for a truce until the Wave is over?" Kizuna pressed on.
"Lord Ryoma did try. But Xander is not responding to our attempts at communication. He is pressing his men to attack even with the monsters targeting both sides." Cole said gravely.
"I knew he could be ruthless. But to this extent…"
Kizuna almost wanted to scream in frustration, but she held it in as, nearby, some of Cole's men fell back so their weapons could recharge. Another line moved forward to take their place, firing into the crowd of monsters again.
"Well, the sooner I deal with the Wave Boss, the sooner this Wave will end, and the sooner you'll be able to focus on Luvar. Have any of your soldiers found anything bigger and nastier than these monsters flying around?!"
"No idea, to be honest, this whole thing is so messy that-" Cole began to respond.
"Um, if I may interrupt." One of the two noblesse soldiers from earlier spoke up. "I think my brother spotted something in the skies below the Wave Cracks at the back of Luvar's army earlier. What was it that you saw again, um… bro?"
"It looked like a giant dragon. Kind of reminded me of the Demon Dragon, only it had two large wings instead of four." The second brother answered, putting a hand to his chin in thought. "I thought I saw it devour a whole ship whole, but then I had to fight another monster and by the time I looked again, it had vanished."
Kizuna frowned even more.
"It was pretty high up in the sky. That could be why no one else has spotted it yet." The second brother added. "Sorry, I wasn't able to see much else."
The gem noblesses turned around as their comrades yelled for assistance. The two began firing their Gem Lightning Rifles into another wave of monsters trying to overwhelm their position.
Cole pulled out another ofuda, and as he listened to the voice on the other end, he grimaced. "The situation above is still too hectic. I'm afraid I can't call in a transport to pick you up. I'm sorry, but I don't know how to get you up there."
"... it's fine." Kizuna grinned. The hunting knife in her hands changed into a bow in a flash of light. "If I find it, I'll just have to bring it down to my level."
"Pen!" Chris walked up, dragging the group of beat-up soldiers behind him in a large pile of moaning limbs.
Glass also walked up, pouring another Soul Healing Potion on herself to recharge her energy and fill in the wounds she'd sustained. "Come on, you two, it looks like the Wave Boss we're hunting is a dragon!" Kizuna said excitedly.
Glass and Chris nodded their heads and followed Kizuna away from Cole and his soldiers. With the Hunting Tools Hero dealing with all the monsters in their way while Chris and Glass put down every enemy soldier that made a move to attack the plucky girl.
Cole smiled just a little bit, feeling warmth and reassurance coming from the grin that Kizuna held… and yet, it still looked forced upon closer examination.
This battle must have been getting to her. They all had to help end things as soon as possible. But Cole had no idea where Xander was even at.
It was clear that the enemy would continue their attacks unless their general ordered them to stop… or otherwise died on the field of battle. But there were only a handful of individuals among the coalition army who were strong enough to stand against the rogue Lapis crown prince. Perhaps if Glass or one of the other Heroes found him…
Curses! He should have asked Kizuna to try and target Xander as well. Guess that's what he got for being so focused on the battle at hand.
Before Cole could ponder too much on it though, another one of his ofuda activated at his side. One that brought him only temporary relief. "Your Majesty, thank goodness, I was starting to wonder-" He started speaking into it.
"Cole, I am granting you temporary authority over our forces. I am about to engage Xander in a duel and won't be available during that time." Corrin's voice interrupted him.
…
"Y… Your Majesty?" Cole replied in shock.
"This needless fighting has to stop. I'll do my best to reason with him. But if I fail… make sure you and Ryoma focus on the Wave. I'll be counting on you two."
"Wait, Your Majesty, call in the Heroes! They're here! They can-" Before Cole could finish yelling his response, the ofuda connection shut off.
"Gods," Cole gripped the ofuda in his fist tightly. But then he was forced to focus on the battle once again as the troops in front of him needed immediate orders and guidance to continue their battle.
Before long, Cole found himself at the forefront of the fighting again, assisting against both the Waves of Monsters and the Book Country's elite foot soldiers.
It was just one thing after another, wasn't it? Cole swore to himself that upon this battle's conclusion, he was going to have some choice words with his Emperor for such reckless behavior. The king of Sickle was clearly a terrible influence with his own reckless actions.
But first, they all needed to get through this alive.
…
…
…
"So, it has finally come to this." Xander dismounted from his war horse.
The large beast was led away by another one of his soldiers, as it was bleeding from a wound on its side. One that Corrin had inflicted with a magic spell to force the beast to stop.
Most of the magic attacks directed at Xander and his steed had failed to do much, if any damage before this. But Corrin's level was much higher than average, with only Ryoma surpassing him in that regard among the Lapis forces.
"Xander, brother, I don't want to fight you right now." Corrin walked forward. The noblesse commandos he'd been leading were taking on the monsters surrounding the two army leaders. Giving them a circle of peace in the chaotic battlefield.
"I know I escalated the conflict earlier with what I did, but there are innocent lives in the way now! Some of these monsters are moving towards Luvar's Capital! This needless bloodshed is pointless!
"Please, at least let us call for a temporary truce so we can focus on the Wave!
"The last thing I want is for civilians to be put in harm's way by the Waves of Catastrophe!"
Soldiers around them continued fighting each other, as well as the monsters raining down from the sky. Blood and shadow littered the dirt. And in the distance, Luvar's remaining defenders were activating defenses against the oncoming hordes of monsters.
"Needless… yes, all this truly is needless, isn't it?" Xander took his helmet off of his head, before dropping it to the ground next to him.
His stern face could not hide the far-off look in his eyes. Eyes that were directed everywhere but at his younger brother.
"It is needless! Please, Xander! Listen to reason!" Corrin pleaded. "There has been enough death today!"
…
"You speak of the lives of civilians… and yet, what about the smaller communities of Lapis, brother? Even the ones that are barely a stone's throw away from Lazuli, your empire's glorious and unbreachable capital. The ones that had been reduced to cursed dens of undead." Xander asked.
Corrin recoiled as if he'd been struck. "Where were you and the Cardinal heroes when the Waves tore those peaceful towns and villages apart?
"Did you figure it was acceptable to sacrifice the lives of those people while hiding in the safety of your walls? Could you not spare even an iota of your fleet to help them out?"
"..." Corrin hung his head. "I know. I failed to protect them, Xander.
"For all of our boasting, Lapis does not have the strength to fill in for the power of the Cardinal Heroes. We enlisted the help of Vassal Heroes, but even then, it wasn't enough.
"The loss of every one of those lives to the Waves weighs more on my soul than anything else.
…
"That is why I beg of you," Corrin looked up again, a look of desperation in his eyes. "Please do not allow that to happen to your city! Please, just end this fighting so we can protect our world together! Like we did before!"
"No… not yet." Xander threw his Replica Spear away. From a scabbard at his side, he drew a long, thin blade. "There is still a lot you have to learn, brother, before you can understand the truth of this world for yourself." Xander's eyes finally fell on Corrin. They watched his face with a firm resolve and pride that refused to bend.
"Br… brother…" Corrin's voice sounded sad. He removed his helmet as well before tossing it aside and unsheathing his own blade. A diamond katana passed down by the royalty of Lapis from generation to generation.
A blade that had been named Yato. Corrin found it ironic how if their situation had been different, Xander would have been the one who'd inherited the blade. "Can I at least ask why?" The emperor made one last attempt to stop the inevitable.
Xander did not answer his question. Instead, he raised his weapon in front of him. "Come, Corrin! Let us see who will still stand! The sheltered world you wish to cleave to so desperately! Or the ruthless world I've come to see for myself outside of Lapis's walls!"
"If you truly value this world that much, then fight me now with everything you've got!"
"... fine then," Corrin replied, his voice resigned.
Xander leaped forward, the ground beneath his feet cracking as he brought his blade down.
Corrin raised his own weapon and took the full might of Xander's first attack on the diamond blade, standing tall in the face of his brother's onslaught.
Their duel to the death had begun.
"Now, DIE!"
Kyo brought his large foot down.
Rishia's, Aksel's, and Maya's lives were about to be snuffed out before everyone's eyes.
Thwack!
However, a ballista-sized glowing white arrow ripped through Kyo's right shoulder, making him stagger backward again.
"Don't you dare lay a hand on them."
Rishia twisted her neck as much as she could to try and find who'd just saved them. Only for her eyes to widen… and her face to fall. "No… Itsuki…"
The Bow Hero staggered forward. He still stooped under the Gravity Field that Kyo had summoned, but he was able to move.
Itsuki's eyes glowed a light purple and were focused entirely on the Book Demon standing before them. A hooded cloak that looked elven style fell from the Bow Hero's shoulders, attached to a set of pauldrons that'd never appeared before.
The Bow clutched in Itsuki's hands was devoid of all color, with only its gemstone glowing a light purple. Strange eldritch symbols littered its surface.
Nearby, Naofumi collapsed to the ground as the Gravity Field as well as Kyo's pages both pulled him down, making him too weak to stand. And the Shield of Hope II faded away, changing into the Spirit Tortoise Heart Shield.
Raphtalia began to slowly shuffle her way across the battlefield to the Shield Hero's position. But Naofumi's eyes moved from his girlfriend to the Bow Hero standing all by himself. "Itsuki."
"Don't worry, everyone." Itsuki nodded without looking away from his target. "I'm still me. I've been practicing on my own in case this became necessary. So I'm not planning on becoming some self-righteous martyr today."
"I'm just going to kill this monster and end this so we can all go back home. Please, trust me, I have not been sitting idly by all this time to save you guys at the last second. I'll just be using my last resort to handle things from here."
After what'd happened in Lapis, he had thanked Rishia for comforting him again... but he hadn't promised not to use his Cursed Series again like before.
He'd realized that he might have to pull it out again in the future. So while she'd been busy training the others, he'd spent time by himself in a secluded area, carefully pulling it out and thinking up ways to use it without losing control. Remembering how he'd initially been in control when he first used it in Lapis.
He eventually settled on trying some lessons he'd learned from Granny in controlling the flow of life force in his body and found it the most successful. Those same lessons were what he was using now to keep himself in control at that moment.
"Well now…" Kyo's maw split in an openly malicious grin. "Isn't this interesting? I never did realize that we shared the same Cursed Series. Perhaps that was why I found you to be particularly annoying among your peers.
"Although… I am intrigued. Why is it that yours has a different color associated with it? And it gives you a wardrobe change too?"
"Does it have something to do with the layer of life force that you've coated yourself with? Are you using it to shield your feeble and fragile mind from this form's corruptive effects? Or is it just because of the differences between our worlds?! How fascinating! I am definitely going to research this phenomenon later!"
"Shut your mouth, you monster." Itsuki scowled in response. "My Cursed Series is the Bow of Justice! Not whatever lies you're spewing out from your rotten lips! And I'll be using it right now to bring you down! Brainwashing Arrow!"
The blonde fired another arrow out of his bow. It looked different from the other ones from before, yet Kyo didn't even react when it disappeared into him.
…
…
"Hmmm… oh, was that meant to do something?" The Book Demon asked snidely after a moment.
Itsuki's face twisted in shock. "What…? You resisted it?! HOW!?"
"I did feel as if some foreign thoughts tried to enter my mind. Hell, I even thought about killing myself for a moment there." Kyo's dragon face smirked widely while Itsuki's face drained of color. "I thought about giving up and taking my own life and all that. But hearing voices in my head is nothing new to me. And since they were really annoying, I just pushed them away."
"As for your weapon… Bow of Justice, you say? Hmhmhm, I guess you haven't hit your Rank III yet to find out what your true Cursed Series is. Oh well. That only guarantees that you'll be too weak to bring me down."
The purple glow in Itsuki's eyes deepened a little. An orange glow appeared around his Bow. "Wanna bet?
"Explosion Shot!"
The area Kyo had been standing in a second ago exploded in a blinding and deafening flash. Naofumi and the others had to put their hands over their faces to protect their eyes.
"Hahaha! Ow, that actually stung! But! You are still too weak to bring me down!" Kyo appeared next to Itsuki, with a part of his arm missing from the latter's attack. It did not seem to slow the Book Demon down one bit though.
The Bow Hero turned to the side, looking surprised.
SMASH!
Kyo's fist slammed into the Bow Hero's chest. Knocking him back and up in the air. "You're going to need more power than that if you want to take me down by yourself!" Kyo cackled.
While still flipping up in the air, Itsuki aimed his Bow at the Book Demon. "Thunder Shot!"
The arrow left his weapon at just the right time, flying down and exploding against Kyo's chest. This caused the dragon to howl in pain and excitement.
Itsuki fell back into the ground of the crater again. His Bow raised and charged with another skill as Kyo shot forward. "Eagle Piercing Shot!"
The large bird of prey enhanced by cursed flames screeched as it shot toward Kyo. But the Book Demon batted the attack to the side, not even paying attention as it exploded in a ball of cursed fire against the crater wall. He then headbutted the Bow Hero with his horned head.
Itsuki took the attack to his face again and was launched through the air into another wall of the crater, where his body left a deep indent in the smoldering hot stone.
Mere seconds after that though, the Bow Hero staggered out of the hole, good as new. His bones cracked as his Cursed Series regenerated the damage he'd taken.
Kyo began to cackle again. "Ah, so you gain regenerative properties with your Cursed Series as well then?! No wonder you're just taking my attacks instead of trying to dodge! Then again, running around while being affected by gravity that is a hundred times greater than normal can't be easy! Perhaps this duel will turn out to be interesting for us yet!"
"Spread Strafing!"
Itsuki didn't bother with a response as multiple arrows were fired rapidly from his bow one after the other. Kyo first tried veering left and right to dodge, then as the last few homed in on him, his pages moved in-between to catch the rest of the attack, and the arrows exploded against them.
"Flame Arrow!" The first skill was followed by a flaming arrow that destroyed all the pages Kyo had used. And right behind it came Itsuki, who swung his Bow at Kyo's side like a club.
Crack!
Several ribs broke from that attack, and the massive Book Demon stumbled back, one arm clutching his side. Despite that though, he began laughing even more maniacally.
"Ahahahahaha! Now that's more like it! Show me more Bow Hero! Show me what other new tricks you have in that bag of yours!" Kyo stood back up, his ribs having already healed.
Itsuki's scowl deepened as his eyes took on another deeper tinge of purple. "Saint Arrow's Rain!"
Kyo's pages moved up to block the skill that rained down on him. At the same time, Kyo moved forward, his hands and wings covered over with purple fire to melee with the Bow Hero.
Naofumi groaned in tiredness as he watched the fight progress.
He tried to think of a way to overcome the Gravity Field everyone else was still stuck in. This was really insane! Not even Rishia was able to stand in it like before, and it looked like the girl was struggling like crazy to stand up and assist Itsuki.
"All Z-Zweite Aura." Naofumi finally managed to chant.
However, despite Kyo looking as if he was completely focused on Itsuki… "Anti All Zweite Aura." He still canceled out Naofumi's support spell. "Now, now. No cheating. This is an honorable duel between me and the Bow Hero! And no, I haven't forgotten about you folks, so be patient. You'll get your turn to die soon enough!"
Naofumi's fist clenched the ground beneath him. "D-Damn it. Come on, Itsuki. Bring this bastard down already so this spell will end."
The Bow Hero was trying his best. He was taking Kyo's attacks like a champ and brutally retaliating every time in turn.
"Bunker Shot!" KABOOM!
Kyo crawled out from the cloud of smoke on all fours. Half of his head was missing, exposing the Book Demon's monstrous skull while its contents dripped out on the scaling-hot ground, yet he was still cackling as his clawed hand slammed into Itsuki's gut. Sending the Bow Hero flying back while crushing the lower part of his lungs.
"RAAAAAAAGHHHHHH!" Kyo's chest puffed up before he let loose a torrent of cursed flames in Itsuki's direction.
"Tornado Arrow!" A tornado of black wind enveloped the stream of fire, dispersing it completely. "Shining Arrow!" A pale light spread skill then fell from the sky, forcing Kyo to fall back and block it with his pages once more.
"Those spread attacks of yours still don't amount to much, even when you're being fueled by your Cursed Series, huh?" The demon mocked.
"And your own skill repertoire is still so useless that you decided to settle on fighting us with just your bare hands." Itsuki countered.
"Hmhmhmhm. Fair enough. This useless tome was never designed with offense in mind. Perhaps if it'd had a different wielder… well, no matter." Kyo shrugged it off, smiling widely as their battle continued.
The two exchanged another flurry of blows and skills with one another. Any damage they took healed over quickly.
Itsuki's eyes darkened bit by bit the longer he fought like this.
Deep inside, a part of him knew that he should be dodging more. That he should be keeping Kyo at range so he didn't have to take so much damage in return.
Itsuki might have been healing from it, but that didn't mean his body wasn't going to feel it later. The effects of having your bones broken and your organs punctured and/or crushed over and over again on repeat did not just vanish just because the damage was being healed automatically. He was going to have to go through all this pain again later when he unequipped his Cursed Series.
… and yet…
Right now, he really didn't care.
He inflicted the largest amount of damage on the demon when he was close. It was harder for Kyo to block or deflect his attacks when Itsuki was firing them in his face at point-blank range. So even if the Bow Hero was going to hate himself later, he'd rather go through all that pain instead of being unable to take Kyo down at all.
"Meteor Shot!" BOOM!
Kyo staggered back. Another portion of his chest, as well as the wings on his right side, had been blown off by the powerful skill. Kyo smirked as his lopsided form stood in front of where Rishia and Aksel were still struggling to move on the ground. And where Maya had finally come to and was moaning in pain.
Itsuki scowled deeply. "JUST DIE ALREADY!" He screamed in frustration.
His eyes took on another shade of purple, but he grit his teeth and continued to keep his breath steady and rhythmic. The amount of life force moving through his body was nothing compared to what Rishia could draw on, but it was enough.
As long as he followed Granny's teachings and kept his mind empty and tranquil, there would be nothing for his Cursed Series to latch on to and corrupt. Don't let your mind wander. Focus only on the target in front of you. Destroy it and then lock this bow away again without looking back.
Rishia was there this time. He knew he couldn't lose control with her around, or else he would never be able to forgive himself! All of his training had led to this!
"Now, now, Bow Hero! Losing your temper is the fastest way to lose, don't you know? Now, why don't you bring out the big guns?" Kyo asked in a mocking tone once again. "That Meteor Shot of yours is certainly powerful. But you must have something stronger than that, right?"
Itsuki nearly paused, but then, he scowled deeply as he selected the option on his HUD.
He didn't care about the effects of using it. He had to take this demon down, now! Before he was forced to unequip this bow, or else lose sight of himself forever!
"Ranged Shot!" Itsuki fired the arrow almost directly above him. The angle of his bow positioned only slightly towards Kyo.
"Huh? What kind of attack is-" Kyo began to ask in confusion.
"Flash Arrow!" Itsuki fired another arrow from his bow right at Kyo. But before the arrow could hit the dragon, Kyo swept his pages in front of him to intercept it.
Too bad this arrow wasn't meant to actually hit its target.
The arrow exploded like a flashbang grenade right in front of the demon's face. The blinding light slammed into Kyo's eyes, causing him to howl in pain and fury at being blinded for the second time in this fight.
"Change Arrow!" Itsuki pointed up at the skill he launched earlier, just a second before it finally made impact. "Shadow Bind!"
The arrow hit the large shadow that Kyo was casting on the ground around him. The Book Demon's movements immediately stopped as his body became paralyzed. And by then, Itsuki already had another arrow nocked on his bow. "Bind Arrow!"
The arrow slammed into Kyo's gut, and his whole body was brought down onto the ground. Bound where his shadow had been.
"Foolish Sinner! Your transgressions have filled the cup of iniquity to full! Writhe in pain as you're roasted alive, and as your dying screams are converted into the cries of a raging bull!"
"I call forth The Bull of Phalaris!"
A giant, grey-horned bull, one even bigger than the last one he'd created for that Church Shadow long ago, appeared above the bound dragon. Its weight crushed the ground around it.
Not only that, its appearance was accompanied by spikes protruding out of the ground. As well as cursed fire singing the area where it appeared. This bull was not only larger but far more menacing than it'd been previously when Itsuki had been a lot weaker than he was now.
"S-Sir Itsuki! No! Stop!" Maya yelled, her face filled with fear at the sight of the skill.
Naofumi was shocked, and he began to cuss to himself. "Itsuki, stop! That skill is too close to your friends!"
The Bow Hero didn't pay attention though. His mind was entirely focused on the target in front of him.
Itsuki slowly opened his fist. Similarly, the bottom of the bull opened up, spilling more cursed fire out of it over the ground like the gates of hell. Kyo's body was raised off the ground. Heading into the hot fiery insides of the massive execution skill.
"There shall be no mercy for those that go against Justice," Itsuki murmured.
Without even hesitating, he closed his fist.
Kyo was silently thrust into the grey bull. And the bottom of it closed up.
"Rahhhhhhh!" The golden bull let out a screech. Its eyes glowed bright gold.
…
…
Flames, dark flames flaked onto the ground around it like snow.
Itsuki stumbled as he unequipped his Cursed Bow. The purple glow that'd been in his eyes vanished like mist on the wind.
He… he'd done it, right?
Kyo was finally-
"Aha… Ahaha… Ahahahahaha!"
Itsuki's eyes shot open, and he looked up to see a large, clawed hand rip its way out of the top of the bull.
In mere seconds, Kyo came back out. He had burns and holes all over his body. And all four of his wings were missing as well as large patches of scale-covered skin on his back.
But beyond that and his insane laughter, he looked to be doing just fine.
"Fufufufufu. Gotta say that was quite the execution skill you had there! Man, what a rush! I actually thought I was going to die for a moment!" Kyo continued to cackle.
"H… Huh?" Itsuki stuttered in shock. "How… how are you still…"
"Alive?" Kyo mocked. "I'll admit, had I not cast any defense buffs on myself while I was inside that cute little construct, I would have died… Or maybe I wouldn't have." Kyo's large shoulders shrugged. "You never really know unless it happens after all, am I right?!" The rest of the bull faded away as Kyo landed on the ground again, still laughing his head off.
…
…
Itsuki's blood boiled.
His Cursed Bow appeared in his hands again, and the purple in his eyes deepened as he raised it at Kyo. "&^%$ THAT! IF THAT'S HOW YOU WANT TO PLAY IT, THEN I DON'T CARE ANYMORE!
"I'LL KILL YOU EVEN IF I HAVE TO DIE TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN!" The malicious aura around the Bow Hero began to intensify. "I'M NOT ALLOWING YOU TO HARM ANY OF MY FRIENDS EVER AGAIN, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"
"Yes. Of course. Give in to your pride and all that nonsense. Raise the rank of your Cursed Series and defeat me like a true Hero." Kyo said, his voice dripping with devilish amusement. "But before you do that, I have just one question for you.
"How are those friends you want to protect so desperately holding up right now?"
…
…
Itsuki was so confused by the statement, that the aura around him faded somewhat. "Huh, what do you… … mean… … … …"
The Bow Hero's gaze moved from his opponent to where his friends had been lying on the ground.
Right where Kyo had been standing before Itsuki had used the execution skill on him.
"It… Itsuki…" Rishia mumbled out in pain. Her hand reached out towards the Bow Hero.
The skin of her hand had been charred black and blood was seeping out from it. All the exposed parts of her body were covered in burns, including her face.
Cursed burns… that Itsuki had inflicted on her because of her being so close to the Bull of Phalaris.
"Axe… Aksel…" Next to her, Maya desperately tried shaking the unconscious tank lying over her. The man had somehow found the strength to crawl over the raccoon girl to shield her from the bull's cursed flames. His handsome features were blackened by burns.
The tank didn't respond. Maya started to cry as she couldn't even move enough to hug him. "AKSELLLLLLLLLL!"
On his HUD, Itsuki finally saw how low the trio's Health bars all were. As well as the cursed statuses that they'd been inflicted with.
It hadn't been because of any of Kyo's attacks…
…
Itsuki stumbled back as if he'd been punched in the gut.
'What… what?'
'WHAT?!'
No, he, HE COULDN'T HAVE!
BA-THUMP! BA-THUMP! BA-THUMP! BA-THUMP!
His heart began to hammer hard in his chest.
His eyes singled out Rishia. Their surroundings changing from the hellscape around them.
He saw Jaylee lying on her stomach. A pool of blood formed under her.
Jaylee's pain-filled eyes stared back at him.
A soundless noise came from her ruined throat. A bloodied knife lay on the ground next to her.
…
Why…
Why had this happened…
What was going on?!
Her bloodied hand reached out to him. Her body clinging to life.
Itsuki's mouth opened, a scream of devastation coming from his lips as he ran forward, his hand reaching out for his best friend's outstretched one.
But it was already too late.
The life in her eyes faded as her hand hit the ground.
"NO, SHIELD PRISON!" Naofumi tried using the skill to encompass Kyo and buy Itsuki the time he needed to evade.
However, while the ball of shields managed to surround the wingless Kyo, it shattered almost immediately after its appearance. Not even slowing him down in the slightest.
And Itsuki just stood there, unmoving, his face painted with not only shock but trauma as well.
KAPOW!
The Bow Hero was launched backward through the air. Burns covered his face and chest.
Kyo smirked as his tail whipped from side to side in feral anticipation. The purple fire it'd been covered with extinguished itself. "Guess you failed to protect your friends at the end there, Bow Hero." Kyo mocked.
"Still, that was a good duel. Perhaps I should have feared you over the Sword Hero after all."
Tears appeared in Itsuki's eyes even as his body flew one last time into the side of the crater. He slammed into the wall, crying out as his body let out a sickening crunch before falling to the ground.
Several of his ribs had broken. As well as one of his arms and possibly his leg. Pain was coming from everywhere in his body.
He blacked out from the pain soon after falling to the ground. But not before one last thought ran across his lips.
"Rishia… no…"
He tried so hard. He worked so much to overcome his failures and weaknesses, and yet… he'd hurt the girl he loved once again.
He'd made the same mistakes as before.
…
Who was he kidding? These last few months of progress… he'd fallen back to square one all over again.
He'd not only pulled out his Cursed Series and reneged on his promise… he'd hurt his friends with it again.
He'd hurt her with it again.
Itsuki couldn't have hated himself more at that moment. His mind fell into oblivion as fresh tears ran down the sides of his face.
Therese was a menace.
"Bejeweled Ruby Blaze!"
The front of one of the ships that had been chasing Ethnobalt before was completely engulfed in a powerful explosion of flames. Therese flew over it, her Gem Armor giving the energy needed to sustain her flight as the crew desperately began trying to put out the fires.
Therese landed behind them though, another gem spell already crafted in her hands.
"Shining Stone: Thunder Rain!" Raising her hands up to the sky, a giant lightning bolt split through the Wave Cracks around them. Disintegrating any wave monster unfortunate enough to get in its way before crashing into the hull of the ship.
Boom! "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Several enemy soldiers were thrown overboard by the explosion. Others were knocked out by the shockwave or straight up killed by the powerful magic, enhanced further by Therese's own accessories as well as the gem armor made specially for her.
She didn't pay much thought to what she'd just done, nor the experience notifications that lined her HUD. The ship was already keeling over in the air and was going to crash soon. So Therese jumped overboard, activating her gem Armor's flight abilities again to deal with the rest of Luvar's remaining fleet.
Some of the ships tailing Ethnobalt had peeled off to deal with the magic Gem user. Yomogi stood at the bow of the Invincible though, facing those still chasing them while trying to make herself heard.
"DAMN IT! HOLD YOUR FIRE! CAN'T YOU SEE WHO I AM?! I AM YOMOGI ETHNINA! THE DEMON LORD'S-"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Another volley from the ships exploded around and against Ethnobalt's hull. The rabbit man coughed up more blood as he flew past another Wave Crack. He was trying to shake off their pursuers while avoiding grabbing the attention of monsters that were continuously pouring out from the glowing cracks all around them.
Yomogi scowled as she used a sword skill to slice apart a Wyrm that came flying at them. "They're not listening!" She then used her sword to deflect a cannonball that would have hit her to the side, destroying a falling Drake in the process.
Ethnobalt grunted as he turned his ship portside. "All Cannon Fire!"
The remaining two ships chasing him separated at the volley of cannon fire. None of his attacks hit one of them.
However, the fact they had engaged in evasive maneuvers made the Boat Hero realize something as he sped forward again. Outpacing the return volleys of their enemies.
Yomogi was about ready to just attack the Luvar ships herself when Ethnobalt spoke up.
"Yomogi, I think that the enemy is not aware of who either of us is and just think that we're regular troops piloting one of Sickle's Invincibles."
"Okay, and?!" Yomogi yelled back to him. "How is that supposed to help our situation?!"
"They don't know that I'm the Boat Hero. And, to be honest, I'm curious to find out how much more powerful those ships are compared to my current weapon form." Ethnobalt responded as he veered around another Wave Crack.
Yomogi didn't understand, and so she held onto the railing for dear life as Ethnobalt veered again.
If they were indeed ships, then that meant they were another form he could copy for his weapon.
He'd just have to get close enough to touch one of them with his hand.
An attempt that'd very much be suicidal if he tried it head-on. Hmmm, how to do it…
He almost passed into a Wave Crack as he made a very tight turn in the sky. However, the ships following him veered well clear of it, as well as the monsters coming out of it.
Seeing that gave Ethnobalt the last piece he needed for his plan.
"Hold on!" He yelled.
"I'm already holding on to something- HYYYYAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! WHAT THE &%$# ARE YOU DOING?!" Yomogi suddenly screamed in terror, her arms gripping the bow of the ship for dear life.
As he dodged another volley in the air, Ethnobalt directed his ship straight up, toward one of the cracks in the sky. Without so much as a thought as to what he was doing, he sped his ship right into it.
"NO! WE'RE GOING TO BE TORN APART BY MONSTERS AND-" Yomogi began to shout.
The transition between scenes was nearly mind-boggling. Yomogi felt like she'd just been turned upside down in an instant.
One moment, they'd been over a chaotic battlefield in the middle of some snow-covered plains that had formerly been mountains. Two armies were going at each other's throats while Wave monsters tore both sides apart and ships in the air engaged in duels with one another.
The next moment, they were flying above a large medieval city. A grand majestic castle stood in its center. Its purple banners were gleaming as legions of knights and adventurers fought the dragon-type monsters on the walls and in the streets.
Yomogi stared down, almost mesmerized by the world that Naofumi and his allies were assigned to protect.
An Interdimensional Shadow Drake landed in front of her, letting out a roar as it prepared to attack. But Yomogi instinctively slashed into it with one sword, preparing a skill with the other sword, but…
The monster died from the one attack. Dissolving into shadow in front of her.
"What… what is this?" Yomogi asked.
"The Wave on their side of the world," Ethnobalt answered, smiling a bit in relief as, looking back, he saw no sign of the two Luvar ships having pursued them. "The monsters here aren't nearly as strong as what we're having to face since this world is still so early in the Waves."
"How are we facing the same monsters though?" Yomogi asked. "Don't the Waves pour in monsters from one side of the world to the other?"
"That… is an interesting question," Ethnobalt said, looking deep in thought. "To be honest, I have as of yet to figure that one out. Indeed, some monsters that come through are from other worlds. And yet most of them aren't.
"You can tell which ones came from another world since they don't dissipate into shadowy ichor when they perish." Ethnobalt finished his thought.
Yomogi would have commented further, but her attention was drawn to a large explosion in a part of the city below. And after a moment of scanning the area, she spotted a blonde man in blue-shaded armor wielding a Spear in his hands.
He was fighting off the monster hordes alongside other powerful figures. One of them was surrounded by what looked like lightning. And another one was slicing monsters apart with two weirdly shaped blades in her hands. Others fought around them, yet those three stood out the most.
Yomogi watched for a moment. Awed by the sight of a Cardinal Hero and his companions in another world, fighting to protect the city from the monster hordes.
And then, finally, her attention was drawn back to Ethnobalt when she realized he'd been trying to tell her something. "What?" She asked.
"Move closer to me! I'm about to change to a much smaller weapon form!" Ethnobalt yelled again. The rabbit man was flying towards another wave crack. The weaker monsters bounced uselessly off the hull of his ship.
Yomogi was confused, but she complied. Running next to Ethnobalt as he directed his ship back through another Wave crack. And-
Right as he did so, his ship changed from the Invincible to his signature floating platform.
Yomogi stood on it, to her surprise. But Ethnobalt was falling down towards the decks of one of the ships that'd been pursuing him. With the floating platform falling beside him.
The two ships had paused outside the Wave Crack he'd disappeared into. It looked like they'd been debating whether to follow in or not and had been dealing with the monsters flowing out to attack them when Ethnobalt touched the side of one of the ships while freefalling.
Weapon Copy Activated!
The Invisible has been Unlocked!
…
Wait, that was its actual name?!
Had Ethnobalt not been falling to his death right now, he would have died of cringe from realizing that Aksel's little joke from several days ago turned out to be true.
Thankfully, he got over his disappointment pretty quickly as he changed to the new weapon form he'd unlocked.
Yomogi's floating platform transformed. Becoming a perfect replica of Luvar's latest top-of-the-line in airships.
The Invisible
Equip Bonus: Skill "Stealth Plating", +10 Agility
"Huh, it looks like I finally have a stealth skill of my own now," Ethnobalt commented as he looked over the specifics of his new weapon form. To his disappointment, its attack stat was barely stronger than the Invincible weapon form he had. Clearly, even if those ships did have a lot of attack behind them, his weapon still wouldn't give him as much as them.
On the bright side, he found this new ship had an even higher defense stat as well as a higher agility stat. It'd make traveling from place to place within Sickle a lot faster and a lot safer.
"Alright, let's try this again." Ethnobalt, now that he had the new weapon form equipped, rose up behind the two Luvar ships.
The soldiers on them had finished dispatching of the monsters and the ship's captains were just about to give orders for them to turn around and join the hunt for Therese when Yomogi rose up on the deck of one of their ships in clear view of the soldiers.
"What the-"
"Isn't that Lady Yomogi?!"
More questions were hurled by the soldiers, which were immediately silenced when Yomogi spoke in an authoritative tone to them.
"Soldiers! What the hell are you doing?! Have you gone insane?! Are you blind?! Can't you see that there's a Wave going on?!" The bull-headed girl yelled at them.
"Wh-Yes! Of course! We were warned in advance though that this was a possible contingency and-" One of the ship's captains began to respond.
"I don't give a ^%#& what you were warned about! Our gods damned Capital City is being invaded by monsters! Why are you not going back to defend it?! Why are you instead wasting our valuable resources and precious time here fighting Sickle and their allies in the sky!? Are you trying to lead our forces to suicide?!"
"B-B-But Lady Yomogi, General Xander gave us strict orders to-"
"&%$# XANDER! All of you are going to focus on the Wave! NOW! Work alongside Sickle and Lapis if you have to! We can figure out what to do next after this Wave ends! But if you continue to throw our ships away into the meatgrinder like this, then I am going to see to it that all of you morons are court marshaled myself!" Yomogi roared at them.
In short order, the captains and crew of the two ships complied with her order. They sped off in the direction of Luvar's Capital, finally seeing for themselves how some of the monsters were on the outskirts of the city as well.
"Well done. They didn't even realize there was an odd gemstone protruding from the front of my ship." Ethnobalt said happily where he was standing at the helm. Ah, even if he was still disappointed that this form still wasn't very strong attack-wise, it was nice to fool the enemy like this.
If only it could have had a better name. Ohhhhh, he was on the verge of dying of cringe again. Why, Kyo? Why did you have to name it the Invisible?
"Hmph, come on then, Boat Hero. We need to get the rest of Luvar's fleet to stand down." Yomogi ordered.
Ethnobalt complied. Flying off to where the majority of the air battle was still taking place.
Hopefully, they'd be able to get more of the ships to stop fighting.
…
Where Therese stood in the air, with at least ten Luvar airships surrounding her, ready to do battle, she paused.
Odd, she got the feeling that something big was about to happen. But where was it coming from?...
As she pondered on it, the ships she was about to face all turned tail and fled.
She found that really confusing, but then, she finally realized where that nagging feeling was coming from.
It was coming from the gems of her armor. They were telling her to turn around.
She turned in the air, and it was a good thing she wasn't holding a weapon, as her hands opened in shock.
"No need to worry. Help has arrived!"
"Gah!"
Therese almost wanted to bawl from relief.
Kyo continued to howl with laughter. Riding high on his victory over the Bow Hero.
Naofumi continued to stare at Itsuki's prone body.
"No, Bow Uncle…" Filo cried softly where she still lay uselessly on the ground in her Filolial Queen form.
"M… Miss Filo." Dou-Lon laid a gentle hand on her wing.
Kyo continued to laugh maliciously. "So was that all you lot could muster?!"
His wings gradually regrew out of his back. Fresh scales covered over his various injuries. All the damage he'd taken over the course of his one-on-one duel with Itsuki was healing before all their eyes.
"Come on! Don't tell me you're done already! I hold the wrath of the gods within me now! It'll take far more than what the Bow Hero used to kill me!
"Or have you all really given up on stopping me before my main body is finally completed and I destroy everything in this world?!" Kyo continued to howl with maniacal laughter.
Maya was crying below her boyfriend. Rishia began to cry as well, her face lowering to the ground as she could do nothing this time around to help anyone out.
She was in so much pain. Physically, mentally, emotionally…
They'd been thoroughly defeated. There was no hope left.
…
Naofumi's blood boiled in his veins.
He really hadn't wanted to resort to using that shield, given that it was at a higher rank than it was before. But… damn it, if none of his other Shields would work, then…
"Naofumi…" Raphtalia was almost next to the Shield Hero now. Her ears were flat on her head and tears formed in her eyes.
She'd hated having to watch what'd transpired while being unable to do anything about it. She'd hated that she could only cling to Raph-Chan right now while Filo only had Dou-Lon to comfort her. She hated that she'd spent so much energy just trying to reach Naofumi, to try and come up with a plan, only for the darkness from before to appear and surround him again.
It seemed so unfair. Why did things have to be like this?
…
Why did Kyo have to reveal those Cursed Series? Why did her worst suspicions have to be confirmed? Why did she have to prevent Naofumi from making a worse mistake than what Itsuki had just done when it would have been better to just try and end Kyo's life as quickly as possible?
Filo continued to cry while Kyo laughed. Dou-Lon teared up too.
"I'm sorry, Miss Filo. Even after all that time, I'm still not strong enough to help." The hakuko man hung his head in shame.
"Aksel, please, wake up!" Maya cried into the knight's chest. "Aksel! AKSEL!"
"Sheesh, can you stop screaming? This is getting really annoying, you know." Kyo directed a harsh glare at the raccoon woman, but her cries didn't lessen.
Naofumi saw this all happening around him. It only made his anger and hatred bubble up all the more.
He forced his battered and tired body up to one knee again. He opened his weapon menu on his HUD. His gaze hovered over the Shield of Wrath III.
He mentally braced himself for what was about to happen. But to be honest, he couldn't picture himself controlling that shield still. It was likely that if he equipped it right now, then everyone around him would get hurt, or worse, killed.
He hesitated. Hovering over the option for several seconds while Kyo continued to slowly approach.
"Naofumi, wait…" Raphtalia pleaded tiredly.
"It… Itsuki…" Rishia's hand curled up on the ground. "I… I don't…"
Naofumi grit his teeth as he prepared to choose the cursed shield form.
There was no other option left, and-
You… are the ocean's gray waves…
Kyo's laughter stopped.
Naofumi stopped just short of selecting the Cursed Shield and equipping it.
Filo was lying on the ground in her human form now. Trapped by gravity like everyone else. But despite that, she'd started singing of her own accord. Even with the tears falling down the sides of her face.
Destined to seek… life beyond, the shore… just out of reach.
"What… what are you doing?" Kyo took a step back, feeling confused.
The song felt… weird. Strange. Like it was digging into the very depths of his mind, calming the inferno blazing within him.
Naofumi, who'd struggled just to remain on one knee, found himself able to slowly stand now. His anger receded as well.
The… field of gravity around them was weakening?
No, he still felt extremely heavy. Was it because Kyo was losing his focus on him then?
Yet, the waters, ever change…
Flowing like time… the path is…
The blonde girl sobbed.
Yours to climb…
Filo's song continued. Sounding broken at times and pausing thanks to the intensity of the emotions and pain she was feeling along with the sobs wracking her chest. Yet she was still trying anyway.
Trying the last thing that came to mind to try and stop the Book Hero without having to kill him and make Fishing Auntie sad.
"You! Where did you learn that!?" Kyo's eyes widened in realization as he howled at the young girl.
In the bright… light… a hand reaches through…
Filo didn't answer. She was still singing the song she'd learned in this world. The song was said to be able to counter the Demon Dragon's power.
Kyo put his hands over his ears. Naofumi found himself able to stand fully now. Even though he could hardly walk, his eyes had stilled, moving to Filo. To his daughter.
The song had calmed the anger in his heart if only a little bit. "Filo… thank you, honey."
Naofumi brought his shield menu up again, determined to do what he had to while his daughter bought them time. It was time to figure out how powerful that cursed shield of his was. Before he could brace himself, however, he felt a hand falling on his shoulder.
He turned to look behind him and saw Raphtalia.
The half-tanuki girl was standing up too, and Raph-Chan clung to her shoulder. The pair had tears in their eyes from Filo's singing. And they were staring intently into Naofumi's eyes.
A double-edged, blade… cuts your heart in two.
"Naofumi… please stop… don't, I… we can't…" Raphtalia whimpered.
The Shield Hero had thought that she was going to say not to use his Cursed Series. But instead, what came out of her mouth next hit him even harder than that ever could have.
"We shouldn't, no, we mustn't kill him."
Naofumi felt his anger spike up again in response to the sheer audacity of Raphtalia's words. "Why?" He forced out the word through gritted teeth.
"Because we promised Kizuna, and…" Raphtalia swallowed hard but she continued to look into Naofumi's eyes. "And because every time I look at this person now, all I can see is you.
"The you that would have been if something had happened to me or Filo."
"Rafu…"
…
Waking dreams… fade away…
…
Naofumi stared at his lover. Struggling to understand her words as she looked away, tears falling down the sides of her face.
Embrace the brand… new… day…
The thought of using that shield vanished from his mind as he turned towards the Book Hero again.
"... Naofumi, do you have any family, perchance?" Kizuna asked in a tense tone.
Kyo had escaped. Worse, he'd escaped with the remaining soul energy that the Spirit Tortoise of this world had harvested. They had to find where he'd gone and capture him as soon as possible. The group of three went to examine the portal Kyo had used to escape.
"Yay, Filo helped Daddy and Bow Uncle save Sword Uncle!" Filo cheered happily as she danced around.
"Why is she calling the heroes uncles?" Farrie asked curiously.
"Probably because she thinks of them as Sir Naofumi's brothers now," Tersia answered, chuckling to herself.
"Mmhmm!" Filo paused in her dance to nod happily.
"Yeah, a little brother, what about it?" Naofumi replied.
"Is he a troublemaker?" The girl pressed on.
"So you will stand in the way of my justice?"
Keel shook at hearing the Bow Hero's voice come out so dark and twisted. But he stood his ground. "That's right! As long as I breathe, I won't give up! That's what Raphtalia would do!"
"... I see…" Itsuki slightly lowered his bow with a conflicted look on his face. Keel held his breath, wondering for a moment if Itsuki was regaining his senses. But it was a false hope. The Bow Hero raised his cursed weapon up again. "Then I shall punish you first."
Naofumi opened his mouth to protest but hesitated. "... he used to be one. But again, what about it?"
"Imagine that, one day, some friendly-looking people knock on your door. They seem polite enough. However, they tell you that your little brother did some horrible things to them. That he was a murderer, a rapist, etc." Kizuna said in a calm tone. "They have no proof. Only their word. Would you believe them?"
…
Kizuna shook her head. "Look, Naofumi, Rishia. I can at least tell that you two believe what you're saying is true. But I can't do the same based only on your word alone. There could be something more to this that neither of you realize. It could be some sort of misunderstanding or a conspiracy at play. And even if Kyo has done what you described, he could be compromised somehow. Maybe he's been brainwashed or possessed by something or someone. Maybe he's being threatened into doing this? Maybe it isn't Kyo at all but an imposter using his likeness? It could be all that and more.
"... Don't you wonder what caused his change in personality to happen in the first place?" Raphtalia responded after thinking for another moment. "Everyone who we've talked to about it seems to say the same thing. That he used to be a little rough around the edges, but that they could always rely on his help and expertise in the past.
"That he used to travel around the world to apply his knowledge in a practical manner and help various people that he encountered.
"He tried to help Ethnobalt with being more useful in combat. He urged Kizuna to learn how to learn the local language instead of only relying on her weapon to translate speech. And the way you told me how he took in the news of his retainer having gotten captured.
"And what about the way he had apparently elevated said retainer into her position of power from a nobody? Kizuna said Yomogi used to be a slave and an orphan, same as me. Lastly, we have what Itsuki told us about how oddly restrained and sympathetic Kyo acted when he spoke to Kizuna at the international conference through one of his mimics.
"Don't you feel like something doesn't add up here?"
"Just like when L'Arc, Therese, and Glass tried to kill us before?"
"COME ON!" Naofumi yelled as he stepped within L'Arc's striking distance. "You already know the story of how I was betrayed in the beginning, don't you?! I told you that's what happened to the Shield Hero, right?! If you were really our friends, you should remember that I've already gone through all this bull &^%$ before!
"If you actually want to kill us, then make the first move damn it! Don't be a &^%$ing coward trying to hide behind some lame excuse about caring for your world!"
"If you want to betray me, do it because you want to!"
Naofumi gripped L'Arc's wrist, forcing him to point the blade of his scythe towards the Shield Hero's face. "Naofumi-" He said in shock.
"Itsuki's right! If you really want to murder your friends in cold blood, then just do it already you selfish bastard! Attack me and save your people!"
L'Arc trembled more and more with each sentence Naofumi yelled at him. And with that action-
"DO IT, you bloody spineless coward-"
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" L'Arc raised his scythe high in the air above him.
"Wait, L'Arc-" Therese reached for L'Arc, yelling for him to stop.
But he brought his scythe down...
Stabbing it into the whale next to where Naofumi was standing.
The rest of Therese's scream died on her lips after seeing the look on L'Arc's face.
"I CAN'T!" L'Arc screamed, his visage twisted into a grimace of pain with bitter tears streaking down its length.
Raphtalia's argument honestly caught Naofumi off guard, and Raphtalia looked up at him again. "Don't you wonder what could have happened to change Kyo from one of Kizuna's friends into the monster that he is now?"
"I…" Naofumi blanked. He didn't have an answer.
"For all I know, it is possible he is doing this just because he wants to and intended to from the beginning. But what if there really is some kind of big and important reason why Kyo is doing what he's doing?
"Maybe he really is acting to save their world, but doing it in a needlessly cruel way because he thinks that it's the only way? Or perhaps, since he's a Hero… he might have a Cursed Series affecting him like Glass or yours."
"That's the thing with these weapons. They're a curse for us. If I were to guess, Itsuki attacked Naofumi that day for more than one reason. And as bad as that was, it's even worse when we lose control while they're equipped. It's like we become the epitome of Wrath. Pride. Greed. Lust… Envy." A dark shadow passed over Motoyasu's face briefly.
"I'm not exactly sure why we become like that. But it's always like you're fighting with someone, something, some darkness in your mind for dominance. And when you lose control of it... Imagine suddenly getting dunked in an ocean of some silky, oily, black tar that's also boiling and on fire." Motoyasu narrowed his eyes with a grimace.
"I don't know if that's how Naofumi and Itsuki perceive it as, but that's how it works for me. But the scariest part is not getting dunked in the curse. It's sinking into it. With each passing second, going deeper and deeper into that ocean until, before you know it, there is nothing but a suffocating void of blackness all around you. No way to tell up and down or how to get out.
"You struggle desperately, clinging to the few vestiges of your sanity, trying to remember who you are and for whose sake you fight for. And you're maybe barely able to pull your head out for a second only to immediately be dragged back down and start over again."
The children listened to the spear hero's explanation with bated breaths.
"And while you're down there in that pitch-black abyss, that darkness is in control. It twists your desires, and makes you act with no sense of morality. It doesn't matter who you're surrounded by or what you were doing. All you can think about is what the darkness provides. And what it could do to give you more power."
Naofumi saw Mynes all around him. All of them looked at him in fear. From the wall. From the gates. From the streets and in the buildings. They were all looking at him. All of them were scared of him. More than one laid on the ground dead. But there was still more to deal with. More for him to burn. 'Hate…'
His Rage was strong. Stronger, he'd bet, than the fury of any living creature. Even that of dragons. Why had he ever thought to hold on to that weak feeling of hope when it could be so easily extinguished? He should have relied on his hate long ago. He could always have his hate. And no one could stop him from hating others.
"Naofumi! Please, stop. This isn't you-" Naofumi turned, trying to punch Raphtalia. But Raphtalia wasn't there. Yet all he heard was Bitch.
'Is this another one of that Bitch's tricks?!' He thought angrily. Had she learned to turn invisible just to mock him?!
"Please, Naofumi, at this rate, you're going to kill everyone. Even those who want to help you. Please, just change out of that Shield-" Raphtalia was invisible. Trying to get through to him. Trying to get him to recognize it was her.
'THERE!' Naofumi jumped forward and to the right. Tackling the invisible Raphtalia to the ground.
"Ahhhhh!" Raphtalia screamed. Naofumi's cursed flames were burning her again.
"YOU'VE TRIED TO TAKE EVERYTHING AWAY FROM ME FOR LONG ENOUGH YOU BITCH! I HATE YOU! I HATE THIS WORLD!" Naofumi yelled as Raphtalia reappeared below him. But he couldn't see anything anymore. He was becoming too blinded by his own hate. His own rage. His own desire for destruction.
"I can't speak for what the hell might be motivating Kyo in particular, but everyone else present here was desperate and terrified of dying horribly. Your friends were also afraid that they'd never see you again. This vague piece of text was the only thing resembling a shade of hope that they had after all the other crap they went through thanks to your disappearance. And they did what they did because they cared about their world, they cared about their people, and most importantly, they cared about you and how much you'd cared for their world and their people.
"I can't condemn them for what they did, considering the circumstances. Hell, if it was for the people I cared about, I would do worse things in their shoes. Raphtalia, Dou-Lon, don't interrupt, you both know I'm not lying." Naofumi said, turning to stare at the two.
His girlfriend and loyal retainer shut their mouths. They stepped back again and allowed the Shield Hero to continue as he turned to look at Kizuna again.
"It's easy to judge people from high above on the throne of your own idealism, but desperate times push people into desperate and shortsighted actions. Even people like you and me."
"I-..." Kizuna grimaced. "I'm not trying to judge anyone here, I just-"
The girl swallowed hard as her face went through several emotions. "I'm just sad that things had to end up this way." She finally forced out.
"The riddle is this." Kyo made a wide sweeping motion across the room with his hand. "What is that man meant to do? Should he go through with his task as he was sworn to do no matter the consequences? Or would giving his life up for the sake of the people be the right thing?
"What would you do if you were in this man's shoes?"
Ethnobalt closed his eyes and frowned deeply. This was quite an unorthodox riddle for sure. And the man's situation was unpleasant, to say the least.
It was certainly a conundrum.
The Boat Hero continued to float in place silently. Minutes passed but the Book Hero did not hurry him on, instead choosing to patiently wait with his back facing the Boat Hero. Kyo idly watched the grains of sand in the hourglass falling down one by one, counting towards the next wave.
...
Eventually, Ethnobalt opened his eyes again. "I think… that what the man needs to do is try to find a way to break his curse before doing anything else. Becoming a martyr is something that you're allowed to do only when there are no other options left. That is my answer."
…
"Hmhmhmhm!" Kyo began to chuckle again. "Truly, your intellect is second only to my own, esteemed Boat Hero."
"Did I get it right then?" Ethnobalt cocked his head curiously.
"Who knows?" Kyo shrugged helplessly. "Truth be told, I haven't been able to figure out what the answer is yet myself. But… I did draw the same conclusion as you have."
The Book Hero spread his arms out in front of the hourglass. "It's not so simple, however. Think about it. It's a curse that was placed by the Demon Dragon himself. You would need power that is at least equal to or greater than it in order to break it."
"Like the legendary weapon's power?" Ethnobalt took a shot in the dark.
"Hmm…" Kyo looked thoughtful for a moment but then crossed his hands behind his back again and shook his head. "No, not even that would be enough."
"But… what greater power is there?" The boat hero asked in confusion.
"What greater power is there indeed…?" Kyo pondered out loud as well before taking a step forward and touching the hourglass.
Naofumi felt it as many different memories. Some which he'd witnessed, others he'd only been told about, passed through his mind. One after another, everything began to click in place, forming the big picture in front of him. One that he was too blind to see before, due to his anger clouding the edges of his vision.
"Stop! Stop it you stupid girl!" Kyo howled in fury.
Filo began to sob even harder. Her song wasn't calming the Book Demon in the slightest, it was only angering him more.
It felt like that day when everything had gone wrong. When she ran away from home because of how much Mommy and Daddy were hurting…
She had seen that same hurt reflected in Kyo's eyes before the battle even started. And even with his transformation, she could still see the hurt he was trying to hide. The Book Hero was hiding behind a carefully crafted facade to keep everyone from knowing the real person underneath.
The person who'd lost all hope of being able to save anyone.
And no matter what she tried, she couldn't reach through to him…
Filo's singing stopped as she began to sob into her wings.
…
…
Naofumi breathed in deep. "I see."
He hugged Raphtalia to himself, briefly surprising her.
"N-Naofumi?" She asked.
"Rafu?" Raph-Chan tilted her head while wiping a tear from her eye.
When Naofumi pulled back though, he was smiling softly at them. "You're right. Let's try to take him in alive."
…
Naofumi took another deep breath, and his free hand patted Raph-Chan and then Raphtalia on the head before he looked at them both with a serious expression.
"Get yourselves ready."
…
Raphtalia didn't say another word. She merely nodded her head and shakily raised her vassal weapon up to fight once again, a determined glint entering her and their daughter's eyes.
They could both stand now. But everyone else was still on the ground. The song Filo had been singing seemed to be the key. But they had to give her what she needed to sing the whole thing to her heart's content.
Naofumi knew. It was time he made his choice…
His eyes glazed over for a moment.
The Shield Hero felt the familiar veil of darkness surrounding him for the first time in a long time. Looking around, it was as if time had frozen once again.
Or, at least, it was moving slower than before. He wasn't sure how it worked here. Kyo's movements towards his daughter seemed slow and sluggish. Rishia lay almost unmoving on the ground next to Aksel and Maya. And beyond that, the edges of his vision were dark, hiding Itsuki and the Otherworld Heroes from view.
That darkness moved in, further and further, covering the environment around him until he could only see Raphtalia smiling softly beside him.
And then, she was swallowed by that darkness too. Leaving the Shield Hero standing in a dark void.
Alone… but not for long.
"Well now, it's certainly been a while since we last talked." Naofumi's doppelganger finally appeared in front of him. A teasing smirk danced on his face. "What is it now? Are you backing out of the resolve you developed back when you first faced the Spirit Tortoise?
"I don't think you're experiencing a panic attack right now. Though, then again, you've gotten a lot better at handling and expressing your emotions lately. So you must be here on your own volition."
…
Naofumi didn't speak yet. And the doppelganger began to chuckle even more. "Fufufufufu. Let me guess, you're here now to call upon me. To have me take control in the vain hope that I'll choose to only target Kyo and not the others in your family.
"Get real! You know that isn't how hatred works! That isn't how WRATH operates in the slightest!"
"It is everything! It is all-encompassing! It is blinding to even the littlest bit of good in the world! It consumes everything in its wake and ruins the lives of all those it touches!
"If you think you can restrain me from unleashing it, then-"
"I'm ready." Naofumi finally said.
…
…
…
"What… what did you say?" Naofumi's cursed doppelganger said in disbelief. The weight of darkness around them lightened somewhat. "You're ready? Ready for what?
"Do you really think it's that simple?!"
Naofumi looked back into the eyes of his reflection. "I know… I know that I'm not over the way the world treated me before. I know that it'll take years for me to come to terms with what people like Victoria, Aultcray, or L'Arc did, even though I want to fully forgive them and move past it…
"But I also know that I'll never be able to forgive people like Balamus or Malty… to forgive that bitch for what she tried to do that night, and for everything else she's done or planned to do to me and everyone else I care about since then.
"To try and murder her own sister. To betray her family to the Church and try to murder Motoyasu and the people of the village using others…
"And while I'm at it, even if he's dead, I'll never be able to forgive that bastard Idol Rabier for what he did to Raphtalia after she lost her village. Never, not even in a million years.
"And, beyond what people like Balamus did, I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive the world for forcing me to kill Ost. To see firsthand what my desire to attack led me towards…"
"If that's how you feel, then why?" Naofumi's doppelganger asked.
…
Naofumi continued to look at his doppelganger unblinkingly. "Because I'm ready to accept these facts now. To accept this Wrath as my own, and not as the wrath of some cursed personality that my weapon made to help me have a reason to continue fighting for the world.
"I no longer need a reason. Raphtalia is all the reason I ever needed. Filo, Raph-Chan, Eclair, Melty, Dou-Lon, Motoyasu, Ren, Itsuki, Ost, their friends, as well as Kizuna and Hoshi and everyone they care about in this world… they're just all the more reason for why I want this. Why I need to do this.
"You said last time that it takes every part of you to be Diligent, right? That's what I'm going to do then. I'll accept this burden. I'll accept my Wrath as a part of me. I'll accept that I can't go back to the naive otaku I was before.
"I'll accept it wholeheartedly for the sake of those I love."
…
…
"Yet… even if you do accept it… it'll still be hard. You'll be on this path till the day both worlds are saved… you'll have to come to terms with everything on your own, without me around to take up parts of it for you.
"Can you really accept that?" Naofumi's cursed doppelganger asked.
…
"Let's be real." Naofumi shrugged. "I stepped onto this path the day I was summoned to this world. I might as well stop fighting myself and embrace myself for who I am, right?"
"Also, can I really consider myself alone when I have so many great people around me now?"
His doppelganger was shocked at his response. But then, he chuckled. "To be precise, you stepped onto this path that night when all you wanted to do was protect Raphtalia and escape the Capital, no matter what it took.
"That was your first TRUE act of Diligence on your behalf. An act that came because of what you wanted for her, and not for yourself."
...
"And... you're right. You're not alone now. Not anymore, at least."
The darkness around the pair began to fade. The cursed attire the doppelganger was wearing began to transform. Changing into something a bit more… mellow.
Cursed demonic attire was so overrated. This was so much better, even if Naofumi wouldn't get access to it for a while yet.
"You 'do' realize what that all means, right? You understand what happens next?" The shining figure asked.
Naofumi nodded his head. "I do. I know this won't be easy. And that I'll likely fail and experience more grief many more times before this is all said and done. I'm not perfect, nor will I ever claim to be.
"That doesn't matter to me though. As long as I keep trying, as long as I'm still breathing, I'll save our worlds. And I'll save as many people living in them as I can."
"I'll protect everyone so the people I love will be able to smile and laugh alongside their friends and families for the rest of their lives."
The doppelganger chuckled as a much friendlier smirk formed on his dissipating face.
"Now you finally get it."
The cursed doppelganger, the one Naofumi's weapon had created long ago, back when he'd fallen into Despair in the aftermath of the Sacred Duel… the one who'd housed parts of the anger Naofumi himself held till that moment… finally disappeared.
Its purpose had been fulfilled.
…
…
The Shield Hero studied his new mental surroundings.
The darkness around him had faded, but not completely. Yet it was almost as if the light and the dark were in balance now.
Naofumi would have to live with this darkness within himself… likely for the rest of his life. It would not go away until the day he forgave Myne for everything she'd done.
Which was something he knew would never happen so long as she was still breathing.
Yet as light could not deny the darkness, neither could darkness deny the light. His hatred did not overrule his desire to want to protect others. To reach out and care for those who couldn't help themselves anymore. And that was why he'd been chosen as a Hero. His innate character flaw did not take away from the fact that he was a good person deep down. Much like the other Cardinal and Vassal Heroes.
And right now, there was somebody less fortunate than him who needed help even if he would never admit it due to his anger and pride.
Naofumi breathed in deeply. Taking in the new twilight-like state of his mental landscape, with the light and dark around him intensifying, until…
Everything was in its proper place.
Conditions Met! Blessed Abilities Increased!
The Shield of Hope has transformed…
"Miss… Miss Filo…" Dou-Lon said in fear.
Kyo was hulking above them now. It seemed like what little effect her song had had on his mind earlier had vanished.
"What's the matter?! Too tired to sing anymore, little birdie?! Or are you just too scared?!" The draconic creature howled in anger.
Filo couldn't speak through her crying. She just couldn't find it in herself to sing anymore.
Not when Bow Uncle had been badly hurt. Not when Mommy and Daddy and Tiger Guy and most everyone else they loved were about to die. Not when Fishing Auntie and her friends were going to be really sad by Book Guy's death if things continued the way they had been.
And not when Book Guy himself still held that pained look in his serpentine eyes right now.
"Book… Book Guy is in pain… Filo can tell…" Filo whimpered.
"Me?! In pain?! What nonsense are you spewing out now? I'm entirely healed up and ready to go another round!" Kyo howled viciously.
"No, not that kind of pain, but the one… in your heart… Book Guy doesn't want this… Fishing Auntie never wanted this…" Filo continued to tremble and sob.
"... it doesn't matter what anyone wants." The dragon's figure stiffened somewhat and one of his claws brushed over his chest where the two cursed tomes were fused to his heart. For once, his voice spoke without the demonic undertone. "One's desires are nothing without the power to back them up. And if obtaining that power requires me to give my own desires up, then so be it."
...
The dragon's pensive look was quickly replaced with one of a predator. "But enough of that. Let's see if I can urge your 'daddy' to take this fight more seriously by torching you! I know for certain that he has his own Cursed Series and I want to see it!"
"Urgh, no!" Dou-Lon struggled to stand, but he still couldn't even get on his knees.
Kyo laughed, a wall of fire built up in his mouth. One that glowed hotter and hotter, until…
"DIE!"
Cursed fire poured over the ground in front of him.
…
With that, the Book Demon's next bit of fun would surely begin and he would get an opportunity to grind the Shield Hero to dust-
"Honey, are you okay?"
Kyo's fire breath stopped as his head whipped to the side.
Filo and Dou-Lon were resting on the ground well away from where his breath attack had landed. Naofumi was on his knees next to them, checking them over to make sure that they were alright.
"H-Huh?!" Kyo's head looked between the area where his breath attack had struck and where they were now. "HUH?! How the hell did that happen!? I didn't sense any illusion magic being cast earlier!"
Naofumi didn't immediately answer him, instead, he was looking down intensely at his daughter and right-hand man. Both of them looked up at him with wide eyes. "S… Sir Naofumi?" Dou-Lon asked in surprise.
"Daddy?" Filo also said in the same tone.
Naofumi smiled as he rested a hand on the hakuko's head between his ears. "I'm sorry that all your training hasn't amounted to much against Kyo, Dou-Lon. However, that is my fault, not yours. Know that you haven't shamed yourself in the slightest."
"S… Sir Naofumi." Tears entered the grown man's eyes.
"I'll be making sure that when his gravity spell is weakened enough, you'll have all the openings you need to fight at your full potential." Naofumi finished, looking into his eyes determinedly.
…
The Hakuko stayed silent. His eyes were quickly filling with more tears and disbelief at what he was witnessing.
"D-Daddy…" Filo had tears in her eyes too, and was looking up at her Father. Her Father who held a different air around him compared to what she'd been seeing from him lately.
"Filo… I'm sorry I told you earlier to fight to kill him. I should have recognized that you and Mommy were trying to hold back against him for Kizuna's sake." Naofumi told her gently.
"B-But Filo couldn't reach through to Book Guy with her song…" Filo began to cry again.
However, Naofumi embraced her gently before wiping her tears away. "It's okay. Let's try again. This time, Daddy will help you too instead of getting in your way."
"You can sing to your fullest now, knowing full well that Daddy's going to do his best to bring Book Guy down without killing him," Naofumi told his daughter with a smile.
"D… Daddy means it?!" Filo asked hesitantly.
"Yes, Daddy means it." Naofumi's smile grew wider as he rubbed the top of his daughter's head, eliciting a giggle from the girl. His eyes briefly fell. "I'm sorry that it took Daddy a while to realize it. Daddy will make sure to make it up to you and Mommy though. I promise." Naofumi stood up, turning around to face Kyo again as he said those words.
Filo's happiness rose to levels rarely seen before. She was openly crying again alongside Tiger Guy, but both were crying for a different reason entirely.
"Seriously!? What the &^%$ is going on?!" The Book Demon scoffed. "First Rishia Ivyred and now you?! Why do you all wait until the last possible moment to pull out these &^%&$^# trump cards out of your &^%$?! It sure would have helped that loser over there if you had done it earlier!"
The dragon pointed behind him with his tail at where Itsuki's unconscious form was lying limply. "Are you not a fan of him either? You should have said so! I would have gladly wrung his neck and-"
"Enough." Naofumi cut Kyo off. "I'm not pulling this out of my anything. Nor is this some cheap trick of mine. Just look here." Naofumi then gestured to the shield on his arm.
Kyo scowled, but his eyes were drawn to the Shield Naofumi currently had equipped and…
What the… had his Blessed Series always looked like that before?!
Conditions Met! Blessed Abilities Increased!
The Shield of Hope has transformed into its true form: The Shield of Diligence!
Shield of Diligence
Abilities Locked
- Equip Bonuses: Skills: "Hope Asunder" "Change Shield (expand)" "True Pandora's Box"
- Special Effects: Magic Defense Up (Large), Strength Up (Large), Shatterpoint, Eternal Springs of Diligence, Armor of Michael (improved), Ray of Hope, Gabriel's Veil, Blessing of Raphael
The upgraded shield came with a host of different benefits! It even retained what Naofumi had gotten from using the strengthening methods on the Shield of Hope II! Its defense stat wasn't as powerful as the Spirit Tortoise Heart Shield or his Cursed Shield. But its magic defense stat was beyond what those two shields had combined!
That was how he was standing right now. Not because of life force or some hidden magic or something similar. Rather, it was through pure magic defense. In the middle of the blue shield, which had expanded in size to be able to cover the front of Naofumi's whole torso, was the image of a dove in flight.
With the shield giving off a bright flash of light, the Byakko Armor Naofumi had been wearing finally transformed into a new set of gear entirely.
A white, fluffy robe fell down behind him. The edges of his hair took on a whitish tint while the irises of his eyes turned a bright, rich blue. The Robes of Michael fluttered in the breeze behind him in all their glory.
Behind Naofumi's shield, his breastplate had changed as well. It had not only become white, but it had the crest of a dove in its center, just like the shield. New armored greaves and gauntlets appeared over his arms and hands. A helmet like that of a paladin's appeared over his head.
His new ensemble had a name and its own variety of effects to boot.
Blessed Michael's Byakko Armor
Equip Effects: Defense Up (Large) Wind Resistance (Max): HP Recovery (Low): Magic Recovery (Weak): SP Recovery (Weak): Ally Wind Magic Power Up (Large): Magic Defense Up (Max): Curse Resistance (Large): Speed and Agility Up (Large): Dexterity Up (Large): Life Force Recovery Up (Medium): Soul Power Recovery Up (Small): Pain Mitigation (Medium): Four Holy Beasts Power, Automatic Self-Repair
Without even needing to voice it aloud, a burst of energy came off the Shield Hero's form as Ray of Hope activated. Multiple rays of light split off from the single ray, and Kyo actually yelped and instinctively moved to the side, barely avoiding being hit by one of the beams.
The remainder covered over all of Naofumi's allies there though. Healing the cursed injuries everyone had sustained, whether from Kyo or accidentally because of Itsuki. Even Itsuki, who had fallen outside the Gravity Field, was covered over by the blessed energy while Hoshi and Akane had been working to heal the Bow Hero's injuries.
The pair as well as Daitan turned to look at the source of the light. And their eyes widened with awe. "What is-"
"Is that guy glowing?!" Akane asked in surprise.
"This light… it feels really warm," Hoshi muttered. "Like… like everything is going to be ok."
Looking at his stats, the Monochrome Hero's gray eyes widened as he noticed two things.
One, his defense and magic defense stats had increased by a lot. Second, his endurance and stamina stats had also seen an increase.
He did not realize then that these were thanks to Gabriel's Veil or Blessing of Raphael raising these particular stats. However, after pointing it out to his two friends, they found the same thing had happened to them.
They'd later find out that everyone who'd been part of Naofumi's party system at the time he had that Shield equipped received the same benefits. They just received a smaller boost as it scaled off of stats, which the others had more of compared to them.
As everyone's cursed wounds vanished, Naofumi felt as his life force depleted and the pain of everyone's cursed injuries washed over his mind for just a moment. But then the chest plate he was wearing began to glow and replenish the life force he'd lost. And the mental pain and agony disappeared as his helmet glowed in sync.
Huh, so that's how that special effect worked? He suffered no defense debuff this time either, though he guessed that if his life force became too low, due to the cursed injuries being too powerful, then he'd take a debuff and possibly pass out if the pain was too great as well.
Still, it made him appreciate the training Rishia had given him all the more.
"What… what is this?!" Kyo howled in rage. "What is this uncalled for bull &%$#?! WHERE IS YOUR CURSED SERIES?!"
"Book Hero," Naofumi responded while looking the dragon in the eyes. He tossed several Healing Crystals from his Shield to his allies. "You tried to offer me mercy earlier. Allow me to return the favor now." In the corner of Naofumi's vision, where a timer normally appeared there was nothing to tick down anymore.
Because true Diligence did not have a timer. Hope could expire, but Diligence never would.
"Mercy?! Do I look like I want mercy?!" Kyo roared. "I don't care about that right now! What is up with this stupid power-up you suddenly got?!"
"I didn't suddenly get this." Naofumi stepped forward, approaching the Book Demon.
"Actually, you could say I've been working myself up to this for months. Going back and forth and back and forth, over and over, and over again."
To the side, Raphtalia's eyes shined with happiness.
Finally, the memory of the Shield Hero she'd seen that day… the memory of him breaking through all those soldiers to help her out…
That same Shield Hero was here now. In the flesh.
"But now, I've made up my mind on what I want. I WILL save this world and my own. Even if you don't believe it is possible anymore, I still do. And I'll prove it by saving you first, even if I have to drag you into the light kicking and screaming all the way out of that cave of nihilism that you've built around yourself."
"Save me…? SAVE ME!?" Kyo howled with rage. "YOU FOOL! THERE IS NOTHING LEFT FOR YOU TO SAVE! EVERYTHING IS DOOMED TO BURN, WHETHER BY ME OR BY THE WAVES! YOU IGNORANT STUBBORN IMBECILE!" A wave of dragon breath spewed from his mouth towards the Shield Hero.
"E Float Shield!"
The skill shield appeared in front of Naofumi. The magic fire breath didn't so much as singe it thanks to the new shield's much higher magic defense stats. The offensive gravity field did nothing to damage it either.
"DON'T YOU GET IT!? NONE OF YOUR EFFORTS WILL MATTER! EVEN IF YOU BEAT ME HERE, YOU'LL JUST DIE LATER ON! NONE OF THIS MATTERS!
"Ṅ̵͕͖̤̟̭̍͌̀̆Ò̷͔̭̭̳̏N̶̢̤͉͕͉͆̔̕É̵͈͎̬̼͠ ̵̟͊́ͅÕ̵̢̪͈̘̺̒̆̎̚F̸̰͑ ̴̢͓̻̥̣̔̾T̴̤̩̝͌Ḩ̵̧̛͎̭͋ͅḮ̵̹̏S̶̞̟̣̓͝ ̶̣̈́̈̚ͅ&̷̲̩͆̒͌̿ͅ^̸̜̞̒̃̈́͗̚%̴͕̩̍̃̀ͅ&̵̻̻̮́͊̀%̴̢̝͔̰̑̃͆̒ͅ$̷͔́͐͌̒͊#̴̻̺̤̻̮̉͂́ ̵̨͇̑̄̀͝M̶̪̰͇̖͐Ä̶̬́͊Ţ̷̡̺͎̻͐̅̂T̵̢̥̿̾Ě̵͈͎͂R̶̢͇̥̓͘Ş̸̖̱̲̋̈́̓̕!̷̫̀̋͑̈́̕"
Kyo's fire breath cut off, but then balls of purple fire began to appear in his palms.
"Then what are you fighting so hard for?" Naofumi responded coldly, his eyes not leaving the book hero's mismatched pair. "If nothing matters, then why do you keep on struggling, instead of just rolling over and dying?"
This made the Book Demon pause in his assault.
"If none of this matters, then why care about it so much? What will fighting us prove right now?"
…
"I… I'm... I'm fighting… for..."
…
Kyo shook his head and charged forward, raising both his fists as well as his wings to slam them down onto Naofumi. If that Blessed Shield of his made his magic defense so high, then he'd just break it through pure physical brute force!
"RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Kyo howled in fury.
Naofumi moved the skill he'd summoned in front of him. Those who were conscious were watching him with anticipation. Wanting to see how he was going to fight the Book Demon now, and-
"Change Shield: Shield of Wrath III."
Right before Kyo's attacks landed, Naofumi's Cursed Shield appeared to block the attack.
Shield of Wrath III
Abilities Locked
- Equip Bonuses: Skills: "Change Shield (attack)" "Iron Maiden" "?"
- Special Effects: Defense Up (Large), Dark Curse Burning, Strength Up, Sabatons of Wrath (medium), Demon's Wrath, Royal Shield (Wrath cursed), Shield Bash (Wrath cursed), Vulcan's Retribution
What followed was a blast of cursed fire that covered Kyo over entirely.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The Demon Lord's angry howl turned to cries of pain and agony as he stumbled back. It felt like his entire body was melting under the wave of cursed flames that were consuming him. His wings burned to ashes, only to steadily regrow and burn again as the flames lingered.
"S-Sir Naofumi?" Dou-Lon said in shock.
"Daddy?!" Filo yelled in worry as well.
"Naofumi!" Raphtalia was the last to call out the Shield Hero's name, fear coming into her eyes as the illusion of the Shield Hero she'd seen that day as a young child shattered entirely.
…
However, when Naofumi turned his head to look at all of them, he still looked like himself. His eyes had changed from blue to a cyan color. Black, fiery red sabatons had appeared over his feet. Spirals of fire weaved around his form like a sentinel. His hair had darkened in color again but still retained its white tint on the tips. The Cursed Shield floating by him looked like it had the body of a horned head demon engraved into the center of it.
There was nothing holy about it whatsoever.
However, it was not covered in Cursed Fire. And the glow from it was overshadowed by the glow from the Blessed Shield on Naofumi's arm. As if it was being kept in line. Naofumi was smiling as well, and not in a cruel way. "Don't worry, I have no intention of killing him.
"I just need to rough him up a little first. Get him to listen to what I have to say and all that."
Even when Naofumi spoke, there was no demonic undertone to his voice.
In short, it was still him. However, the others continued to look at him in shock.
A timer had appeared in the corner of the Shield Hero's vision. The timer for how long he could keep Wrath out without losing control.
It was only because he had his Blessed Series equipped that he could do this. Back when he, Ren, and Itsuki had faced the Spirit Tortoise for the first time, that'd been why he'd stayed in control while his Cursed Shield was out. Because his Shield of Hope II had been enough to counteract his Shield of Rage II and keep him sane back then.
However, ever since unlocking Wrath III and coming to this world. All his attempts on the side to try to practice wielding both at once had resulted in failure after failure.
Because of the stronger cursed shield, he could only keep it out for a few seconds. And having only the Air Strike Series back then, he couldn't move it around and manipulate it as he wanted to, so it'd be useful in a fight.
Having E Float Shield fixed that part of the problem. He could now maneuver it around however he wanted. And now, because his Blessed Series had finally reached the form it belonged to all along…
30:00
Thirty minutes of control was granted to him instead of a few seconds.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
That was more than enough time to bring this demon lord down and drag the foolish Book Hero stuck inside of it back out.
The fallen Book Hero had begun to heal his injuries with magic by this point, instead of only relying on his natural regeneration, to make the cursed burns covering his body disappear.
Naofumi turned to face Kyo again when the latter managed to finally catch his breath. "Here is what's going to happen now."
The Shield Hero pointed a finger at their adversary. "I am going to beat you within an inch of your life for everything you've done. Ost and everyone you killed in our world will be avenged.
"But when I'm finished with that, I'm going to knock you out of that transformation of yours, drag you by the hair back to Sickle, and force you to bow your head down all the way to the floor, to make you apologize to your friends for all that you've done.
"I don't know if all of them will forgive you or not, but I know that Kizuna will at least. After that, your fate will be decided by her."
The Book Hero sneered as the last of the cursed flames covering his body died out. "You must have missed out on her voicing her thoughts on this matter if you think that way.
"I'm a monster, remember? I don't deserve to live.
"She… she finally hates me."
"No. She doesn't." Naofumi responded with full confidence in his tone. "She was momentarily upset and said things she didn't mean to. But that's all. Everyone does that every now and then. Including myself.
"Wherever she is now, I'm fully certain that she feels incredibly guilty about what she said. And that she desperately wants to apologize to you for it and try to make you join her side again. And again. And again. No matter how many times or how long it might take. Because she would never abandon one of her friends, no matter what."
The dragon scowled and snorted in response. "Only because she is a foolish and stubborn girl who doesn't know when to give up, even if she is in way over her head!" More fireballs appeared around him, but then Naofumi spoke again.
"Indeed. But so is the woman with whom you are in love with."
...
"What are you talking about, Shield Hero?" The two serpentine orbs met Naofumi's own, shock reflecting in them. The fireballs around him vanished.
"Right, of course. Allow me to correct myself." Naofumi continued with a small nod. "The woman who you are too ashamed to love because you feel like you don't deserve her."
"Yomogi, right?"
…
…
"R̴̡̟͇̻͂̔̉̅̐À̶̰̲̆͒̉̒H̷̱̽͌H̷̹͔̒̕͠H̵̗̱̔H̶̲͊͒̈Ȟ̷̙̙Ḩ̴̫͍͕͒́͛̇̚H̸̩̆͆Ḩ̸̜͙̮͎͆́̍̕H̵̦̬͝H̵͔̆H̶̙̥̎̀̊Ḩ̴͎̯͎͛̕H̸̛̟̲̾H̸̼̖̤͚͗͆̌H̶̭̞͓̜͕́H̸̠̪̩͆Ḩ̷̛̺̤̍́͝Ḫ̵̀̂͗H̸̪̹̼̋̚͝͠Ḧ̷̜͇̎Ḥ̴̣̠͝H̴̠͕̚Ḩ̸̮̲͖͖͛͌H̸̨͕̲̫̍͋̉͠͝Ḥ̷͉̆̌̍͘͘ͅ!̸̡̛̼͈͉͎́" Kyo roared in anger as purple cursed flames on his body reappeared again. Without even trying to respond, he sent a swarm of pages at the Shield Hero.
Naofumi raced forward into the swarm of pages. Blocking them off with both of his shields.
He gave an encouraging nod and smile back to Raphtalia, gesturing for her to follow him into battle.
Raphtalia, though still surprised by Naofumi's newest transformation, smiled as well as she charged in right behind him to be his sword.
The happiest expression ever was plastered on her face.
…
Where she lay on the ground, Filo breathed in deeply before transforming into her humming fairy form. A proud smile was on her face as well.
Daddy was no longer fighting to kill. And Mommy was able to wholeheartedly fight alongside Daddy.
Filo couldn't have been more proud of her parents as her power-up from Daddy allowed her and Mommy to stand and fight in the Gravity Field. And her various sets of vocal cords worked together in harmony to form something new out of the song she'd learned from a lone bard in Sickle.
You, are the ocean's, gray waves!
Hero Clips!
Not So Good At Names
"Yomogi, can I ask you a question?"
"What is it?"
It was shortly after the two Luvar ships had left. Ethnobalt had been flying his newest ship towards another part of the battlefield when the rabbitman suddenly spoke to Kyo's retainer.
"I was just wondering… did Kyo actually come up with the name Invisible for these ships?" Ethnobalt asked, barely hiding the twitch in his right eye.
He was still super annoyed about it. He could almost hear Aksel cheering loudly in the background about someone finally sharing in his twisted sense of humor. The thought made his skin crawl, though he pushed the feeling down as Yomogi answered his inquiry.
"No, he didn't."
Ethnobalt felt immediate relief.
"I did." Said relief didn't last long as Yomogi followed with those two words.
Ethnobalt's eyes bugged out. "What- YOU DID?! WHY!?" He yelled in shock.
"Well…" Yomogi shrank in size, looking embarrassed." That was because Kyo originally wanted to name this ship The Invincible Mark Two on his blueprints. I suggested The Invisible instead as a joke to try and get him to think of something else, but he actually agreed and went along with it."
"I tried thinking of plenty of other names, but he didn't accept any of them. The Invisible was the perfect name in his eyes and it stuck even after production started."
…
Ethnobalt actually felt a part of himself die on the inside. "And here I thought his naming sense would have improved after we parted years ago." The rabbitman sighed.
"Mhm. Kyo's still pretty basic when he comes to names for objects and people. For example," Yomogi suddenly pulled a familiar green potion bottle from her robes. "Kyo calls these Green Buff Potions."
Ethnobalt pulled up his HUD to appraise the bottle. And indeed, Status Magic labeled it as a Green Buff Potion.
"He also has Wind Spell Vials, Sword Copies, Spear Copies, Guardian Beast Enhancement Drugs, and if I saw on my HUD correctly when he used it on the Kazuki homunculi earlier… Demon Dragon Syrum."
…
…
"His naming senses really haven't improved at all." Ethnobalt sighed to himself.
In fact, Kyo's naming senses were starting to remind him of a certain someone…
"Oh my gosh, will Side Couple #3 just stop screaming for a second?! I'm trying to have my big moment here!" The Book Demon yelled at the still-crying Maya and Aksel. He looked all healed up and ready to battle again.
"Oh? You labeled them that too?" Naofumi asked curiously.
"Obviously." Kyo rolled his eyes. "Compared to Side Couples 1 and 2; all they ever do is love on each other and get in the way of fights. They're so &^%$^&% annoying! Why couldn't you have just left them behind for another set of characters?!"
"Eh, they have their moments." Naofumi shrugged.
"I'm sorry. Side Couples?" Raphtalia suddenly interrupted, looking confused. Actually, everyone else there looked confused too.
"You know, Itsuki and Rishia are Side Couple #1, Glass and Kizuna are side couple #2." Naofumi clarified for his wife friend. "Also, we're called Main Couple #1. Ren and Wyndia would be called Main Couple #2 if they were here."
"What… wait, why are they called side couples?!" Raphtalia asked frantically, trying to force down her immediate embarrassment. "And besides, knowing your logic, I would have thought Rachel and her husband would be Side Couple #3 since they married before Aksel and Maya even got together!"
"Oh, that's easy. We know next to nothing about Rachel's husband." Naofumi answered. "Compared to that couple, Aksel and Maya are farrrrrr more fleshed out. Maybe those two could be added as Side Couple #4 after we get to know Garfield a little better."
"Fueehhhhhh!? But me and Itsuki aren't even together yet!" Rishia yelled from her spot on the ground.
"And it's because of that you're not Main Couple #3 yet. Though that spot might go to Glass and Kizuna at this rate since you two are moving so slowly compared to them." Naofumi told her, stunning the girl into speechlessness.
"Then again, Side Couple #4 or Main Couple #4 could end up going to Therese and L'Arc after this battle. Not sure if I'll want to lump that boy into a main couple slot though... Eh, we'll just have to see how that goes." Naofumi shrugged again.
"Yes! Finally, someone who gets it!" Kyo yelled gratefully.
"... Eh?" Dou-Lon just looked confused next to Filo on the ground.
"Don't worry about it Tiger Guy #1. Maybe someday you'll be as smart as me and Naofumi." Kyo responded to the hakuko male's confusion.
Naofumi smirked in delight. "I always did think that'd be a good name for him."
"Oh, Gods, there's two of them now." Raphtalia finally facepalmed in realization.
Technically three, since Kizuna's naming sense was also pretty terrible. Naming a penguin Chris because he was born on Christmas. And weren't there also those ancient heroes who named those old races on the Cal Mira islands the Japanese equivalent for Rabbit or Squirrel or Dog?
And that was the moment when everyone realized that summoned Heroes from Japan just sucked at giving good names in general.
"Rafu!"
Except when Naofumi named his shikigami Raph-Chan. That was a golden name no one would ever dispute in the many generations to come.
Long may we worship her greatness.
Till Next Time
Allen
Notes:
You know that when the title of the fic is dropped as a chapter title in the climactic battle that things are about to get good.
I would have saved this chapter title for the next chapter, but that one's chapter title is in Latin. And I was convinced to shorten the chapter title for this one to just one word.
I also have to say, that I love how everything has built up towards this moment. This really isn't just a sudden shift for Naofumi. This has been building up ever since before the start of this grand arc thanks to the actions of other characters. And I look forward to all of you seeing the grand climax of what it has all been building towards in two weeks.
Until then.
Chapter 19: Final Showdown: Part Three: Esto Omnia Et Omnia Finis
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
- ENTRY #89 -
No… all of my work was for naught.
'They' knew. 'They' knew what I was planning all along.
They just haven't intervened because 'they' found my ████████████. They just wanted to see me ████████████.
They laughed at me one last time, mocking my idea to use ████████████ to break out of my ████████████. They said that even if I were to harvest a ████████████ worth of it, it would not make a bit of difference. Nothing would ever break ████████████. Or on the other pieces of Trash they use as their ████████████.
Especially not while my mind was muddled by my Cursed Series.
…
That is why my past ████████████ became so disturbed.
I just looked at my Book and confirmed that 'they' were right.
Those two ████████████ I unlocked that gave me offensive capabilities…
…
I just used [Search Engine] to finally verify it.
My only purpose in being born… in serving them… is to ████████████.
Everything… all that I've done up to this point… all that I did in the name of ████████████…
████████████.
████████████.
Because of me, ████████████.
…
I never had a chance.
I
Never
Had
A
Chance…
- ENTRY #90 -
I remembered what happened that day now. After finding the pair of glasses Yomogi gave me.
They didn't punish me after all.
They never even appeared.
I punished myself when I fell into Despair after learning a twisted version of the truth from [Search Engine] and unlocked both of my Cursed Series at the same time.
Yomogi was trying to stop me. To snap me out of it before I went out to destroy everything in my path.
I remember her cries. Her stubbornness to bring me back to the light. She even hugged me when all else failed.
That's why she was hurt so badly when I came out of it.
That is why I have been slowly growing insane as of late.
I hurt her.
I was the one that hurt Yomogi, the first person to ever really care about me.
…
…
Guilt.
That is what the feeling in my chest was. I understand it now.
…
Yomogi…
I…
I wish that I could do better by you… but it is impossible.
I cannot beat 'them'. I will never be able to beat 'them'. I will never be able to give us the happy ending that you and our friends desire.
All I can do… is ████████████ so we won't have to suffer any longer.
…
…
May you and Kizuna forgive me for what I do next.
The fate of both armies moved back and forth between two individuals.
Their soldiers battled one another as well as the Wave Monsters. But Corrin's blade moved solely against Xander's, and vice versa.
Xander's blade came down for a heavy strike, which Corrin managed to deflect to the side. He then swung Yato at his brother's shoulder, only for Xander to raise his own sword and bat Corrin's blade away.
Luvar's Commander then forced Corrin back onto the defensive as he powerfully stepped forward, throwing one heavy strike after another at the shorter man.
Corrin sidestepped and blocked the multiple strikes, managing to evade injury. His mouth moved until Yato began to shine in his hands. "Shining Stones: Divine Light!"
A burst of light flared between the two combatants. Xander covered his eyes with one hand, but nearby Wave Monsters screeched as the searing light blinded them. Making it easier for the surrounding soldiers to deal with them.
"Hah!" Corrin moved to slash at Xander's other shoulder this time, but even with his eyes covered, Xander still moved his blade to block. Interlocking their weapons for a brief period.
"You're not going for the kill, brother." Xander spat the words out. "You aren't using any thrusts and you keep targeting my arms and legs. Do you hope that by injuring me enough, you can force me to concede this battle?"
Corrin grimaced and brought his sword back to strike at Xander's other side, but the man blocked it again. Backstepping, with his eyes closed, he blocked Corrin's subsequent strikes until they were near the center of the circle again.
"Bejeweled Flame Lance!" Xander then stabbed forward, having chanted his spell during that time. Corrin dove to the side, avoiding the attack. But the fire spell ripped through several of his men, as well as some of Xander's own.
"No!" Corrin swung down with his heavy swing, but Xander's eyes had opened by then, and he easily deflected the Emperor's attack to the side, knocking Yato out of Corrin's hands and making it spin through the air before it embedded itself into the ground far away from the two.
Corrin's eyes widened in surprise, but Xander was already swinging at his neck. "Hmph. Is your conviction so weak, that you can't even keep a hold on your weapon, brother?"
"Huah!" Corrin crossed his gauntlets, catching Xander's blade against them. The large man looked impressed, and then Corrin's foot landed a solid kick against his gut, launching him back several steps.
Corrin reached out with his gauntlet, which launched itself from his fist using wind magic and grasped Yato in its hand, pulling it out of the ground and back into the Emperor's grip while Xander caught his breath. A hint of a smile rested on the rogue nobleman's face. "You might not be going for the kill. But you have improved since our spars when we were younger."
"H… Hinoka helped me in that regard." Corrin breathed in and out deeply.
"And yet she's failed to pass on that killing intent of hers to you," Xander said next while shaking his head in disappointment. "If only Azura's death had affected you the same way as it did the rest of us."
Xander's blade came at Corrin again, and he caught it against his own.
The exchange lasted a few seconds, with Corrin interlocking his blade against his brother's.
This close, Xander and Corrin were inches apart, allowing the larger man to glare down at him. "As Emperor, you must be willing to do everything you can to secure your rule! So that your country may live in peace!"
"What good is one's rule if it's through fear and terror?! That is only the rule of a tyrant!" Corrin responded heatedly.
He pushed his older brother back and swung one of his gauntleted fists forward.
Magic from the armor activated again, and the gauntleted fist rocketed off his hand, punching Xander in the chest and forcing him to take another step back.
The gauntlet flew back and reattached itself to Corrin's hand as he leaped into the air and used wind magic to swing his feet around, avoiding Xander's blade while landing a solid blow to the large man's face.
But as the young emperor tried to swing for Xander's shoulder with Yato right after, the General grabbed Corrin by his wrist.
Saying nothing, he forced Corrin back onto the ground. "Agh!" Corrin yelled out in pain as Xander's grip tightened, denting his armor underneath his grip.
One of the gems on the emperor's gauntlet flashed brightly, and a surge of flames burst out from the wrist, striking Xander's eyes. The taller man screamed out and instinctively let go to shield his face. But the moment Corrin had managed to get up to his feet, Xander headbutted him, knocking the gem man back down on the ground.
"You can take away my arms. You can take away my legs. You can even take away my eyes. But I will never stop coming, brother." Xander blindly struck down with his blade once again, but Corrin activated his armor's wind magic again to blow him back and stand up again.
He nursed his sore wrist as he did so. It hadn't broken, but it felt sprained.
"I have seen the truth of this world with my own two eyes. Fear and terror are necessary to rule. Even if it's not from your people, the world must fear you enough to not attack even when your nation is at its most vulnerable!" Xander stepped forward, his blade hanging at his side. His eyes were open again, glaring at Corrin. "You do your people a disgrace if you're unable to accomplish such a feat!"
"But peace and cooperation build far more than war and conflict ever will! Gaps between nations and cultures can eventually be bridged over time!" Corrin rebutted.
"Not always." Xander raised his blade. "Sometimes, there is no other alternative.
"You cannot break a thousand years of animosity with just a few days of peace talks. You cannot understand one group's hatred towards another without first understanding what caused the hatred in the first place.
"You cannot settle all disputes with fairness and understanding. And you certainly cannot quell the ambitions within the hearts of individuals whose intent is to crush everyone in their way!
"To seek justice through laws against such individuals all the time is impossible. Justice itself is merely an illusion, a fairy tale for children. To believe that the world is black and white is to miss half the picture. Against such totalitarian rulers, against these people whose only joy is the suffering of those around them, there is only one recourse to make them listen.
"It is to force them to bend the knee and submit personally!" Xander's eyes flashed dangerously.
Corrin didn't respond as Xander's assault resumed in earnest.
For several minutes, their battle continued between one another.
No more words were exchanged during that time. Unless it was the incantation of some spell.
To Corrin's dismay, the soldiers protecting both combatants from Wave Monsters gradually began to bear the marks of Luvar as the soldiers he brought with him began to get overwhelmed. And while he did mark Xander with some scratches or bruises, Corrin took several different injuries of his own in their back and forth.
His sore wrist made it harder to block Xander's more aggressive strikes without feeling any pain. And though he tried his best, he took more hits to his armor and body than what he'd managed to land on his brother.
"Shining Stones: Earth Pillar!"
Corrin's spell encased the large man on all sides with solid walls of Earth. Buying the Emperor a moment's reprieve, but he hardly had the chance to catch his breath when the earthen walls exploded outwards, and Xander forced himself forward again.
"Bejeweled Ruby Blaze!" Xander's spell exploded against Corrin's chest plate, knocking him back and leaving burns on his face.
"Bejeweled Fire Lance!" Xander quickly followed with another spell after chanting, sending the same spell as before at his brother.
Corrin activated his armor again in response, blowing Xander away with Wind Magic. And this time, Xander's spell only hit his men.
Corrin looked back in horror though. Even though they should have been his brother's allies, Xander's attack burned all those men to ash.
Despite his pain, he looked at Xander frantically. "Why is your magic hurting your men?! Are they not in your party?!"
"I may be their commander." Xander stepped forward, raising his blade again. "But that doesn't mean they have the honor of being a part of my party system."
Corrin's eyes widened even more, only to fall.
He raised Yato to block Xander's next strike successfully, but it required both his hands to do it. And Xander, while keeping the pressure with one hand, proceeded to use his other gauntleted hand to punch Corrin in the gut repeatedly.
After the eighth strike in quick succession, Corrin coughed up blood, stumbling back as one of his hands clutched the lower part of his chest. His armor there was dented, and it felt like one of his ribs had broken. Several of the gemstones there were cracked as well.
The amount of energy left in his armor was pretty low too.
He tried to mutter the words for an incantation, but Xander had already leaped at him. His sword was drawn back to swing down on Corrin's neck.
This time, the Emperor's damaged armor activated on its own, forming a blast of wind to launch him back.
Yet this time, it was too late in helping him to dodge the entirety of the attack.
The tip of Xander's blade connected, slashing through Corrin's chest plate and leaving a long gash from Corrin's right shoulder to the left side of his chest.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Corrin screamed in pain as he collapsed back.
Xander flicked his brother's blood from the end of his blade after his attack was over. He strode forward, standing up tall over the Emperor's fallen form.
"Agh! Ah!" Corrin breathed in and out painfully. Yato fell uselessly to the ground beside him as blood leaked through his ruined armor.
Xander continued to stand over Corrin, looking… disappointed. "You could have been so much more, brother. You had so much potential… just like our older sister. Regardless of her status as a Vassal wielder."
Corrin didn't respond. Despite being in so much pain, he tried to find and grab Yato's hilt. It wouldn't do his soldiers any good to see their leader die without trying to put up a fight till the very end.
But then, it didn't look like any more of his soldiers were around. They'd either been pushed back by the waves of Luvar soldiers and Wave Monsters, or otherwise, killed.
And if so, then what was the point in trying to preserve his honor? In the end, he didn't want to kill his brother. And even if he had possessed the desire for it, he just didn't have that same kind of drive Xander held.
He hadn't wanted to deal with the politics of Lapis as its ruler. Maybe, it would have been right to say that at one point, he'd wanted to go and see the outside world just like Therese. Only, he hadn't dared to do that either.
He grew up in the shadows of the others raised as his siblings. Unsure and uncertain if he could ever amount to anything.
Yet despite that, he ended up being carried up to the throne by Kizuna and her allies. Hinoka, trained in the ways of royalty just like he'd been, fell in love with him, and he fell for her in turn.
Then, after they successfully took the throne, Corrin wasted no time in taking charge of the noble houses. He pushed for various reforms and assisted against the Demon Dragon to its conclusion. Even after that, he made changes that made things better in Lapis by allowing those in the lower classes to voice their grievances and he acted to fulfill their demands.
He could not satisfy everyone, but he tried his best to do so. Because Kizuna had helped him and his wife so many times, he embraced the ideals she shared with him with all his heart.
"Are you done already? Is this what your conviction amounts to?" Xander finally asked when Corrin made no more attempts to stand up again for a while.
It wasn't that Corrin didn't want to be Xander's ideal image of a leader, he couldn't.
He wanted to be able to satisfy everybody, no matter what it took. And that was his greatest mistake. Because Xander was right in that regard.
It was impossible to do so. Kindness, understanding, and mercy; these were the qualities of a good ruler. But the best rulers had more than just these. There was a bit of that courage they had to hold in adversity as well as being uncompromising in the face of those who were tyrants.
Weird how he was able to comprehend all this now. Though focusing on his brother's face, it still looked as cold and impassive as ever.
"If this is all you have, then I see my time here has been wasted." Xander began to lift his blade over his head to deliver a downward strike. "As you are, you won't be able to help out our world."
Corrin… sighed to himself.
What a mess he'd gotten everyone into. Perhaps if he'd acted sooner and more decisively…
As Xander was about to swing down, his eyes got caught on something up above. His face twisted into a frown, and his sword lowered to his side. "How odd, Harpoon and Musician countries are choosing to attack now? The demon lord predicted that these opportunists would only leap into action after this battle's conclusion to hog all the glory and plunder for themselves- No wait, that's...!"
A communication ofuda buzzed in Corrin's back pocket, causing his eyes to snap open again. Then a woman's voice rose from it, nearly making the emperor freeze up.
"My dear husband, are you just going to keep on laying in the snow like a dog, or are you going to accept the party invitation that I sent you minutes ago?!"
Corrin opened his HUD and found a notification. Pulling it up, he found that he'd recently received a party request from his wife.
But… how? He'd left her in charge of Lapis's defense. She shouldn't have been anywhere nearby. And-
"For the love of- just accept it already!" Hinoka's voice yelled again.
Corrin accepted the party request right away and suddenly, Hinoka appeared in his party system alongside Ryoma, Cole, L'Arc, and Therese.
And beneath her name… were thousands of different party systems connected to hers.
The pain in his body vanished almost immediately. An area of Gem Healing Magic covered the area in his vicinity.
Xander's eyes widened even more in surprise. "I see… you did choose your spouse well, Corrin." Xander said, stepping back into a defensive pose. "Neither I nor the demon lord had predicted such an outcome."
The Luvar soldiers fighting Wave Monsters looked up as shadows passed out of the clouds of smoke overhead. Their faces twisted first in shock, and then fear.
Where Therese stood in the air, with at least ten Luvar airships surrounding her, ready to do battle, she paused.
Odd, she got the feeling that something big was about to happen. Where was it coming from?...
As she pondered on it, the ships she was about to face all turned tail and fled.
She found that really confusing, but then, she finally realized where that nagging feeling was coming from.
It was coming from the gems of her armor. They were telling her to turn around.
She turned in the air, and it was a good thing she wasn't holding a weapon, as her hands opened in shock.
"No need to worry. Help has arrived!"
"Gah!"
Therese almost wanted to bawl from relief.
Ships of various sizes flew past her, chasing after the ships of Luvar's fleet. Gem commandos jumped off them to join the battle below or to duel with the monsters in the sky.
There were many of them. Almost too numerous to count. It seemed as if the entirety of the Lapis fleet had been brought in. Or rather, that was exactly what happened.
"Hinoka! You came!" Therese yelled happily as the gem woman herself flew by in her favorite warship.
Her appearance was different. She was arrayed in her royal attire but had the addition of silver and gold colored armor covering the tops of her arms and red armored greaves covering her legs. It did not look near as flashy as her husband's adamantium armor, but she wasn't one to fight on the ground anyway. She always preferred fighting from the air, and her lack of armor gave her more mobility.
Plus, it allowed her to strap Kana to her back in a baby holder. The baby girl looked ecstatic to be outside the castle.
"Damn straight I did. Pass your thanks to Label's minister when you see him next! He had enough sense in his bald wrinkly head to contact me directly and request aid after my foolish husband decided that he should split his forces even more!
"Now then, let's see… damn it, what's taking him so long to accept it. I can see him from here!" Hinoka pulled an ofuda off her belt and raised it to her lips. "My dear husband, are you just going to keep on laying in the snow like a dog, or are you going to accept the party invitation that I sent you minutes ago?!"
…
She didn't get a response immediately, which only seemed to infuriate her even more. "For the love of- just accept it already!"
Therese sweatdropped. Heh, it didn't look like her cousin had changed one bit.
Just like that, she appeared on Therese's party menu under Corrin.
Hinoka raised her naginata to the sky. "Come on! Let's show these fools why I'm known as the Warrior Queen!" Hinoka yelled to the forces around her.
The collective battle cry she received in return blotted out the cries of the whole battlefield.
"FOR THE EMPIRE!"
"FOR THE EMPIRE!"
Up above, the entirety of Lapis's military might dove down through the clouds of smog and ash covering the sky and began to converge on the battlefield in the form of hundreds of airships of various sizes.
"Bejeweled Ruby Blaze!"
"Shining Stones: Thunder Rain!"
"Bejeweled Healing Field!"
A wide variety of different spells came from the various Gem People aboard the ships. It was not just the Gem Noblesses, but all of Lapis's military had been brought to bear.
Allied soldiers under Corrin's party system who were suffering from plenty of different injuries and status debuffs all over the battlefield found themselves healed over several seconds. They subsequently received buffs in their stats that allowed them to confidently throw themselves back into combat against their foes.
On the opposing side, the enemy army as well as the Wave Monsters on the ground found themselves the target of an intense magical orbital bombardment.
Fire Magic. Lightning Magic. Water Magic. Earth Magic. Light or Dark Magic. Even debuff magic. It did not matter. The Gem Mages rained hell down on everyone who did not belong to Corrin or Hinoka's party systems. And the Gem Magic did not harm any of their allies in the slightest.
"Ahhhhh!" It did not take long for the area around Corrin and Xander to clear as the latter's forces began to retreat.
"No, press the attack you fools!" Xander bellowed after them.
A few heeded his commands. But only a few. The rest were cut down by either the orbital bombardment or the Noblesse Commandos who flew down to reinforce his Majesty's position or otherwise evacuate their wounded who needed more advanced healing magic, as well as retrieving the bodies of those who'd perished valiantly defending their Emperor.
Xander scowled deeply. A vein popped in his forehead as a brown glow surrounded him, dampening the green glow that'd been buffing him before.
Around him, his army began to be routed. It was like the gates of hell had opened, and Lapis was unleashing a tidal wave of destruction on the ground and in the air.
Hinoka wasn't just helping against Luvar. The Warrior Queen herself screamed as she piloted her favorite ship towards an Interdimensional Wyrm that breathed fire at her.
"Shining Stones: Fiery Ram!" Hinoka chanted.
The monster screeched as the bow of the ship, covered over in flames, rammed right through its fire breath and tore into its chest like a makeshift lance. Her soldiers on deck, armed with naginatas, charged harmlessly through their Queen's flames and stabbed the monster in multiple spots. Killing it instantly.
Corrin stood once again, gripping Yato tightly in his hand as some of his commandos rushed to assist him.
"I will be fine now! Focus on the Wave!" Corrin ordered them without turning his head.
Despite just arriving with Lady Hinoka, they didn't question him and rushed to fulfill their Emperor's command.
Xander swatted away several different spells that came at him from above, but several different AoE spells hit the ground around him. When the smoke cleared, he didn't look badly hurt, but his armor was visibly damaged and covered in scorch marks. He was gripping his blade as tight as ever.
Corrin grimaced as he ripped the rest of his ruined chest plate armor off his body, revealing his normal royal outfit with a slash mark through it underneath. The gems still alive on the armor tiredly pleaded that they could still fight, but he thought that he'd lost enough of his gem friends for one day.
He not only took the chest plate off but his damaged gauntlets and greaves too, leaving him in his regular royal attire.
"Brother!" Corrin pronounced. "I can't refute everything you have told me. I recognize where my ideals have fallen short.
"But I remember it was you who taught me that we should never allow the corrupted ideals of others to take precedence over our own! In such a scenario, we all lose!
"I promise to end this conflict between us! And I will show you by the time we're done that I have the ambition to see us through to a peaceful future!"
Xander's scowl only deepened. "Fine, let us see if you can get me to stop, little prince."
He rushed forward and attacked again.
Corrin leaped forward and met Xander's attack with his own.
L'Arc was still alive and kicking, somehow.
"First Form: Wind Blade!"
A tornado of wind cut up the Wave Monsters in front of the King and his HUD was repeatedly racked with an array of experience notifications. Normally, such visual obstructions would be relatively easy to adapt to. However, L'Arc's left eye was currently caked over with blood from a wound to the forehead that one of the Luvar officers managed to inflict on him. This impaired his vision even further.
The Scythe Hero had received several other different injuries too. He had some nasty gashes on his arms and shoulders from the monsters. His broken leg also didn't feel quite mended from the single Healing Crystal he'd used on himself after his airship had crashlanded.
L'Arc had prioritized healing his allies first since no one among the survivors knew any healing magic. But that was starting to bite him in the butt now.
No, wait, that was one of the Interdimensional Drakes that'd gotten behind him. That wasn't a good sign.
"Full Moon Army!" L'Arc's enlarged scythe came down onto the creature and cut it clearly in two before it could tear the king to shreds.
The weight of his weapon made L'Arc stumble after it though. Crap, he was starting to feel the blood loss now.
"Sire!" One of Sickle's remaining officers pulled the King back, allowing one of the remaining Noblesse commandos from Lapis to take his place. Another of his soldiers moved to cover where one of their comrades had fallen. That had been what allowed the monster L'Arc had just killed to attack them from behind.
"What's our status? Any progress on restoring communications with the rest of the fleet?" L'Arc asked as he sat down on a crate.
"No, everything is still dark, Your Majesty. However, we caught a few glimpses of some of our allied ships trying to get close and make a landing. They were chased off by Luvar ships before they could, but this means that whoever is currently in command of our forces must already be aware of our situation and is trying to help." The officer responded confidently. He was bandaging up the wounds on L'Arc's arms as best he could given the circumstances.
"That's good news." L'Arc nodded. "We'll just need to hold on for a little more time the-"
"Ahhhhh!" A noblesse commando screamed as a Wyrm flew overhead, grabbing the man by his pauldrons.
The remaining commandos couldn't fly up to save their comrade. The energy in their armor was too low to use its flight capabilities anymore.
L'Arc struggled to stand up again. "Your Majesty, at least let me finish bandaging you up." His officer said.
"You can bandage me up after I cut us a way back to Corrin and Therese." L'Arc gripped his Scythe tightly as he grimaced.
Yep, he was sure his leg was broken. And since some of the adrenaline had worn off, he realized he had a broken rib too, and possibly a fracture in his left arm. Man, he was beaten and battered. No wonder his health bar was so low on his HUD.
Oh well, he couldn't just stand by as his allies risked their lives to keep him safe.
He was their Hero, as well as their King, so he was going to have to get them out of this mess, one way or-
BOOM!
The Wave Monsters in front of them disappeared under a bright, fiery explosion.
…
L'Arc's eyes slowly blinked. He rubbed at his left eye to make sure it was clear of blood and looked again.
Nope, all the shadowy creatures they'd been facing just a moment ago were now nothing but scorch marks on the ground.
"Sir!"
A pair of gem commandos landed on the ground in front of L'Arc right after. "Waxer!"
"Boil!"
"Reporting for duty!" The duo said simultaneously. Their armor, which had yellow accents on their pauldrons and helmets, looked fully charged and ready to go.
"... heh." L'Arc nearly collapsed in relief and exhaustion. "Took you long enough. Was the battle going that badly on your side-"
"L'Arc!"
Before the Scythe Hero could finish speaking, however, a third armored noblesse landed in front of him and immediately tackled him into a hug.
"T-Therese?" The young king recognized the voice.
"Oh thank the earth, you're alright!" The gem woman replied shakily while clinging to him like a lifeline. "I'm so sorry I took so long! I was trying to get closer over and over, but there were just too many of these damn stealth ships everywhere and I-" She kept talking quickly while choking and gasping for air.
"Thank goodness." L'Arc wheezed out and hugged her back before immediately going limp in her arms. A wave of pain went over his body.
Seeing his rough condition as well as the conditions of everyone L'Arc had been fighting alongside, Therese quickly composed herself. "Waxer, right? I'm putting you in charge of getting these soldiers evacuated." Therese ordered the commando quickly.
"Of course, Lady Therese! Come on! Let's move it!" The right gem commando began giving out orders. The left one in the meantime proceeded to start helping one of his injured comrades up off the ground as more gem commandos landed to help out.
Therese gave more orders to different ofudas. Shortly afterward, several ships landed nearby to evacuate the wounded.
L'Arc wasn't sure about the details though. For him, it was a fight just to stay conscious now that all the adrenaline had left his body.
…
However, after some time, he felt someone gently putting him on his back. And his head was now resting against the softest thing in all of existence.
A wave of green energy passed over L'Arc's form again. It made him aware of how they were inside a ship now, and Therese had taken off all her armor and set it to the side, leaving her in her normal kimono. Her hair had turned a bright green thanks to her magic, and he smiled as she continued to use healing magic on him to ease his pain.
"Your thighs feel great, Therese." L'Arc managed to say cheekily. "Can I sleep on them for the rest of my life?"
…
"I… Idiot…" Therese's body trembled. "I thought I'd lost you."
L'Arc's face saddened as his teasing smirk vanished. Therese had been that worried about him, hadn't she?
"I'm sorry, I was afraid I was going to die there too," L'Arc admitted. "I'm fine though, now that you're here. I swear I won't cause you to worry like that again."
Several tears escaped her eyes at L'Arc's words. "Okay…"
…
"So… back on topic, thigh pillows for life?" The young man managed to waggle his eyebrows at her, diffusing the seriousness of their situation somewhat in his trademark roguish fashion.
"..." Therese merely smiled at him and didn't pause in her repeated use of healing magic. "L'Arc, please don't ruin this…"
L'Arc felt like laughing. "Come on. If I remember correctly, the last time you did this for me was back when we were helping Kizuna face the Demon Dragon's forces inside its continent.
"Man, that was a rough day, I'm pretty sure we both almost died while facing off against the Demon Dragon's Earth General together, but you know, we didn't die, and you almost even-"
"Shhhh…" Therese placed a finger to his lips. She was smiling softly. "Please, rest."
…
L'Arc decided to follow her suggestion for once and closed his eyes. He gave himself up to exhaustion as he enjoyed the feeling of resting against his goddess's thick golden thighs.
Even if the battle was still underway outside, he felt like a victor already.
"There! I see it!"
Glass and Kizuna climbed up on top of one of the shipwrecks.
High up in the sky amidst the Wave Cracks, a giant black dragon with red eyes flew amongst the waves of monsters pouring out into their world.
As Kizuna focused on it, the title: Interdimensional Dragon Emperor appeared on her HUD. This caused a frown to flit across her lips.
"A dragon emperor, huh? This is really starting to feel like a giant callback to the Demon Dragon war all over again." Kizuna commented out loud.
"Yes, only, this time, we don't have the luxury of Ethnobalt's boat to close the distance," Glass replied tensely.
As the two of them watched, one of Sickle's last Invincibles tried to escape from the flying dragon and fired a cannon volley at it to slow it down. Unfortunately, the attack glanced off the boss monster's scales, and the ship and its crew got swallowed in one bite. It happened so high up that Kizuna and Glass couldn't even hear the screams of the crew.
Yeah, this was the Wave Boss. It was far too powerful for anyone else up there to handle. Not even Lapis's newly arrived ships were daring to approach it.
But, despite lacking an easy option to reach it, Kizuna was now far stronger than she had been in the past. And the Wave Boss was still a monster at the end of the day.
"Hey, Glassy, how do you feel about giving me a lil' boost, eh?" Kizuna suddenly asked mischievously.
"Huh- didn't you tell Cole you'd bring it down to us though?!" Glass asked incredulously.
"Well, yea, but I only told him that to make sure that he wouldn't turn into a worrywart and send a whole battalion of guys with us when he learned that I was going to face it thousands of feet in the air." Kizuna rolled her eyes. "You should have realized there's no way my bow weapon form can hit targets that far away. I ain't Itsuki."
"Oh, so you would rather I be the only one to worry then, is that it?!" As Glass yelled, her fan slashed another monster to the side into tiny ribbons of shadow.
"Yep! Great plan, huh!" Kizuna readily agreed.
…
Glass couldn't help but let out a chuckle even as she desperately tried to maintain her scowl. "Pen!" Chris looked confident in his mommy though, and voiced his agreement.
"A lil' boost? Sure." Glass finally said. "But with how tired I am right now, I don't think I could throw you hard enough to reach that thing in one go. And the follow-up landing would be up to you."
"That's fine. As long as there are plenty of ships and monsters to hitch a ride on the way, I shouldn't have a problem." Kizuna's weapon form changed from a bow to her signature fishing rod. "Besides, if I managed to cancel out my fall using a Torii Gate after escaping the Infinite Labyrinth with Naofumi and Rishia, then I think I could manage something else here with just me and Chris."
The spirit woman's signature frown took on a determined look as she picked her best friend up.
She did her best to restrain herself from hugging her. Chris took hold of Kizuna's hair and steadied herself on her back.
Then, Glass spun around several times, moving faster with each spin, before stepping forward and launching her best friend into the air like a javelin.
Boom!
Kizuna would later swear that she broke the sound barrier at that moment as she soared up into the sky. Within seconds, she was hundreds of feet off the ground. And Glass's throw peaked her at around fifteen hundred feet. Nearly halfway up to the Wave Boss.
Kizuna did not fall back down, however. Instead, the moment the Hunting Tools Hero reached the apex of her reckless, improvised maneuver, she swung her fishing pole forward, launching the line out like a bullet.
The hook caught onto a passing Interdimensional Wyrm flying overhead, driving itself deep into its flesh like a talon.
The beast roared in surprise, pain, and fear as a sudden weight started to drag it down. Kizuna pulled herself in at lightning pace with the Hunting Tool's reel screeching like a bird of prey and glowing red from the friction, moving far faster than any fishing rod should have ever been able to handle. And that momentum pulled the girl past the monster further up into the air.
Kizuna switched to her strongest Tuna Knife weapon form briefly, cutting through a falling Drake above her, and then she switched to her fishing rod again and used the same method as before to pull herself even higher up into the air by hooking onto the side of a passing Luvar ship that was currently trying to escape the battlefield after receiving orders to fall back from Yomogi.
"Pen!" Chris yelled excitedly, still attached to the back of Kizuna's head as the girl launched herself over the heads of the airship's crew. Most of them paused to stare up at the Hero. First in surprise, and then wonder when they realized what her target was.
Kizuna continued her rapid ascent while repeatedly butchering entire crowds of lesser dragons as she passed through them like a vicious storm of death. Gutting, chopping, slashing, cutting. Any wave monster that got even remotely close to approaching the miniature hero's deceptively long reach quickly met its end. Violently.
With every passing second, Kizuna brought herself closer and closer to where the Wave Boss was at an alarming pace. The boss dragon was still blissfully unaware of the mortal danger that was fast approaching it and was chasing after another ship while surrounded by a series of wave cracks containing hordes of monsters to protect it.
The Wave Boss did finally notice the strange insect that was beelining towards him and forgot about its prey. It let out a roar and a surge of bright red flames erupted from its mouth in Kizuna's direction.
"Flying Sparrow!" Kizuna's skill flew through the air, cutting through the flames before hitting the side of the dragon's head.
It let out a roar of pain, and it buffeted its large wings, creating a maelstrom of wind in front of it in self-defense.
But Kizuna simply latched onto another passing monster and elegantly swung herself to the side while Chris hung on for dear life.
"Pen! Pen! Pen!" Spikes of ice came from the familiar one after another. Tearing through different monsters that tried to converge on Kizuna.
The girl's momentum carried her around a Wave Crack. Her fishing rod changed into a blade again as it found its mark in one monster after another.
The monster swarm here was so thick that she did not need to use her rod. Her boots kicked off hard dark scales, snapping spines and tearing flesh as she used the monsters as platforms for her ascent. She was so quick that most monsters didn't even realize that she was there until their heads were already separated from their bodies.
Explosions of shadow happened one after the other. A path of death was left painted behind Kizuna as she moved further and further up the Wave Crack until she finally cleared it, jumping off of one last monster and diving down towards the Wave Boss's back.
"Lure Needle!" Kizuna's fishing lure stung the center of the dragon's spine in between its wings, making it let out a roar of pain and stagger in the air. Its head moved around frantically, trying to find what it had realized too late was not a mere insect, but an extremely dangerous threat to its life.
At last, the eyes of the two predators met.
But it was already too late.
Kizuna's weapon changed back into her signature tuna knife as she fell toward the spot where she'd applied the x2 damage multiplier. This was it, the move combo that had killed the Demon Dragon in the past.
"Blood Flower Strike!"
…
Time froze for a second as her blade made impact against the large dragon's back. It was one of those moments where reality experienced lag as it caught up to process what had just happened.
The Wave Boss's eyes widened, a brief roar of agony coming from its mouth.
And then, its body exploded into countless tiny and finely cut pieces.
As Kizuna fell through the air, a roar of delight at successfully hunting the Wave Boss escaped her lips.
Despite appearances, this small fry was nothing like the Demon Dragon.
It'd taken two of those attacks to kill it back then. And it hadn't had a magical field surrounding it either.
And that was how Kizuna slayed the Wave Boss thousands of feet in the air all by herself.
"Pen!" Chris looked offended, still hugging to the back of his mommy's head. But the two were quickly obscured by the Wave Cracks that began to glow around them.
Corrin's blade struck against Xander's, causing a shockwave of power to release from the pair.
"Shining Stones: Flame Pillar!" Xander yelled.
Corrin sidestepped to the right, avoiding the pillar of fire that appeared where he'd been standing. He then rushed forward, swinging as he yelled his spell. "Bejeweled Diamond Breeze!" A series of wind slashes came off his blade as he swung over and over.
Xander ducked and dodged as best he could, but some of the wind slashes still cut into him before their blades clashed again. The support and healing magic Corrin had received alongside the debuffs affecting his opponent had made the Emperor of Lapis more than Xander's equal in terms of strength.
Xander pushed forward even as blood leaked from a gash on his cheek. But Corrin pushed back, and his blade came closer to Xander's face.
"Shining Stones: Flaming Sword!" Corrin declared.
Just an inch from his face, Corrin's sword was enveloped in flames. "AH!" Xander cried out as he backpedaled. The right side of his face was burned, and he could no longer open his right eye.
Corrin didn't stop, he swung forward again and again.
Xander backpedaled, trying to meet each one of Corrin's strikes. But he was the one at the disadvantage now.
Corrin's strikes were relentless. The Emperor did not pause even for a second. He pushed his advantage as hard as he could, not leaving Xander any room to catch his breath.
The pain from the minor gashes and injuries that the Luvar General had sustained accumulated more and more until…
Xander's sword finally missed its mark, and Corrin's blade cut clean through the rogue Lazuli noble's right wrist.
"GAH!" Xander cried out as his left hand clutched the stump. But Corrin did not relent even then. His foot slammed into the General's chest, throwing him back over a dozen meters away.
The Emperor breathed in and out heavily. He had a couple of minor cuts on his arms and a small gash on his cheek where Xander had managed to hit him again. But he stood tall, shown to be the clear victor.
Just in time, as a flash of light came from the sky, signaling the defeat of the Wave Boss.
All around, cracks in the air and near the ground slowly began to close. Some of the soldiers were already cheering for the Hunting Tools Hero over her victory high in the sky.
"It's over, Xander. We've won. My ideals have beaten yours." Corrin announced while holding Yato out in front of him. "If you surrender, I promise I'll show you mercy. I'll even consider returning your titles to you if you cooperate.
"We're done spilling blood."
Xander's left hand let go of his wrist. His sword was still lying beside Corrin on the ground, clutched in what had been his right hand. But beside him, Xander picked up the weapon he'd discarded earlier with his remaining hand.
A midnight black lance. The Spear Replica Kyo had made for him.
Corrin's eyes widened in surprise as Xander glared at him. "Not yet."
Xander rushed forward. Moving even faster than before.
"B-Brother!" Corrin deflected the Replica to the side but had to jump out of the way as Xander tried to plow into him with his body.
"NOT YET! Not until it's over!" Xander screamed like a madman. More blood gushed out of the stump of his right arm.
"Brother! No! STOP THIS!" Corrin yelled frantically.
"Lethal Thrust!" Xander didn't stop though. Corrin managed to avoid the lightning-fast skill. But Xander attacked again and again and again like a rabid dog.
"Chaos Thrust! Air Strike Javelin! Lightning Spear!"
There was no form with his weapon whatsoever. Each strike and skill was meant to kill. Whether by charging, thrusting, or whatever.
Corrin backpedaled, avoiding each strike as best he could. He was trying to knock Xander's weapon out of his hand. But Xander's grip on it was like steel, and like the weapons that'd been seen in Sickle's Capital, it looked like Xander's was starting to awaken.
Xander did not stop though, even as his blood coated the ground. His eyes blazed with fury as Corrin used a wind spell to blow him away. "Xander, if you keep on using that weapon, it will kill everyone in the immediate vicinity!" Unlike previous times, there was no Shield Hero to absorb the explosion the weapon would create.
"I know," Xander replied coldly before his gaze moved behind Corrin.
"Corrin!" From behind, Ryoma and Cole finally appeared, running through the soldiers watching the duel. Besides a couple of minor injuries, they looked fine.
"If you want to save everyone here, then stop me." Xander's mouth moved as he began to chant.
Corrin's own eyes widened as he recognized the spell he'd used repeatedly during their duel. And one which he was going to combine with the weapon to get it to awaken and self-destruct. "Brother, STOP! STOP IT!"
"Bejeweled Flame Lance, into Flaming Thr-"
"STOP ITTTTTTTTTTT!" Corrin lunged forward, Yato slamming Xander's Replica weapon to the side before finding itself buried in the man's chest.
The Onyx Gem Person's spell-skill combo died on his lips.
A look of shock appeared on Corrin's face.
"... no…"
Xander fell to one knee, his weapon falling inert onto the ground beside him.
Corrin looked down in horror. "No, NO! BROTHER!"
The man coughed up blood from his mouth. His lips had stretched into a strained smile.
The eye on the weapon closed. It did not awaken.
Corrin grabbed the hilt of his blade. He looked intent on pulling it out so healing magic could be used on the man, but Xander's hand firmly gripped Yato's hilt, keeping it planted in place.
"Brother?"
...
Xander looked into his brother's eyes and then slowly shook his head.
"Xander, please, I don't want to lose another sibling!" Corrin cried out.
Xander said nothing though. His eyes looked beyond his brother at something only he could see.
"Come on, Big Brother. You've caused enough trouble for Corrin as is. It's time to go home now."
Xander coughed again. The pain in his smile disappeared. "Yes… of course… El… ise…" His hand let go of the sword, and his body collapsed to the side.
His eyes stared lifelessly up above as he released his last breath.
"Brother… Brother…!"
Luvar's commander… the Emperor's brother, was dead.
The final cracks in the sky closed, and more cheers rose from the army as the light of the evening sun was revealed in the sky above. Shining down on the coalition's victory over the Wave and Luvar's forces.
You, are the ocean's, gray Waves!
"Rafu?" Raph-Chan perked up on the ground next to her sister as their parents rushed Kyo.
What… what was this powerful soul presence she was suddenly feeling?
She looked around and then noticed it floating in the air by the unconscious Bow Hero. It seemed that Filo's voice had just activated it too.
It took Rifana only a second of studying the powerful soul to figure out who it was. The shikigami grinned widely when she realized that she had the perfect accompanist ready for her older sister.
And it seemed this person was not only eager to help out but capable of staying around far longer than Keichi had been able to. Her death must have been more recent in the history of this world. Either that or the Gem Race had powers beyond what they knew about.
'Way to go, big Sis Filo. This will make your voice truly shine.'
Raph-Chan began dancing around Filo, harnessing the soul presence she'd found and allowing it to manifest by the young girl.
A tall, blue-haired young woman with a sapphire embedded in her right hand appeared, shimmering in the air next to Filo. Without saying anything or pausing to take in the situation she was thrust into, she lifted the spirit of the Vassal Musical Instruments in her hands. In an instant, the weapon separated into multiple different forms.
It was like an orchestra had suddenly appeared. Ghostly trumpets, violins, clarinets, flutes, a whole brass section, and a percussion section too. All of which began playing in their turn.
Close to the site of the battle near Luvar's capital, an armada of airships was waiting on standby, ready to swoop in and eliminate whoever was left alive when the battle concluded. And on the top deck of one of the armada's flagships, one of the commanders visibly frowned and put his hand on his weapon.
"Is something wrong?" The Harpoon Hero asked his partner in crime for this endeavor that they chose to cooperate for.
"My weapon spirit… it feels like it's absent right now for some reason." Miyaji, the Musical Instruments Hero, replied coldly; sounding agitated.
"My lord! My lord! Urgent status update!" An officer ran up to the pair, looking flustered. "Heavy reinforcements have just arrived at the battlefield! They are carrying the empire's banners!"
"What? How the hell-" The Harpoon Hero rushed into the ship's interior to get a more detailed report. Miyaji cussed quietly and followed after him. So much for free loot.
With the situation growing more chaotic and unpredictable, the musical instruments hero quickly forgot the odd sensation he had felt earlier and never learned that his weapon spirit had slipped out, and was performing a song to accompany Filo's multiple talented voices at that moment.
Ahhhhhhhhhh, ah ah Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!
"RAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Kyo's howl of fury shook the air again as a wave of cursed fire along with a deep discordant tune came out of his mouth. It desperately tried to stifle the violins as they took over the accompaniment.
The area in front of the Shield Hero was consumed in powerful flames. Made even stronger by Kyo's rising fury.
"Second Shield!" Naofumi's skill shield appeared in front of Kyo's mouth, causing him to choke on his flames. The glow around the Shield Hero and his companion brightened, as unbeknownst to them, Azura's song had begun buffing their stats.
As that happened, Raphtalia appeared next to the rogue Book Hero's leg, her blade charged up with an attack skill. "Instant Blade: Mist!"
The Katana Hero's sword cut deep through the flesh and tendons of the dragon's thigh, forcing him down to one knee as Naofumi charged him. As he did so, the shield hero's fiery sabatons left hissing patches of cursed fire in his wake.
"AHAHAHA! DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT I AM DONE, JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE ABLE TO MOVE IN MY GRAVITY FIELD AND DAMAGE ME NOW!?" Kyo's tail moved around to attack Naofumi.
His Wrath Shield moved in the way of the attack though. And its counter activated again, causing the Book Demon to howl in immense pain once more.
"I wonder what she'd think if she saw you like this." Naofumi calmly spoke out, continuing with his earlier thoughts while Raphtalia slashed pages out of the air around herself. "To see the person she cared so much about reduced to such a twisted and lowly state. Lashing out at everything and everyone around him.
"I can only imagine how much Yomogi would cry after realizing how far you'd fallen. And she'd blame herself for it, thinking that it was her fault for failing to help you in time."
"I'd know that much at least, since Raphtalia went through the same thing with me. The two of them really are quite alike."
Kyo howled in anger again as more of his pages converged on the Shield Hero instead of his companion.
Sing with me a song
Of birthrights and love
The light scatters to the sky above
Dawn breaks through the gloom
White as a bone
Lost in thoughts, all alone
Naofumi didn't even summon a skill shield to protect himself. The pages simply bounced off of him, dealing little to no damage. Quite a few of them also got burned away by the spirals of fire floating around the Shield Hero.
"Crescent Moon Sword!" Having had a moment to charge up a skill with her weapon, a slash of energy slammed into the side of Kyo's face, breaking his attention on the Shield Hero. The dragon's scowl deepened as one of his hands covered the wound while he turned to attack Raphtalia.
However, as he did so, Naofumi popped up in front of him again. And the fistful of cursed fire that Kyo had been planning to use on the half-Tanuki hero slammed into Naofumi's Cursed Shield again instead.
Kyo was once more covered in powerful cursed flames. Causing him to scream as he staggered backward. "HOW!? EVEN IF YOU CAN STAND AND RUN, YOU SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO JUMP TO MY HEIGHT IN THIS GRAVITY-"
"Don't try to deny it by the way. I saw the truth for myself earlier when Ethnobalt called you out for your bull &^%$.".
"And while we're on that topic, you clearly hold a high degree of respect for him too. You dropped your whole charade as soon as he called you out for being a liar. He saw through you before even Kizuna did."
"SHUT UP!" Kyo punched Naofumi's Cursed Shield again, and again, and again. Despite being forced to endure blasts of cursed flames repeatedly because of it.
The fifth time finally forced the Book Hero to fall back again. As the cursed flames outpaced his rate of regeneration for his arms by a wide margin. "Composition of Flame!"
Kyo summoned a demonic-looking paper construct to try and attack Naofumi instead.
"Shield Bash."
Using the Cursed Shield again to use the skill, Naofumi slammed it into the large construct. Destroying it in one shot.
Kyo howled in frustration as he moved to send more of his massive page swarm at the Shield Hero over and over again. At least that ranged attack of his wouldn't set off a counter of cursed fire.
Raphtalia paused in her preparations to look at Naofumi worriedly. But he was still smiling calmly.
The pages really weren't leaving much of a mark on him at all. And more of them were disappearing into those weird spiral flames surrounding his body.
"You tried so hard to push your friends away. Yet even though you almost convinced Glass to commit suicide. Even though you attacked L'Arc and Therese intending to kill them.
"They all were still willing to listen to Kizuna. To try and save you, instead of seeking revenge.
"That was pretty selfless on their part, I admit. I know I wouldn't have been able to let go of a grudge like that, no matter what. But they were, no, they still are willing to do that since they love Kizuna and want what she wants. And what she wants is to have you back." Naofumi continued to speak with great confidence.
"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT SHE WANTS! STOP THINKING YOU CAN LECTURE ME WHEN YOU COULDN'T HAVE KNOWN HER FOR MORE THAN A FEW WEEKS-"
"Oh, looks like you charged it up with your relentless ranged attacks." Naofumi suddenly interrupted the tirade. "Let's see what this does."
"Vulcan's Retribution!"
The Cursed Shield in front of him grew a gun barrel out of the center of it, similar to what'd happened with the Spirit Tortoise Heart Shield before when Ost helped Naofumi attack her core. And before Kyo could comprehend what he was seeing, a large blast of energy emerged from the barrel. Enveloping him in a beam of cursed fire.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Kyo's howl of pain and suffering shook the ground of the crater.
"Oh, so that's what it does. Neat. Now I can even counter ranged attacks if these flames around me absorb enough ranged damage." Naofumi commented after looking at the flaming spirals around him. "Looks like the damage for this counter is static though, just like with everything else on this shield.
"Oh well, not like I'd be interested in using it to attack anyway."
"Wha- Naofumi, wait, isn't this too much? It looks like-" Raphtalia started to ask unsurely.
"Nah, watch. He's totally going to be capable of healing from that still." Naofumi pointed out calmly again.
Sure enough, several seconds after the powerful counter had faded, Kyo's misshapen form stumbled out of the cloud of smoke that'd surrounded him. The wounds all over his body were grievous, but he was still healing.
And the Book Demon still looked beyond pissed too, based on what they could discern from the remains of his face in the aftermath of that attack. The Cursed Tomes in his chest were burning with an even greater intensity compared to before.
"I did warn you that I'd beat you within an inch of your life first before we were done. Shall we continue?" Naofumi taunted the dragon with a stone-hard expression.
"̴̱̦̭͉̇͑͆Ǎ̷̬̮͂̇̒̑H̷̡̝̫͗̀͘͝͠H̶͍̼͝H̸̰͇̏̌͘H̷͖̘̘͍̹́̔̇͠͝Ḥ̷̭͖̀̚H̸̟̙̝̉͂́̑͠H̷̨̡̡̱̾̕H̷̖͓̀̂H̴̹̤͗̈͒̊H̸̨͍̹̺̕Ȟ̷̢͍́͒̚H̸̙́̒̀̚H̵̲͚̰͈͝Ḩ̴̨̤͎̰̈́̓͛͋͒H̶̨͓̤̣̜̎̈́͒̊Ḥ̸̢̳͆͑̓͊͆H̷̠̹̼̹̅̓̄͆͐H̸͇̰̭̐̆͛͊͌H̸̟͕̭̊̓͘H̶͎̗̤̣̊̊H̶̬̭̫̫͊ͅḦ̸̭́̽̆H̶̪̑͗!̵̳̰̼͔̂"̶̸͈̥̘̦͙̑̄̑̒͘͝
Little did he know, as Filo kept singing and the soul with her kept playing, the Gravity Field around them was continuing to weaken as Kyo's magic stat was lowered and lowered on his HUD while the stats of everyone else was made higher and higher. This made the Shield and Katana Hero's movements that much easier for them to execute.
Earlier, it had been because Kyo briefly lost his focus on increasing the field of gravity on the Shield Hero. But now, the magical song was making the Book Hero's new powerful cursed form lose power. And no amount of anti-magic could stop it anymore.
"Primal Release!" Kyo tried shouting the ability to cancel out the magic in the area again, only for it to fizzle out when it tried to cancel out the power of Filo's song. "DAAAAAAAAMN IIIIIT!"
The field of gravity had weakened around Filo so much that she was able to take to the air again at last. So Filo sang loud and proud while Book Guy focused on her Daddy thanks to him jumping in front of the dragon's face with another skill shield when he tried to launch more cursed fire at the humming fairy.
Naofumi then summoned another Air Strike Shield, protecting Raphtalia from a part of the swarm of pages that tried to attack her.
"HA! SO THAT'S THE EXTENT OF YOUR POWER UP!? PATHETIC! IF I FOCUS ON YOUR ALLIES, THEN YOU CAN'T ABSORB ANY OF MY RANGED ATTACKS! YOU'll NEVER HIT ME WITH THAT WEIRD BEAM ATTACK AGAIN AT THIS RATE-"
"Counter." Naofumi made a calculated jump and leaped in front of Kyo's face again. His feet left a trail of flames in the air. "It's a counter, not an actual attack."
The Book Demon stumbled back in surprise. "Wha- AGAIN! YOU JUMPED THIS HIGH AGAIN WHEN GRAVITY IS-"
"As I have already said, I am not attacking you. I'm just countering what you do. This Cursed Shield doesn't raise my attack." Naofumi put his Cursed Shield forward while somehow sinking slowly in the air. "Unlike every other Shield I have, this one gives me counters and skills that do a lot of static damage. That's all that's going on. Nothing too complicated about it."
"Wha- STOP LECTURING ME! WHO DO YOU THINK I AM, YOU STUPID-" Kyo tried to land an uppercut under Naofumi's Shield to hit him.
But even though Naofumi should have fallen right into his fist, the Shield Hero just kicked to the side, and more flames launched from his feet as he deftly sidestepped Kyo's attack, making the latter stumble forward into his Cursed Shield once more.
Its counter activated again, bathing Kyo's face in cursed fire even as Raphtalia appeared underneath him.
"Stardust Blade!" Raphtalia's skill launched waves of stars into Kyo's face over and over again.
He roared and started to backpedal, trying to protect his head from further injury while sending out more cursed pages in the Katana Hero's way.
Naofumi appeared in front of her this time as well, however. He took the attack and burned more pages out of the air with his mere presence. He gave Raphtalia a thumbs up and a grateful smile before they charged Kyo together again.
During that time, Filo's soul accompanist adjusted the tune to the next verse for Filo. And Filo dove headlong into it with all the might her impressive vocal cords possessed.
Sing with me a song
Of conquest and fate
The Black Pillar cracks beneath its weight
Night breaks through the day
Hard as a stone
Lost in thoughts, all alone.
Rishia stirred and then slowly sat up. The remains of a Healing Crystal were visible in her hands.
The green-haired girl's eyes moved between the battle before her and the unconscious Bow Hero still being treated by the Otherworld Heroes for his injuries behind her.
In front of her, the Shield Hero and his family were battling Kyo. Holding him in check and preventing him from being able to harm anyone who tried to get back up.
Dou-Lon was struggling to get to his feet by the dancing Raph-Chan. His katana was gripped tightly in one of his hands, and his eyes looked fiercely determined to help out no matter what.
Rishia wanted to help too. She didn't know where she wanted to help though. Part of her wanted to assist Naofumi in defeating Kyo…
And yet the other part wanted her to crawl over to Itsuki. To escape this Gravity Field and hug him tightly so she could help him through the mental turmoil he was surely going through right now.
She knew. She'd felt his pain even through the Cursed Injuries she'd sustained. She'd seen the look in his eyes. And now, despite him being unconscious, she could see the look of pain and the tear tracks running down his face.
He had pulled that Bow out again, and he'd hurt her again.
Not just her, but Aksel and Maya too.
Itsuki was not going to be in a good place upon his awakening. He needed Rishia's help now, more than ever.
And yet…
…
Rishia's eyes glinted with determination.
Naofumi and Raphtalia needed her assistance too. She had to help defeat Kyo as fast as possible, so she'd be able to spend as much time with Itsuki as needed to help him move past what'd happened!
And besides that, Rishia needed to show Itsuki that she was okay. That she still wanted to fight by his side, despite what'd happened. She still loved him just as much, if not more than before!
Yes, she was willing to admit it now! She loved Itsuki Kawasumi and she wanted him to know that! She'd never get the chance if they didn't survive here first!
She turned her head towards Kyo, straining against the Gravity Field to raise herself from the ground.
Her Hengen Muso abilities activated, increasing her stats to try and help her out. But it did nothing against Kyo's life force-enhanced magic.
She didn't care! She was going to push through no matter how hard she had to try to do so!
A new glow, one that wasn't life force, began to surround her form.
…
Nearby, where he'd been unconscious until Naofumi's Ray of Hope had healed all of his Cursed Injuries, Aksel was also struggling to get onto one knee.
"A-Aksel, what are you doing?" Maya voiced her concern next to him. She looked relieved that Aksel was awake again and had managed to roll himself off of her. She'd even managed to crawl over to hug him despite the Gravity Field still being active.
Yet now, she was confused about why he was struggling so much to stand up.
"Isn't it obvious?" Aksel groaned in effort. "I want to help them out." He pointed towards where Naofumi and Raphtalia were still fighting Kyo on their own. "I can't do that if I continue lying on the ground."
He finally got to one knee, a monumental task in and of itself. Still, he smirked in victory. It was like he could feel the gravity field around him weakening with every second.
At this rate, he might even be able to swing his axe again. He'd be able to stand up and fight, and…
As his hand moved to the ground beside him to pick up his weapon, Maya's hand covered his.
He stopped moving as his face looked up to find hers staring pleadingly at him.
"Please… don't." She begged, tears in her eyes. "We both know now that this is a battle for Heroes. Not for people like you and me."
"Maya?" Aksel asked in surprise.
"I… I know it's selfish. I feel terrible saying it. But I almost thought I'd lost you earlier…" The raccoon girl sniffled as her head hung in front of her. "I don't want to see it happen for real. I don't want to lose you again."
"Please, just leave it to Raphtalia and the others. We can go help out Sir Itsuki instead. Just… just please don't join the fight and risk your life again!
"You've done more than enough… you shouldn't have to give more when we already tried our best to help out!"
When Maya had been a child, she'd lost everything. Her town. Her home. Her family. Her friends.
She'd been horribly mistreated and malnourished as a slave. Her fate had been to die under some sick twisted master long before she would have ever become of age.
However, her life changed the night Itsuki and his friends rescued her. She found a new home. She found a new family. She found new friends and new strength to live on. And most importantly for her, she found a new love for the knight kneeling in front of her.
It hadn't been easy. There were plenty of misunderstandings along the way after she rapidly developed, and the both of them experienced more loss and hardship before they finally got together and had to go through some needless drama even after that. Their relationship was far from perfect still, yet she knew that she loved him. And she didn't- no, she couldn't bear the thought of losing him.
Not now, not ever.
It was selfish. And you could say she focused too much on her boyfriend over herself. But she'd already lost so much in the past. She couldn't imagine going back to her former life. And after what'd happened earlier, she had every reason to be afraid.
"Please… don't…" She quietly sobbed.
…
A rough, calloused hand rested between her ears, surprising her and making her look up.
Aksel was smiling softly at her. A look of sincerity in his bright brown eyes. "You might be right.
"Perhaps we've both done what we could and should stay back and just watch everything unfold. This is a battle for the Heroes, after all.
"I can't lie. I almost thought I'd lost you earlier too… I was so scared that you and I were going to die and…" His face briefly fell.
He knew it too. He knew they both had a long way to go before they could become the ideal couple. They were still young and inexperienced. Not to mention, Aksel knew that he was an idiot, especially when it came to girls.
He did not know how to act around Maya all the time despite his best efforts to learn. He was afraid that he'd mess up, that he or she would become too clingy and dependent on one another, and that he'd be the reason they were unable to form and develop healthy bonds with those around them. Or, even worse, that he'd end up driving the two of them apart at some point through his words or actions.
Such thoughts scared him. He didn't want to selfishly take the happiness Maya gave him. He wanted to double that happiness and return it to her. He wanted to live a life where they could be happy, surrounded by their family and friends.
"And that is why I need to- no, that is why I have to fight."
With that in mind, the man was not going to let his faults and weaknesses prevent him from at least trying to become a little better for her sake.
Maya looked surprised at the look of tenderness and care that flashed through Aksel's eyes for her, a look that then quickly hardened into resolve. "You are important to me, Maya. I love you more than anyone else in the whole world."
"The last thing I want is to be the cause of your unhappiness. I want to give you a life where we can live in peace and experience joy amongst our family and friends."
Maya stared, awestruck as the glow that was surrounding Rishia right now also began to surround the large man.
"So, just know, I've been working hard to improve myself for a reason!"
Again, it was not life force. It was something else entirely.
The glow originated from Itsuki. Or rather, from the weapon at his side.
"That day, when we were fighting the Spirit Tortoise alongside Sir Naofumi, Bakta had the strength to put everything on the line for all of our happiness. He and Welt were even willing to sacrifice their lives if it meant saving the Hero they cared about.
"Those two didn't just do their part. They went above and beyond what was required of them."
…
Aksel's smile turned into a cocky smirk. "My weak bro and best friend helped me realize what true strength was that day. So now, I don't have a choice but to accept it."
"I want to put my life on the line for you and our Heroes!" Aksel yelled.
"Yeah!" Rishia agreed beside him.
Aksel finally stood up at his full height. Both he and Rishia were now facing Kyo while the glow around the pair intensified.
"BAKTA, YOU HEAR ME, YOU ILLITERATE BASTARD!?" Aksel roared at the sky. "I'M GOING TO BEAT YOU TO A PULP WHEN WE MEET AGAIN IN THE AFTERLIFE! I STILL HAVEN'T FORGIVEN YOU FOR LEAVING ALL OF US THAT DAY!"
"BUT IN THE MEANTIME, YOU CAN BE DAMN SURE THAT I'LL USE ALL MY STRENGTH TO PROTECT MAYA AND THE WORLD WE LOVE! I SWEAR IT UPON MY NAME!"
Rifana was still focused on keeping the spirit of the former Musical Instruments Hero Azura there in the present, however, she was able to look in Aksel and Rishia's direction at his yell. And while her eyes briefly widened in surprise, she smiled a little as well, seeing a familiar figure standing next to the knight.
So he had decided to stick around instead of passing on after all.
Bakta had a hand resting on his brother's shoulder, and a light smirk could be seen on his ghostly face. "I hear you, bro. I hear you loud and clear. But do you have to be so dramatic about it? I've been learning how to read since my death, you know."
Ren's former party tank shook his head in exasperation. "I'll try not to be too jealous of the fact that the weapon chose you over me, but eh, you fit what it wanted better anyway.
"Use that drive to protect our world, brother. Keep my family safe, and make sure you follow through with those wedding plans with Maya after this. Or else I'll stay around to haunt you for real." The stout ghostly man laughed.
At last, two bright lights came out of Itsuki's gemstone. Converging on the glowing members of Itsuki's party and covering them from view.
Maya put a hand to her eyes, but as she stared at her boyfriend and friend, her eyes slowly widened.
The axe Aksel had been holding fell to the side. And as the light around him faded, a new ethereal-looking axe could be seen in his hands. One that had a gemstone embedded in its head.
Next to him, with the light fading around her, Rishia was also shown to be holding a new weapon. A pair of ghostly throwing knives with gemstones embedded in their hilts.
For some reason, the weapons were lacking a corporeal form. But, nevertheless, they were genuine articles without a doubt.
Rishia
Job Class changed to Projectiles Hero!
Aksel
Job Class changed to Axe Hero!
The pair had just been chosen by two of the Vassal Weapons of their world. Their stat builds were altered, thanks to their new status as Heroes. And the new weapon and skill menus appeared on their HUDs as well.
Aksel whooped at the rush of power that flowed through his body. He had no idea what was going on, but he was also ecstatic to see that he had access to a few skills already. He was now strong enough to freely move in Kyo's weakening Gravity Field.
"Come on, Rishia! Our Heroes need our help!" The Seven Star Axe Hero grinned with mad glee as he pointed his new weapon in Kyo's direction.
"Right!" Rishia was already charging the large Book Demon. The throwing knives she was holding glowed at her sides.
Aksel rushed in right behind her. The axe he was carrying also began to glow. And above them, Filo sang a verse, celebrating the additions to the battlefield as Azura's song began to strengthen the pair further.
Sing, with me, a song
Of silence and blood
The rain falls, but can't wash, away the mud
Within my ancient heart dwells
Madness and pride
Can no one, hear my cry?
Kyo dodged Raphtalia's next skill, only for his eyes to finally spot the rapidly approaching duo of freshly minted Heroes.
"What the- HOW THE HELL ARE YOU TWO-"
"Air Strike Throw!"
"Power Break!"
Rishia's first skill threw an ethereal copy of the knives she was holding through the air into one of Kyo's eyes.
Aksel's first skill, coming right behind the fueh girl's, sent him rocketing through the air, causing his body to smash into the Book Demon's torso like a cannonball.
Unlike before, Kyo did not just stumble back. He was forcefully slammed down into the ground by the tank of Itsuki's party through pure strength.
"GAH! HOW?! JUST HOW-"
"Float Katana!" Raphtalia appeared behind his head as a second katana appeared in her hands. Kyo tried to turn around to aim his pages at the half-tanuki girl, only for Aksel to slam his axe into the right side of the dragon's chest, carving it open to expose the two glowing cursed tomes stored within and causing Kyo to howl in surprise pain.
"Brave Blade: Mist!" Raphtalia then slashed forward, both her blades forming into a cross that slammed into the left side of Kyo's chest.
The cursed float tome embedded in the Book Hero visibly cracked, but didn't shatter entirely.
"GAHHHHHH!" Kyo covered himself in cursed fire, forcing Aksel to let go as Raphtalia retreated.
As Kyo got back up, Aksel moved next to Naofumi's side. He was burned, but otherwise ok.
"Heh, now how was that for an entrance?" Aksel asked cockily.
"Ray of Hope." Naofumi healed the cursed burns from the tank before answering. "Pretty good. Well done. Be more careful though, if you get yourself hurt again, I'm not healing you till after the battle."
"Wha- hey! Why not?!" Aksel pouted at the Shield Hero.
Raphtalia and Rishia groaned on Naofumi's other side as well.
"Shush. We are not done yet. Eyes on the prize, everyone." The shield hero spoke out before focusing on Kyo again who was currently busy howling with fury.
Naofumi couldn't even tell what the Book Demon was saying anymore. It sounded more insane and animalistic than any of his previous howls. The cursed purple fire covered some of the dragon's pages and fell in their position.
"Oh, so he can light them on fire." Naofumi pointed out idly.
The Shield Hero then started moving left and right in front of Aksel, Raphtalia, and Rishia. The three seemed surprised at just how fast Naofumi was moving. It was like he was leaving afterimages in his wake.
Then again, the Gravity Field had significantly weakened at this point. Even nonhero participants of the battle like Dou-Lon and Maya were almost able to stand on their own two feet by now.
Maya was still looking in awe at her boyfriend… hero boyfriend now. Tears were also beginning to fall more rapidly down the sides of her face.
He'd… he'd grown so much since they'd first met. She never could have imagined a Hero Weapon would choose him to wield it. And the love and care that'd been in his gaze...
Kyo quickly cut the page attack off when it became apparent that Naofumi was just absorbing everything that Kyo was sending at the Shield Hero. Not even a single cursed burn had been left on Naofumi's body from how much weaker the attack had felt.
Raphtalia and Aksel's attacks had briefly revealed the two cursed tomes fused to Kyo's chest. But as everyone watched, the demon's heinous wounds healed over once again. Though the cursed gem of the Tome of Wrath still looked visibly cracked.
"IT'S ALL POINTLESS! YOU'LL NEVER WIN! ALL OF THIS IS MEANINGLESS!"
"Wrong." Naofumi raised his Blessed Shield. He'd tried it before on his allies, but after using it again on Aksel, and seeing how Kyo's power was tied to his Curse Series, he wanted to see what it'd do to him. "Ray of Hope!"
This close, Kyo had no hope of dodging the beam of light that slammed into him.
Kyo's howl was mixed with Naofumi's pained scream as a trail of agony and countless different feelings went through both of their minds simultaneously in the brief seconds that the skill was active.
Naofumi did not see any particular memories of Kyo's. Everything was muddy at best.
Yet, the feelings that he had managed to pick up on… anger and pride were obviously at the forefront. But behind them was…
Pain, misery, loneliness, despair, and above all of that, an intense sense of guilt that interweaved everything down to the Book Hero's core.
Naofumi's heart fell just a little bit. It became all too understandable now why Kyo had those guest rooms reserved for his friends. Why, even after he'd cleared out the rest of his mansion, he couldn't bring himself to let that part of himself go.
No. He still hadn't let that part of him go. Even after destroying his own home, even after falling so far, he still wanted to give his friends a chance to escape the destruction of this world. He wanted them to survive even while he dragged everything else around him into oblivion.
"Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked worriedly as the Shield Hero staggered back. The Blessed Armor around him also flickered, hiding something darker underneath.
"Well... if there was ever any doubt left before whether Kizuna was right or not, there is none now." Naofumi grimaced as he looked at his HUD again.
12:00
He hadn't taken a defense debuff, at the very least. However, it looked like he'd shaved some time off the timer using that skill. That hadn't been a good idea.
However, looking at Kyo, it became apparent that Ray of Hope had left him far worse for the wear than the backlash that Naofumi had endured.
The dragon's skin was still searing from holy burns, and unlike the cursed burns from earlier, the scales on his chest and arms weren't regenerating at all.
Beyond that, his multi-colored serpentine eyes had dimmed somewhat. And in his gray eye, a hint of blue could be seen. "What… what did you just do to me?" Kyo's voice came out, sounding scared and weak.
"Kyo," Naofumi spoke confidently as he stepped forward again. "Let me explain to you in advance why we are going to win today."
Kyo scowled and raised his tail to strike Naofumi, except…
"The reason for it is quite simple. It's because you're alone."
…
…
Kyo's eyes widened, only to fall.
The tint of blue in his gray eye spread into his red one as well.
"Call it generic, call it corny, call it predictable and banal, if you want. But it won't change anything. I am fighting alongside all my friends for their sakes. And they fight for my sake as well.
"All of us are far stronger fighting together than apart. You, however, pushed all of your friends away."
"Our fight has a purpose in it, Kyo. Yours does not. The fact that you couldn't even answer my question earlier confirms it. In your own words…"
"You are fighting for nothing."
Kyo did not say anything in response. He prepared another blast of dragon fire in his mouth, but his unleashment of it was not accompanied by an angry howl like all the previous times when Naofumi blocked it with Meteor Shield.
Because the Book Hero knew there was nothing he could say to refute the Shield Hero's words. Absolutely nothing.
"I'll repeat this again. Surrender, and I'll bring you before your friends so they can help you. They want to help you." Naofumi urged.
Kyo was alone… and fighting without any reason to. The guilt in his heart was consuming him. He had become so lost and was only now beginning to see that for himself.
He didn't want this, he didn't want any of this, and yet, what choice did he have? There was nothing he could do...
…
The blue tint in Kyo's eyes vanished, and he shook his head as another roar burst from his mouth. This one sounded more primal than before.
"Naofumi, I'm not sure we'll be able to reach through to him by talking." Rishia pointed out worriedly.
Naofumi frowned as well as he moved his Cursed Skill to block Kyo's dragon tail. Even after the cursed counter activated though, Kyo slammed his clawed hands into the Shield over and over again.
Naofumi was forced to move the shield away, simply because the Demon Lord didn't relent even after being sprayed with cursed fire again and again and again. After all, the Shield Hero's goal wasn't to kill Kyo anymore.
"Air Strike Throw! Second Throw! Dritte Throw!" Rishia threw more knife skills, but this time she threw them at the area around the Book Demon. Then she used another skill after those three. "Tornado Throw!"
The three knives rose into the air, spinning around Kyo and forming a tornado.
"GRAWHHHHHHHHHHH!" The Book Demon howled as the tornado cut into his skin over and over again. But he still pushed through the pain, striking at the group again with enough force to shatter Naofumi's Meteor Shield and causing his allies to scatter. The shards of the skill left hanging in the air didn't deter Kyo in the slightest.
Naofumi frowned. Filo's song was definitely weakening Kyo's magic, but his Cursed Series was making his physical attacks grow stronger and stronger the more animalistic the demon dragon became.
"Raphtalia, do you have any ideas?" Naofumi asked his girlfriend.
"I… I'm not sure. We could try to destroy the skill-based cursed tome in his chest since it's just a construct, but that won't deal with the other cursed tome." She answered as she slashed pages from the air around her.
Naofumi looked at Kyo again, who let out a primal howl as another wave of dragon breath covered the area where Aksel had been standing previously.
The Axe Hero though came down from the sky, slamming the blunt end of his weapon onto the top of the dragon's head. Kyo stumbled to the ground, his dragon breath cutting off. Yet he still swiped with clawed hands at the Axe Hero, forcing him to defend with his ethereal weapon. He then snapped with his jaws at Rishia, who lithely sidestepped out of the way as her knives dug into the skin of the dragon's face.
The way Kyo was fighting now.
It was almost like…
Note: Target has become a monster eligible to be targeted by the skill "True Pandora's Box"!
The notification suddenly appeared on Naofumi's HUD. He was so caught off guard that he almost didn't react to Kyo swiping his tail at him again in time.
After blocking the attack, he quickly pulled up the description for the blessed skill on his shield while Aksel and Rishia both tag-teamed the Book Demon together with Raphtalia supporting them from behind.
The skill's description hadn't changed much. But it looked like the debuff from using it was lower. Naofumi could adjust for how long the target was sealed after it was used. It would also notify him whether a non-monster was eligible to have the skill used on them.
The Shield Hero didn't know why the notification hadn't popped up earlier in the battle. Was it because of the line of thought that he had earlier…? But he guessed that since Kyo did have some good left in him, as he'd come to find out for himself just a short while ago, then it was because of the Book Hero's transformation progressing to the point where he was more of a monster than a human that Naofumi had received this notification.
"Naofumi, you look like you just had an idea." Raphtalia looked at him as she paused by his side again, breathing heavily from exertion.
"Yeah. I'm going to hit him with the same skill I used on Balamus." Naofumi looked at the roaring monster in front of them again. It was an unlikely but plausible solution… only, there were two problems. The first was the wings on the Book Demon's back. They made Kyo too large to fit him into the prerequisite skill.
The second problem was the remaining pages that the demon had flying around him. He'd used them plenty of times to destroy Naofumi's other shield skills before. Like his physical attacks, they were being made stronger the more powerful his Cursed Series became.
"We have to clip all four of his wings simultaneously so he'll fit inside Shield Prison. We'll also have to destroy the rest of his page swarm and probably the Tome of Wrath with it too, to ensure that he's stunned for long enough to not try and escape the skill. Do you think you and the others could do all that?" Naofumi asked his girlfriend.
Raphtalia thought about it for only a brief moment, then nodded her head at Naofumi.
As much work as it'd take to make all that happen, they could do it. They'd accomplished crazier feats in the past, after all.
"Huah!" Aksel and Raphtalia charged in to slash with their weapons simultaneously.
Naofumi worked in tandem to protect them with his shield skills.
Rishia continued running around, attacking Kyo with her new weapons while simultaneously slashing pages out of the air around her.
And Azura's playing covered over the entire field alongside Filo's voice. Blanketing everything in the power of their combined Performance Magic.
The Gravity Field that Kyo had summoned earlier shattered entirely as that happened.
"Alright! Let's do this!" Dou-Lon rushed forward, his katana gleaming in the light of the fires around them and the glow that surrounded his body.
Maya shook her head, a smile finally forming on her face as she continued to watch Aksel.
That stupid lovable brute, inspiring her to give more of herself for this battle… her kunai flashed in her hands as she rushed low to the ground. Closing the distance while Dou-Lon joined Aksel and Raphtalia in fighting Kyo's dragon form up close.
"Shine Axe Burst!" Aksel's axe emitted a burst of light as he swung it at Kyo's face, blinding the dragon and causing his arm to miss blocking his strike.
"Misty Moon!" Lowering her sword, Raphtalia slashed upwards. Unlike Crescent Moon Sword, this attack released a dark, ghostly moon-like disk that slashed into Kyo's chest. Exposing the Tome of Wrath to their attacks again.
"Knife Rain!" Rishia threw one of her knives into the sky, and it came down on Kyo in the form of many knives.
His pages moved to protect him from the attack. But the knives cut through the cursed paper easily, only barely being stopped by Kyo's massive wings before they could land on his head.
That just made it easier for Dou-Lon and Maya to strike simultaneously while Kyo was distracted by that skill attack.
"Huah!" "Ha!" The two demi-humans lunged together, their weapons slamming into the Cursed Tome simultaneously and cracking it further.
Kyo roared again as more of his pages moved to attack them, only to be absorbed by Naofumi again as he moved to protect the non-heroes.
The other Heroes flitted around Kyo's monstrous form. Not even needing Naofumi to protect them anymore as they weaved and broke through Kyo's various attacks.
Also, while the page swarm around Kyo had been huge initially, it was looking smaller and smaller as more time passed.
New pages weren't being released from the tomes trapped in the dragon's chest. And if they kept this up, then Kyo would be forced to release his transformation to add the pages to his arsenal again.
Kyo didn't seem cognizant of this though. He was just roaring in rage like a cornered monster.
"Flame Charge!" Flames covered Aksel's body as he dashed forward, similar to his other skill from earlier. The pages that moved into his path to stop him burned away, and the man's body slammed into Kyo's gut, launching him several feet back. Yet as the dragon tried to retaliate, Aksel disappeared in a blur of speed.
Aksel's latest skill had not only dealt a lot of fire damage to the Book Demon. It'd also given him a temporary speed buff. And the distraction only made it easier for his girlfriend to stab the large monster in the back with her kunai.
"GRAWWWRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"
Naofumi kept on observing the battle, waiting for the right opening for everyone to attack and put Kyo where he wanted him.
They could win without killing him, it was only a matter of time and patience.
He moved to absorb more pages sent at Dou-Lon, but Kyo diverted them at the last second.
Even in his monstrous state, it looked like Kyo was trying to avoid being hit by Naofumi's new counterattack again.
But the Shield Hero was patient. He just had to wait for the right opening to get hit by a lot of that page swarm somehow…
...
"Hoshi, what are you doing?" Daitan asked.
The three Otherworlders had finished treating Itsuki's injuries. The Bow Hero's face was still covered in pain and trauma, but his physical wounds had been healed.
Daitan and Akane had been wondering what to do then when the Monochrome Hero began to walk towards the battle with purpose in his stride.
He paused to look back at his two friends. "I'm going to help our new friends to win this battle."
"Uh… Hoshi, no offense, but are you out of your mind?! Did you forget what happened earlier?! Our strongest attacks did nothing!" Akane glared at him in disbelief. "Let's face it, we'll just get in the way."
"Yeah, if I couldn't hurt him, then you two definitely wouldn't be able to do jack squat either." Daitan chuckled self-depreciatively.
Akane briefly glared at him too, but her eyes fell all the same. It was true that Daitan was still the strongest of the three of them. She couldn't deny it.
Hoshi, surprisingly, only shook his head with a smile in response. "You know, you're right. Our attacks aren't anywhere close to being strong enough to even scratch that guy. Especially in the form that he's in right now."
"Then how do you think we'll be able to help out then?" Daitan cocked his head to the side.
"The same way Kizuna always fights when she is up against people," Hoshi answered with a confident smile. "By being a nuisance instead of an actual threat!"
…
Akane and Daitan stared blankly at the mangaka hero, and he had to struggle to not roll his eyes before continuing. "She can't harm people directly, but she is still capable of doing other things to contribute. Like making holes in the ground to trip up people. Or hitting them with that special lure of hers. She doesn't just use her skills to fight head-on. And we shouldn't either."
"I think that instead of trying to fight like these juggernauts over there, we should try to fight the way Kizuna does. By staying out of the fight as much as possible, while making things as easy for our new friends as we can."
…
As the two thought over his words, Akane's eyes suddenly lit up. "I might have a few utility skills that could help out."
"I don't know, none of my skills really have any utility functions to them," Daitan said unsurely. And the weapon forms he did have that could be useful in such scenarios were either too weak to be useful, or required a higher level than what Daitan had to equip them.
Before he could think any further on his uselessness though, Hoshi rested a hand on the shorter Hero's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll think of something only you can do. After all, there's no way that you'll let me and Akane show you up like this, right?"
...
Daitan was too stunned to answer. And Hoshi trembled only briefly in nervousness before resolve filled him again. "Alright, let's go."
The Ofuda hero rushed ahead into the battle and Akane followed followed right behind him.
Daitan stayed rooted in his spot next to the unconscious Bow Hero.
'Something only I can do…?'
As the Hero pondered on this, Filo began to move into the Final verse of the song. Azura's soul was starting to glow, signaling how she was almost out of time. But she played with all the fervor worthy of a Hero who fell in love with music.
Sing, with me, one last time
For light's sacrifice
Endless dawn, came but not, without a price
Lost, in the waves, there glimmers
A pale blue stone
I think of you, all alone
Naofumi blocked another attack from the Book Demon's fist.
"Rawrrrrrrr!" Kyo howled in the Shield Hero's face, even as more Cursed Fire washed over his form.
Naofumi stumbled back. "One Hundred Shields!"
Instead of using them like a barrier, he surrounded the Book Demon with the many small shields. Trapping him in place.
As Raphtalia and the others rushed in to attack though, a blast of cursed fire washed over all the Shields, shattering them instantly. They barely retreated in time to avoid the cursed fire.
"Tch." Naofumi clicked his tongue in annoyance. Kyo had hurt himself with that attack, but he avoided being cornered again. This was starting to get troublesome.
While Naofumi considered what strategy to employ next, a voice sounded behind him, pulling the Shield Hero out of his thoughts.
"Shining Stone: Falling Rain." Turning his head around, he found Akane holding a blue sapphire accessory in her hand.
He was about to ask her what she was doing, but then, thick rain clouds began to appear in the sky overhead. And with their appearance, large drops of rain started to fall onto the ash-covered battlefield.
"Grr?" Kyo cocked his head in confusion. That had been a skill the girl just used. And it wasn't an attack skill either.
Why the hell had she used it then? It was pointless!
"Wait…" Naofumi had been confused as to why she used it too. But then, it clicked when he looked around at the remaining flying pages.
They may have looked cursed and demonic. But they were still made of paper. Akane wasn't using a skill to attack. Rather, she was changing the environment to make paper attacks less effective!
Already, the pages meant to attack the others were starting to move more sluggishly than before. And those higher up, the ones that were the closest to the storm clouds, were becoming soaked with water, making them fall apart.
"Now, Shining Jewel!" Akane summoned a gemstone into her hands.
This was another utility skill of hers, the one she'd used that night to try and light her way when the Cursed Bow Hero separated her from her friends. All it did was produce a gemstone that glowed. She also had the option to throw it, turning it into a ball of light which she could adjust the brightness of.
She'd never thought about using it in battle before. But she'd never thought to test to see just how bright she could make one of these things.
And because the skill was tied to gem magic, it wouldn't bother her allies in the slightest if she suddenly summoned a miniature sun into the center of the battlefield.
"Ha!" She set its brightness to the max, before throwing it at Kyo's face. The jewel exploded into a ball of light.
"Grrraaargh!" Kyo merely howled in annoyance as he swatted the bright object out of existence before it could even touch him. But the moment he did, another one came flying right behind it. Blinding the dragon with its light.
That was the other perk of this skill of Akane's. As long as she had the soul power, she could make as many of these as she wanted. It was a skill that had no cooldown on it whatsoever.
"Hahaha! Take this! And this! And some more!" Akane kept throwing one miniature sun after another in Kyo's direction. Some directly at him, others in the air around him. The light mixed with the droplets of rain falling from the sky, creating a series of rainbow afterimages all around Kyo.
The Book Dragon howled as he kept on swatting through one annoying ball of light after the other. The rest of the group looked confused at first, as the light did not bother their eyes in the slightest. But then, they finally realized the openings Akane was creating for them, and they rushed in to take full advantage of the situation.
"GAH!" Kyo howled as Raphtalia slashed through his thigh again, and then again when Rishia and Aksel came in from behind and nearly cut through his tail with their strikes.
"Whoa, this is so freaking cool! It's almost like a fireworks show!" Maya cheered happily as she ran through the series of lights. Ducking under Kyo's now easier-to-predict strikes and embedding her kunai into the back of one of the dragon's knees.
The girl then backflipped out of the way, leaving her weapons buried in the demon's flesh. When Kyo tried moving that leg again, the sharp weapons cut through the tendon. Kyo howled as the damage regenerated over the weapons, leaving them firmly embedded where his tendon was.
Causing the limb to be left in a state of constant agony.
Raphtalia and Aksel launched more skill attacks at the Book Dragon. Hitting his face and chest. Kyo responded with more pages, but Naofumi moved in the way to absorb the attack again.
Several more pages got absorbed before the Book Dragon rushed forward to attack Naofumi again. But with him being blinded by yet another one of Akane's light gems, Kyo's fist and wings impacted uselessly against the ground in front of Naofumi instead. Unfortunately, this inadvertently destroyed the final pages Naofumi needed to absorb to activate his powerful counter-skill.
Naofumi would have been more annoyed, but they weren't ready to defeat Kyo yet, and Akane's light gems continued to throw Kyo off. He tried launching a breath of dragon fire at her, but Naofumi made sure she was well protected with Bunker Shield. Which wasn't all too necessary in the end with how much she was blinding Kyo and making his aiming ability nonexistent.
Hoshi was not sitting idly by either, as Naofumi finally noticed the page swarm thinning even more behind the Book Demon's back.
It appeared that Hoshi had figured out where the swarm would mainly 'settle' when Kyo wasn't using them to attack. They weren't moving around a lot, and the Ofuda Hero attached one ofuda after another to the floating pages.
Some had different effects. One ofuda folded a page into an origami creature that then popped into a burst of confetti. Another one covered a page entirely in water. One ofuda tried to burn a page, but that ended up doing nothing. Still, the Ofuda Hero was moving around the edge of the swarm, using various ofuda to deal with the pages that Kyo wasn't using for battle. And the amount of them being put out of commission was going up the longer Kyo remained unfocused on them, leaving the others with fewer pages to deal with when Kyo tried to throw his pages around again.
"Hah!" Dou-Lon leaped onto Kyo's back, his blade slicing partly through one of the large leathery wings. The hakuko then deftly jumped off, not only avoiding Kyo's page swarm but slashing into one of his other wings in the process.
"HAGHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Things were almost right now. Everyone had adjusted to the flow of this battle and was in position, ready to deal the blows necessary. The rest of the page swarm was almost gone, and Naofumi just had to get lucky enough to absorb one more ranged attack. Then he could give everyone what they needed to weaken Kyo for his skill. And…
"Yo, Akane! Stop throwing those light gems around! I had the perfect idea to throw that jerk off his game and he needs to see for it!" Daitan's voice boomed behind him.
"What are you- WHAT THE- WHAT?!" Akane suddenly shrieked while pausing in her light ball spam. Not that it mattered, as she'd been on the verge of running out of soul power.
The shock in the Jewel Heroine's voice though caused Naofumi to turn his head, confused about what the fuss was about.
Naofumi understood Akane's reaction then. And he wished he'd never looked.
"What the…" Raphtalia and the others turned to look, confused as well. Only for their eyes to widen in horror.
"Ahahaha! Yeah, the man of the hour himself has finally arrived! Huah!" Daitan strode confidently past Akane into the battle proper. His tanned skin glistened all over from the heat of the battle mixing with the falling rain as he flexed his nonexistent muscles.
Yes, the scrawny manlet's skin was glistening all over. As in, he was butt naked. The armor he'd been wearing before was currently stored safely away in his mace, which the Blunt Instruments Hero was casually carrying on his right shoulder.
The only thing preventing anyone there from seeing his 'thing' was a black censor bar that was slapped across his hip area on their HUDs. It seemed the Hero's weapons were all protecting their wielders and their friends from the sight of a scrawny-looking kid basking in the nude.
It would have been funny if not for the situation they were currently in.
The Book Demon scowled as the last of the light gems faded away, revealing his surroundings in full again… but even his serpentine eyes widened as Daitan stopped in front of him in all of his naked glory.
"Yo, nerd! Go ahead and get a good look! This is what a true man is supposed to look like!" Daitan flexed his poorly muscled arms again in front of the demon. "That stupid draconic transformation of yours could never even hope to compare to my awesomeness!"
Kyo stumbled back, a look of shock painted on his draconic face. He might have murdered lots of people and done lots of horrible things; hell, to compare his actions to the likes of the most evil men in both Naofumi and Kizuna's world wouldn't have been far off… but even a Demon Lord would not know how to respond in this situation.
Add in the fact that Kyo had almost no social skills whatsoever and the distraction turned out to be disgustingly effective.
"W-What- WHY ARE YOU BUCK NAKED?! ARE YOU CRAZY!?" Kyo yelled, momentarily snapping out of his feral state.
"No, I'm not crazy, I'm Daitan! Geez and I thought you were supposed to be smart!" Daitan cackled like an imp.
…
Kyo's fist wordlessly came down to pulverize the Blunt Hero.
Naofumi, naturally, moved to block the attack with his Cursed Shield. Even if who he was protecting could give Motoyasu's idiocy a run for its money.
"Ahhhhhhh!" Kyo howled as more cursed fire washed over his entire arm.
"Whoa! Look at that! Fried lizard! Is it weird that a dragon is being hurt by fire? That's so lame! Must be a sign of how weak this guy is, am I right?" Daitan appeared to the side of Kyo, still brandishing his nudity like a weapon.
"YOU SHUT UP THIS INSTANT!" Kyo's other fist tried to swat the uncomfortably close naked young man away, only for his claws to smash into one of Naofumi's skill shields.
"Missed me, nerd! Maybe you should put your glasses back on!" Daitan taunted from beside Naofumi again.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
What followed was the weirdest thirty seconds of battle Naofumi had ever participated in.
The others were still shocked by Daitan's 'bold' approach to the situation. But Naofumi was eventually able to realize the benefit of it.
"Where's my lunch money, nerd? Did you leave it at home because you were so scared of me?"
"Lunch money?! WHAT THE &^%$ ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!"
What Daitan had done was take over Naofumi's job of being the biggest prick on the battlefield. This meant that Kyo was focusing all of his attacks on the Blunt Weapons Hero, making it super easy for Naofumi to predict where the demon would strike and made it laughably easy for him to counter. And, once everyone else overcame their shock, they would be able to easily move into position for their final attacks.
Cursed fire washed over Kyo's arms and tail over and over again. Slowly beating the regeneration factor and burning the draconic flesh away while Kyo's anger grew and grew, making him more and more irrational. Soon, he'd have no choice but to use his pages to deal with the young man.
"You should have trained more with Dee before facing us!" Daitan yelled.
"WHO THE *&^% IS DEE?!" Kyo yelled.
"DEEZ NUTS! HA, GOTEM!"
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Kyo's tail was burned away entirely as Naofumi blocked the blow from that particular outburst with his Cursed Shield.
Most of the dragon's limbs had been reduced to stumps now, even with how quickly his regeneration factor was making them regrow. It was unbelievably cringe, but somehow the Blunt Hero was doing it.
He just had to piss Kyo off enough to get him use the rest of that page swarm of his, and then-
"Alright, I'm done going easy on you!" Daitan suddenly posed dramatically and pointed his finger at the demon. "Time to unleash my secret technique learned from hours of watching anime that definitely wasn't focused on magical girls!"
Kyo was beyond furious, and would not have listened to Daitan in the slightest if not for what the idiot did next.
With a flash of light, one of Hoshi's pens popped out of the Blunt Weapon's gem. Daitan deftly caught it in his hand and twirled it around for a moment before using it to swiftly draw something on his body's nether regions.
The maniac then tossed the pen over his shoulder, firmly planted his hands on his hips, and began to gyrate them around.
"Elephant! Elephant! Why is your trunk so long! Look at it spin around! Now let us hear it make a sound! Prööt! Prööt! Prööt!"
…
...
Even Filo briefly stopped singing to point her finger at Daitan and laugh cheerily. "Ahahaha! That's so funny!"
...
…
Unfortunately, no one else found this amusing. The rest of the people who were present just felt confused and disgusted at what Daitan had just done.
As for those among them who came from Japan in particular... They all simply died on the inside.
This included Kyo.
Most of them recognized the reference, even with the censor bars on their HUDs blotting out the worst of it. But it was one thing to watch the poorly drawn caricature of the infamous Shin-chan perform his signature elephant dance.
Seeing it performed in real life by a sweaty scrawny nerd, however, was...
That...
Whatever that was… Naofumi didn't even need to raise his shield.
He just wordlessly pushed the naked young man out of the way as the full wrath of Kyo's fire-covered page swarm moved down on his position to obliterate the crime against humanity that had just occurred out of existence.
The Shield Hero's counterattack charged up fully in less than a second as the rest of Kyo's page swarm was dealt with.
"Vulcan's Retribution!"
The cursed energy beam engulfed Kyo entirely.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The Book Demon howled in agony as the full force of Naofumi's counter washed over him once again.
You are the ocean's gray waves
Destined to seek, life beyond the shore, just out of reach!
Yet the waters ever change
Flowing like time, the path is, yours to climb!
The song that'd paused earlier resumed in earnest.
Right as the counterattack ended, Dou-Lon and Aksel appeared behind Kyo and slashed down with their weapons before the dragon could get his bearings.
Kyo's four ruined and burned wings were simultaneously cut off.
"Instant Blade: Mist!"
"Hengen Musou: God Throw!"
Raphtalia's attack slashed open the left side of Kyo's chest again, and then Rishia's follow-up life force skill pierced the Cursed Tome of Wrath right after. Shattering the float book into countless pieces.
"GAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Shield Prison!" Naofumi finally yelled as the others quickly retreated.
The ball of chains and plates appeared around the Book Demon. He was still reeling from all his injuries as well as the sudden loss of one of his Cursed tomes.
Perfect.
"Change Shield (Expand)!" Naofumi yelled next.
The ball expanded outward, becoming a cube shape with no holes in it whatsoever. The inside of it was left in complete darkness.
Now, even if Kyo's wings regrew, he wouldn't be big enough to automatically escape the skill through sheer size alone. With the rest of his page swarm gone too, he couldn't use it to break himself out.
The Book Dragon howled in fury as his ruined claws regenerated and fully connected with the walls of the skill. They didn't so much as scratch them though, and Naofumi began to chant.
"Foolish Mortal!"
Suddenly, the dark space around Kyo was filled with a bright blue light. Momentarily blinding him again as he stumbled back.
"Let that which is good to leave unharmed! While that which is evil is sealed till the time of reckoning! Oh Great Spirit, I ask of thee, cast thy judgment upon this soul! Judge for thyself this threat to our world!"
The box shone brightly as the light within it began to leak out and overpower the oppressive purplish-red hue permeating the battlefield from the lingering purple cursed flames and the bleeding crimson sky.
Within moments everything vanished in a sea of blueish white.
He lowered his claws and finally noticed two figures in front of him. One of them was a floating blueish orb of light. The smaller figure standing next to it, however, was humanoid. It looked vaguely feminine, but its features were impossible to discern, due to its noncorporeal form being made of light, just like the floating orb.
No words were exchanged at first. At least not verbally and not human ones. The gem of the book embedded in Kyo's chest blinked faintly with a weak light of its own, causing Kyo to grunt out in pain and clutch the area around his heart.
The floating blue orb blinked back a few times and after a long moment, the Vassal Book responded to it again with another faint glow.
The feminine figure looked up at the glowing blue orb next to her and nodded after it responded to her silent query by shining a little brighter. The feminine figure then turned to face the monster that was brought into this realm for judgment.
"Kyo Ethnina." Ost began to speak, her voice echoing and overlapping with several others.
"Your crimes are too great and numerous to list. Yet, even now, despite the cruel torment that you've brought upon your friends, there are still those who would speak on your behalf. That and your actions in this world in the years prior that left an unquestionably positive impact on it are the only reasons why we are speaking to you now.
"This is your last chance. Currently, you stand one step before the edge of the abyss. But it is not too late to turn back.
"Surrender, and yield the souls that you stole from our world.
"Do it and you will be spared from the world's judgment."
…
"…Hm…hmhmhm." The dragon chuckled quietly. He looked at the figures in front of him fearlessly and then down at his chest where the vassal book was. "You know, for being a book, it's pretty amazing how you have no spine."
Kyo then looked at the glowing orb again. "And you… Shield Spirit, or whatever the hell you're supposed to be. You're quite the hypocrite, aren't you?"
When there was no response from either figure, Kyo continued to speak. "You know who, or rather, what I am. What my mission is and what will happen if I refuse it.
"Yet here you are, looking so high and mighty. The all-powerful world pillar come to judge me, a lowly mortal for my actions. To give me the illusion of choice. When in truth you are even more pathetic and useless than any one of us.
"Casually kidnapping strangers to mold them into arbitrary roles and having them fight the fights that you yourselves can't do anything to win on your own. And even then, you only do enough to maintain the status quo. Never beyond that. Because you cowards are too afraid to take the fight back to your enemy.
"So, when someone like me, someone who actually tries to figure out a permanent solution shows up, you break your own established rules and abandon the world that you're supposed to protect, just to spank me and show me my place; all under the excuse of retrieving a spit in a bucket's worth of souls that'll shield your worthless world from the waves for only a few months!
"You disgust me." The dragon spat on the ground in front of him. "All of you are useless and pretentious hunks of junk masquerading as gods, just like your adversaries!"
"I stand at the edge of the abyss!? You're damn right I am! Because I was born in it and spent every waking moment of my life trying to climb out of it! And the mercy that you're offering me is to kick me back down into it when I am finally so close to climbing out!
"And to reach this far, I had to give up everything! I walked away from my friends! I hunted my own kind! I traveled through countless worlds, seeking the one that would enable me to fulfill my plans! And during that, I saw whole worlds getting devoured by the waves! Little by little, until nothing remained!
"No people! No Hope! No future! Just an empty lifeless void empty of color, light, and even darkness! With the people who'd once inhabited those worlds fading away into obscurity; lost and forgotten!
"I've seen cruelty so deep and depraved that it would render those of lesser wills into raving lunatics!
"I've seen nations, cultures, entire civilizations turn on each other and burn!
"I've sought out knowledge that you would never comprehend!
"I've learned secrets that must never be revealed!
"I've discovered things that would render you mad and I even gave my humanity up!
"All to make 'THEM' burn instead!
"YOU WANT TO JUDGE ME!? THEN DO IT, YOU WORTHLESS HYPOCRITES! TRY AND STOP ME! BUT I WON'T! I WILL NOT STOP, NO MATTER WHAT! NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO! NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY! I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE FOR ANYTHING THAT I'VE DONE! I WILL SEE THIS THROUGH TO THE END! EVEN IF THERE IS A FRACTION OF A FRACTION OF A FRACTION OF A CHANCE THAT MY PLAN WILL WORK, I WILL PURSUE IT FOR AS LONG AS I CAN DRAW MY BREATH AND BEYOND! I WILL NOT BEND MY KNEE TO YOU NOR TO ANYONE ELSE! BECAUSE ALL I WANT IS TO MAKE 'THEM' LOSE AT THEIR OWN LITTLE GAME!"
…
"Not even for her?" The Shield Spirit finally spoke audibly for the Book Hero. The voice was surprisingly young and sounded feminine.
…
He now stood on the sandy shore of his and Yomogi's private beach resort on the southern edge of Luvar. The sun was shining brightly in the clear blue sky while the sea waves gently lapped at the sand.
The Book Hero looked down at his hands. He was a human again, with no trace of his demonic transformation left. The Vassal Book was firmly attached to his waist.
"Kyo, there you are!"
The Book Hero shuddered as he heard someone call his name. He gritted his teeth and slowly looked in the direction where the voice had come from.
Kizuna waved happily at him. She wasn't alone either. A section of the beach had been fenced off near the summer resort for a large barbecue party. Various Vassal Heroes were mingling among each other as well as a handful of other people.
L'Arc and Therese sat at one of the tables, talking to each other excitedly while enjoying a bottle of wine from the vineyard that the Book Hero owned in Lapis.
Ethnobalt stood at the grill with a smile, cooking the various fish that Kizuna had recently caught from the ocean.
Glass and Chris were building an elaborate sand castle together. It had towers and mini sand catapults on the walls and everything.
There were others too. And everyone seemed to be having a blast.
"What took you so long!?" Kizuna ran up to Kyo with a grin and stopped just short of him. "I thought you wouldn't show up again!"
"…" The Book Hero didn't respond.
"Which would be super silly, since we're having the party at your place and all, but I wouldn't put it past you since you're always so busy with throwing yourself at your research and everything!" The Hunting Tool Hero laughed happily and lightly punched Kyo's shoulder.
The others began to notice the Book Hero's arrival and acknowledged it either by waving or raising their cups at him. Yomogi finally spotted him too and ran up as well.
"Kyo! Finally!" The teal-haired girl seemed a bit out of breath and clasped her hands together. "Sorry, but can you show me how to operate the ice cream machine again? I want it to dispense the brown kind but only the white one is coming out. I swear, I won't forget it this time!"
…
"No," Kyo responded curtly and turned away.
"H-huh? Why not-" Yomogi sounded confused.
"Enough… Stop this farce." Kyo covered his face with a trembling hand and stopped listening.
"Kyo? Is everything ok?" Kizuna asked him curiously while setting a hand on his shoulder.
It felt so real…
"Stop this… please…"
…
…
…
For a while, all he could hear was the sound of the waves while he tried to catch his hitching breath. Even after he accomplished that, he did not dare to open his eyes.
It was too painful to make him acknowledge it.
Eventually, the feeling of the small girl's hand on his shoulder vanished. And the sounds of that beach vanished with it.
…
"You are remarkably vindictive, aren't you?" Kyo spoke out after another moment. "Showing me something like this.
"As if that's ever going to happen. After all I've said… after all I've done."
…
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself back in his draconic form. Ost and the Shield Spirit were in front of him again.
The Shield Spirit's light had dimmed, revealing a figure hidden within it. The young woman's pretty face was radiating sadness.
"Just do what you were brought out for. My answer is no."
"... so not even she can convince you to change your mind?" Shield-Chan asked.
The blue light around her dimmed further, revealing her true form. The Shield Spirit, Shield-Chan, was a head shorter than Ost, having bright green eyes that matched her flowing pure green hair. She didn't look older than fifteen, and her white and green dress did not seem to match her supposedly divine nature.
The fact that she had a human appearance at all though was somewhat surprising. Not even [Search Engine] had known something like this about the Weapon Spirits.
"..." Kyo turned away from the light and hung his head. "Even if she could… you know what I am.
"You know why I can't."
"It would just be painful to keep pretending like this…
"Just end my suffering… please."
…
"Very well." The kind, warm voice of the Shield Spirit spoke for the last time.
"Kyo Ethnina…" Ost shook her head.
Everything became engulfed in a blueish white light once more.
"You evil soul! Thy judgment has been cast!
"The Spirit of the Shield has been thy judge! Be sealed, until the time of reckoning! When you are released to satisfy the demands of Justice!"
Naofumi selected 1 on the timer that appeared on his HUD again.
Inside the skill, the Book Demon fell to his knees.
He didn't try to fight back anymore. There was nothing he could do to escape this situation now anyway.
His thoughts had also become oddly clear, and the guilt clawing at his chest was all the more pronounced.
He merely closed his eyes, accepting the inevitable…
"May your evil be sealed! May you find no rest inside True Pandora's Box !"
The outer layer of the prison glowed a bright blue.
You, are the ocean's, gray waves!
Everyone there was forced to look away as the glow intensified, becoming brighter and brighter, until…
…
…
The glow faded away entirely.
The Book Dragon was left encased in a statue of cold, hard stone.
Naofumi slowly lowered his Shield. The Cursed Shield hovering beside him disappeared, the timer in his vision fading away with 5 minutes left on it as his blessed shield and blessed and cursed armor faded as well. Leaving his shoulders sagging.
The Shield Hero was back to looking like his normal, exhausted self within seconds. Gods, he could use a vacation after all that.
"Naofumi! Are you ok?" Raphtalia asked worriedly as she walked up. Sheathing her katana as she did so.
"... yeah, I'm good. Don't worry, just tired." The Shield Hero tiredly responded.
Seeing the debuff on his screen, he found that his stats were only 25% lower instead of 50%. On top of that, his magic power and soul power bars weren't empty. It just looked like they would only recharge to half-full instead.
Overall, it was a huge improvement on the old skill. So this was what upgrading his Blessed Series from the lower tier to the true tier was like, huh?
Still, was that really it… was the battle actually over?
Naofumi looked at the Book Dragon's statue, almost expecting something to happen.
…
Imagine his surprise, or lack of it, when a soul slowly emerged out of the statue.
"What the- isn't he supposed to be trapped now?" Dou-Lon asked worriedly while brandishing his weapon once again.
"That's how that skill is supposed to work, yes," Naofumi replied tiredly.
Great, and here he thought they'd been successful.
Rishia and the others readied their weapons too. The Heroes charged up skills to attack Kyo's incorporeal form.
They would not be caught off guard like they had several times before.
…
"..." The soul did nothing though.
It wasn't moving away from the statue. Its right foot seemed stuck to it.
The more Naofumi looked at it... was it actually Kyo?
The man's eyes were a blue color… yet his body and face looked entirely different. He wore modern clothing. A pair of dirty black slacks with visible mud stains on the knees and a shirt that looked like it'd been repeatedly patched up across the years. A crumpled green tie was haphazardly dangling from his neck.
He looked gaunt, exhausted, almost like a zombie. He looked older than Kyo too. On top of that, his right arm was missing. To add to the mystery, a pair of broken glasses rested on the tip of his nose.
…
…
Naofumi's confusion grew, but then, a question popped to his lips. "You can't separate from the statue, can you, Kyo?"
...
"..." Kyo, because that was who it was, shook his head. A familiar smug smile rested on the broken man's unfamiliar face, giving better evidence of who he was than anything else. "Indeed… I can't. My soul can leave my body… but part of it is still tied to the Vassal Book, and it seems like it has no desire to let me go now, despite trying so hard to run away from me before."
The soul snapped his fingers once, and from the ground behind him where his throne had been, the adamantium blast door parted, allowing a casket to rise out of the ground. The casket glowed with the energy of the Spirit Tortoise.
"Had things gone differently and you had slain me, I would have separated my soul from this body and entered that new one since it was finished moments ago… alas, that will not come to pass now."
"Looks like I won't be able to enter my ultimate body and destroy this world after all… hmhmhm… congratulations on defeating me, Heroes."
…
Naofumi and the others sighed in relief.
It was over.
They had won.
Hero Clips!
End My Suffering
That...
Whatever that was… Naofumi didn't even need to raise his shield.
He just wordlessly moved out of the way as the full wrath of Kyo's fire-covered page swarm obliterated the crime against humanity that had just occurred out of existence.
After a moment, not even a trace of Daitan was left. He'd been killed in both body and soul. And his weapon vanished into the air, free of its eccentric wielder at long last.
…
Wait, was that what was supposed to happen? I don't remember that being in the script. Starts flipping through pages.
"No, narrator. I'm done with this ^%$#." Naofumi said in a dry voice. "Please, just end my suffering already, Kyo. I can't live after that."
"Naofumi, what?!" Raphtalia screeched. "You can't just die-"
"Trust me, life isn't worth living with that scene still engraved in my brain." Naofumi shuddered.
Itsuki stood up in the background. Apparently, he'd been conscious too, but without even saying a word, he changed his weapon to a pistol weapon form and aimed it at the side of his head.
"ITSUKI! NOOOOOOOO!" Rishia barely tackled him in time to prevent the young man from killing himself.
Strange how his Cursed Series hadn't activated there. Then again, had they seen their Weapon Spirits, even they were trying to find ways to erase themselves because they knew enough about Japanese anime thanks to the many wielders they'd summoned to know just how awful that scene had been.
"Come on, won't you just kill me already, Kyo?!" Naofumi loudly asked the large dragon.
"... To be perfectly honest." Kyo finally spoke. "I want to die too."
…
The Hero's friends all stared at the antagonist in shock. But Kyo had no look of shame on his monstrous visage. Just a clear desire to bleach his brain of what'd happened just a minute ago.
"Please, somebody, just erase my soul from existence. That'll be better than having to live with that being engraved into my mind for the rest of my life."
The others continued trying to talk down the Cardinal Heroes and the antagonist, which came to include Akane and Hoshi as well as they were also unfortunate enough to be cursed with knowledge about the infamous Shin-Chan from their worlds. While some things were so great as to extend into all worlds… some things were, unfortunately, so bad that their influence infected all worlds too. And Shin-Chan happened to be one of them.
The scene transitioned up to the clouds again. Two figures could clearly be seen on it. One of them was still standing, staring down at what had occurred. The other…
"Why did I make him naked why did I make him naked why did I make him naked why did I make him naked-"
Yep, this time, Allen was actually there. And unfortunately for him, he was still suffering psychological damage from what'd occurred. His hands gripped at his hair, and his face was full of trauma.
But the shadowy figure standing next to him had no witty remarks to share this time in response to Allen's distraught state.
"Norin please type out the rest of that scene, I cannot continue writing this crap for the love of God please save me from this insanity before I throw my laptop out the window and- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The Author subsequently decided that life was not worth living anymore and threw himself off his cloud in the sky to hug the ground far below.
The resulting breeze of wind caused the cardboard cutout of the proofreader to fall over with a now familiar 'fwap' sound next to where the author had been standing.
"Rafu! Owo, what's this!?" Raph-Chan ran into the frame to look at the sticky note attached to the back of the cardboard cutout.
[On vacation. Refer all hate mail and/or pipe bombs to @allenblaster on Discord: t. Norin]
"Hmmm, I could always use a few new people in my cult…" Rifana pondered to herself, before smiling happily at the readers.
"See you all in two weeks! Rafu!"
Till Next Time
Allen
Notes:
I… really went ham with chapter length here… whoops. And to think I'm publishing this during my last Finals week for college too.
I think I'm going to look forward to the next Arc. There's no possible way I'll be making chapters this long again for a long time… right? I'm not just cursed to write 50+ Google Doc page-long chapters for the rest of time, right… right…
RIGHT?!
Chapter 20: The Journal Entries Unveiled
Notes:
Yeah, I'm posting two chapters today since this one is basically a free chapter I had almost entirely written down over the course of this arc. See you all again soon.
Chapter Text
They had won… the rogue Book Hero had been beaten, quite thoroughly.
For once, the Cursed Thoughts were gone from Kyo's mind entirely.
He looked down at his left hand. The spirit of the Book was resting in his palm. It was letting out a soft glow, one that gave him more warmth than what he'd felt in a long time…
…
The real face of the soul of Kyo Ethnina visibly saddened. Guilt flooded him like it never had before.
To think that he'd given up on everything… that he'd thought it'd be better to destroy it all instead of listening to Kizuna and Yomogi or the others… and here, Naofumi had shown not only the strength to beat his strongest form, but the kindness to also spare him.
He… words could not describe what was happening right now. Had he been in a body, tears might have been leaking from his eyes.
But… even with all that…
…
He knew it was too late for him to change. A harsh purple glow had already begun to appear around his left foot. And he could feel an immense pain beginning to spike deep within himself.
He knew what that meant. He knew what would soon happen.
It was too late for him to change… it was impossible for him to ever change…
…
"Becoming a martyr is something that you're allowed to do only when there are no other options left. That is my answer."
…
But as Kyo remembered the words Ethnobalt had told him long ago, he realized it wasn't too late for him to do something meaningful with the time he had left.
And so, Kyo Ethnina settled on the ground. His Book, sensing his thoughts, became saddened. But he gently rubbed his hand over it, comforting it, and eventually, the Book summoned an ethereal pen that allowed him to start writing in it.
"So, now that everything's out of the way, do you want to spill the beans on how to reverse that monster transformation process of yours?" Naofumi snarked. "Because I am not hauling your petrified %^& back to Sickle, if its going to be this heavy. Although, I guess we could just have Ethnobalt's boat tow you behind it and drag you along the ground all the way home."
"Naofumi…" Raphtalia crossed her arms.
"What? It's not like he'd feel anything. And I'm sure Ethnobalt would avoid hitting him into too many mountains along the way since he's such a softie." Naofumi teased his girlfriend.
Raphtalia rolled her eyes. Not even bothering to respond.
…
The Book Hero didn't answer the taunting question, however. He just stayed looking down at the ground, writing as fast as his left hand would allow.
"Oi, what's with the silent treatment? You're usually much chattier than this." Naofumi said, now sounding tired and annoyed.
Kyo again didn't answer. He kept on looking down with a focused expression, even as the ominous purple haze began to creep further up his leg.
Naofumi was about to speak out again when Raph-Chan hopped up. "Rafu?" She tilted her head, studying the purple haze before her face saddened. "Rafu…"
"Raph-Chan, what is it?" Naofumi asked worriedly.
"It appears that your shikigami has deduced what you could not." Kyo finally answered, though he didn't turn his attention away from what he was doing. "Fascinating. When did it ever have the chance to study souls in such depth? And to think that she even managed to summon the former musician hero, Azura, to our battle."
"What the hell are you going on about now?" Naofumi asked, sounding only a little annoyed at the fact Kyo was talking now. Azura? Who the hell was that? Apparently, Naofumi and the others hadn't noticed the past Musical Instruments Hero being summoned to the battlefield.
"Come now. You all are smart enough to piece it together." Kyo continued quietly.
"Look at what's happening to me and tell me you haven't seen it before."
…
Naofumi was confused, but then he finally took note of that strange purple haze that was slowly surrounding Kyo's form.
It was traveling further up Kyo's left leg, slowly and carefully past his knee. It was also beginning to appear around his right foot, the one stuck to the stone.
It wasn't like those parts of his soul were gone, they were just tinted a different color. But Naofumi didn't…
No. He suddenly realized it. But it was Rishia who beat him to saying it. "Your soul is dissolving… just like Trash's did earlier."
Kyo laughed, but it was a hollow laugh. "Right on the money, Rishia Ivyred."
Rishia's face twisted in horror at that realization. "B-But I thought you claimed that the serum you drank didn't have the same side effects since you'd improved on it?"
"Yes, it was much more powerful, wasn't it?" Kyo's chuckling died. "But no, I planned to hop into my ultimate body, once I was done taking care of you lot. It would repair my soul and cleanse it of the serum during the merging process.
"But that's not going to happen now. My soul is dissolving. In a few moments, I will meet my permanent end."
Unlike with Trash, it appeared this process was slower. It'd taken the whole battle for it to finally kick in.
But then that purple haze appeared at the top of Kyo's head, and then in his left hand. Slowly moving down to the other parts of his body. Soon after that, Kyo's face took on an extremely pained look. But he did not stop writing even with the spike in his own personal torture.
"Yes, my soul will now slowly dissolve, just like that one puppet girl from that game everyone loved to play back home." Kyo then said, his voice trying to sound normal yet failing. "Too bad for me though. It's more painful than I imagined. This is what I put Albert and Kenshiro's nephew through, huh?
"Strange how karma works like that."
Naofumi's eyes narrowed, trying to see what Kyo was writing. But he couldn't see what the Book Hero was writing at all, or if he really was writing anything.
For all he knew, this could be a trick. Yet… somehow, he knew it wasn't.
Maybe it was because the look of pain on the Book Hero's face felt real. Or maybe it was because Naofumi could see the regret in Kyo's blue eyes.
A regret he knew all too well, as he'd seen it so many times when looking at himself in the mirror.
"Maybe… maybe it isn't too late. We could find a way to stop the process and find another way to heal your soul. And then-" Naofumi started to say.
Kyo's hand stopped moving on the book, only for a brief moment. Then, he continued writing in it. "No... The corruptive influence of the Demon Dragon's essence is too strong. If it had been another guardian beast's then perhaps... But no, even if there was a way to stop this, I would not pursue it still.
Naofumi furrowed his eyes. "Don't give me some bull &^%$ or whatever about deserving this! There could be a way to heal you. A way for you to go back to Kizuna and the others to apologize. To accept Yomogi's love for you.
"Yes, you've done terrible things. But that isn't an excuse to give up and stop trying!"
"Terrible things… a sextuple kill count in your world, thousands upon thousands more in my world, dead from my actions… Ost's death." Kyo chuckled in a deadpan. The pain he was feeling briefly receded just a bit.
No, it hadn't been that the pain had stopped. He'd merely stopped feeling it from parts of his body. The parts that were beginning to slowly dissolve before everyone's eyes.
"Perhaps you're right." He continued to write. "Maybe there is a way to heal my soul. Maybe it is possible to reverse the monstification process and bring my human body before Kizuna and the others for them to judge me as they see fit. Maybe… maybe there is even a chance that they'd forgive me and allow me to help them save our world…"
"And… maybe Yomogi still does love me and wants to help me… and maybe even after everything I've done, I might desire more than anything else to make amends with her before I die…"
"But that isn't in the cards for people like me. It is not something I deserve. It's not something that I'll ever deserve.
"I can't deserve it... And even if I did, I would never be able to take that option, ever."
…
Kyo's hand stopped moving at last, and he settled the ethereal pen back in the Book's Spirit. He wished he had time to write more, but flecks of his soul began to peel off his hand like paper. What he'd put down would have to be good enough.
"Shield Hero, fulfill this last request for me, at least." Kyo finally looked up, his tired eyes staring into Naofumi's own. "Please, have one of your companions kill me right now."
"This pain… having to watch my soul fragment bit by bit… I'd rather it all end quickly, then slowly and drawn out, as it's happening now."
Naofumi's frown deepened on his face. But Kyo continued before he could say something in protest.
"What do people claim to kill others for these days? Justice for those they murdered, perhaps? I killed more than my share of people. I went so far as to claim that the strong were the ones that enforced justice when we first met,
"But that was a lie. The strong may enforce their brand of justice, but it is the world and fate that ultimately decide right from wrong; who will live and who will die."
"I was wrong. My plan turned out to be meaningless in the end. Had you not stopped me, everyone in this world would have died, and nothing would have been gained from it.
"I would not deserve forgiveness for that great sin, even if I had a million lifetimes to repent for it."
"But… but you still have something to live for, don't you?" Naofumi tried.
"Not any longer. It'd be better if I died."
"Yet Kizuna and Yomogi-"
"Wouldn't be able to redeem me anyway."
…
Kyo was smiling sadly. "Shield Hero. Even if my Cursed Series hadn't enveloped my mind. Even if my body hadn't turned into a monster. Even if my soul wasn't dissolving painfully right now… even if I hadn't killed all those people… even if I wasn't the one who killed the Spirit Tortoise…
"Even if I'd wanted nothing more than to save the world that Kizuna loved and allow everyone the chance to smile and laugh… it is meaningless. Kizuna, Yomogi, you… no one could ever hope to have a chance to help me."
"... why?" Naofumi couldn't help but ask.
"Because 'They' would have never allowed me to become someone good."
…
For the briefest of moments, Naofumi could have sworn that he saw the outline of a pitch-black chain flicker into existence around the soul in front of him in a burst of static. But it was gone so quickly, that the Shield Hero wasn't sure if it was real or just his exhaustion catching up to him.
…
"... who are they?" Naofumi asked, a cold feeling going down his spine at what Kyo had said.
…
…
"Hmhmhmhmhm…" Kyo's face fell. When he said the words, it was not with the same smugness as before. Rather, it was in a voice of defeat, one that wished that it could answer more than anything else.
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
…
…
…
…
The cold presence that Naofumi felt earlier vanished. Yet the Shield Hero stared at Kyo for a moment more, before finally letting out a sigh. "Raphtalia… please do it."
The half-tanuki girl looked at him in surprise. "A-Are you sure?"
"... You heard what he said." Naofumi turned away, crossing his arms. "He killed countless people in both his world and ours. He is dying, and there is nothing we can do."
"Let Kyo at least get a quick execution, so they can be avenged…" Naofumi's face fell. "And because it is his final request."
…
Raphtalia wordlessly switched her weapon form to the Soul Eater Katana and walked over next to Kyo's soul. She felt conflicted, but, at the same time, despite what Naofumi had said, this wasn't an execution at this point.
This was a mercy kill. More of the Book Hero's soul was flaking away before their eyes.
"... Kyo. The reason you summoned that wave... you planned for this, didn't you?" Raphtalia asked. "To take your friends out of danger. So you wouldn't have to fight them."
…
Kyo chuckled in response without looking up. "What an interesting theory. It is completely false, however.
"I just wanted to split you all up. Taking your group alone was hard enough as it was."
…
Raphtalia frowned sadly as she brought her weapon above her head.
"Kyo... Ethnobalt was right. You are a terrible liar."
"...perhaps." The Book Hero closed his eyes.
…
"I always hated doing it."
Slash!
Raphtalia's blade cut through the neck of the Book Hero's soul.
Kyo didn't even cry out as his form instantly fragmented into many different pieces. Some of which began to disappear as they fell to the ground.
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan leaped through the falling remains of the soul. Landing on Raphtalia's shoulder as she did so.
Behind them, the statue of Kyo's monstrous form audibly cracked and then rapidly crumbled to the ground in a pile of dust.
Naofumi's various debuffs all disappeared at the same time.
…
It was over now…
They'd won for good.
Kyo Ethnina was dead.
No one was certain what to think or feel at that point.
It felt like they'd won, but also lost simultaneously.
They'd defeated the Book Hero and stopped his plot… and yet, they'd also failed to save him as Kizuna had wanted.
Their faces were all a mess of different emotions. Frustration, sadness, exhaustion, and so much more. None of them had a solid thought to attach to what'd happened. To what they were supposed to do next.
But then… as if to help snap everyone back to reality…
"Wait, guys...did that Book Guy's statue just drop a bunch of loot?" Daitan suddenly voiced aloud.
"What are you talking about-" Akane turned and began to ask the Blunt Hero, only to stop as her eyes widened in horror. "WHY THE &^%$ ARE YOU STILL NAKED?!"
A censor bar was still slapped over the Blunt Hero's groin area, but yes, the manlet was still as nude as ever. "Oh? I just didn't want to interrupt what was going on with everyone and-" Daitan began to answer.
SLAP!
Unlike previous times, Akane didn't drive his head to the ground and instead slapped him hard across the face. "Just, get dressed, now! Before you really start to piss me off you stupid thickskulled-!"
"Fine, FINE, sorry! Sorry! I was serious though, it looks like that guy's statue dropped some stuff after it crumbled apart, look!" Daitan pointed while starting to pull his clothes out of his weapon.
"Mommy?" Filo finally spoke.
"Yes, honey?" Raphtalia responded.
"Filo takes back everything Filo ever said about Spear Uncle being super weird," Filo said in a dry voice.
…
You know what? Wiser words had never been spoken by Naofumi and Raphtalia's daughter before that moment.
Daitan was clearly deserving of the blonde simp's place in that regard.
"Hey now! You guys can't tell me you didn't think the same thing as me!"
"You were the only one who thought that," Naofumi said in a deadpan. "Now shut up and get dressed before I stone you next for being a deviant."
"Does it work like that?" Raphtalia whispered into his ear.
"He doesn't have to know that," Naofumi responded just as quietly while Daitan fumed in his spot.
"Alright, alright, geez. Don't need to be such a grouch about it." Daitan pouted as he began pulling on his undergarments.
While he was busy doing that, and just so everyone could look away from the lovable idiot, they finally walked over to the remains of the statue.
Amazingly, Daitan turned out to be correct. The Vassal Book was hovering over the area, still looking down at its former wielder with a deep sadness emanating from it. But directly beneath it were a bunch of glowing pages, as well as a leatherbound book with Kyo's name printed on the front in Japanese characters.
"Hey, they're not even scratched," Maya commented as she picked her kunai up from the remains of the stone statue. However, the raccoon woman's upbeat attitude didn't help to improve everyone's mood that much.
"What are these?" Naofumi picked up the pages one at a time. But he couldn't read anything on them for some reason.
"Rafu." Raph-Chan picked up something from amongst the rubble and put it in her tail. Naofumi didn't see what it was though.
"Oh…" But before he could ponder on it more, Raphtalia let out a sound of surprise as she picked a page up. When she did so, the page glowed in her hands, and then text appeared on it. "It… looks like a message, for me?" She said in confusion.
"What's on it?" Naofumi asked. He looked at the page she was holding, but he couldn't see anything on it.
"Something about the vassal Katana and its full skill list...? I think this is his theory on what weapon forms to search for, the amount of stats I'll need before one of these skills becomes available, and so on." Raphtalia explained with a frown as she continued to study the page's contents.
"Huh…" Did it mean that these pages would only reveal their contents when they were held by the right person?
…
Had that been what he was writing earlier in his Book? Things for the other Heroes in this world…?
Naofumi briefly wondered if there was a page meant for him in the pile too. But right now, it was the leather-bound journal that was grabbing his attention.
It was written in Japanese, so only the Cardinal heroes would be capable of reading it right now.
Though looking back, he saw that the Bow Hero was still unconscious where he lay. Akane still looked flustered, Hoshi was trying to look anywhere but where everyone was, and Daitan was somehow still struggling to pull his pants on.
Was it seriously that hard?! Why was he prolonging this stupid act of his?!
…
Naofumi unclasped the belt on the front cover and flipped the journal open. He found more Japanese writing scrawled out on its pages.
"Is that your world's language?" Raphtalia asked as she peeked over his shoulder.
"Yeah… it looks like this was his journal," Naofumi noted sourly.
He flipped through it some more. He wasn't sure how much they'd learn about Kyo from this.
…
However, as he learned, the Book Hero had written down quite a bit, and any unpleasant thoughts he might have still been holding on to passed as he read what his former enemy had written down:
Strange. Ever since appearing in this world, I've felt the urge to keep a record of my life.
Due to the violent outbursts I suffered in my youth, my High School anger management counselor suggested I write my daily activities as a way to release my stress. However, I never went through with it, since my parents never allowed me any privacy, and any attempts to keep a journal back then angered them for some reason.
Now that I have access to the (perfect journal) that no one except me can read without my permission, I think I'll give it a shot. The idea from that guy isn't entirely without merit. Not to mention he was… nice.
To start, I'll remind myself of my core. I have never been one to shy away from acquiring knowledge. And I have never been one to say no to preserving knowledge. It is one of the few things I absolutely do not agree with my bosses on whatsoever. I don't care if my duty is to weaken this world in any way possible.
Knowledge, all knowledge, is sacred. It shouldn't be destroyed but should be kept in the right hands.
My hands, to be specific.
With that out of the way, I, Kyo Ethnina, document my life till now.
- ENTRY #1 -
I wasn't born in this world. Not originally, at least.
I was born on Earth in a country known as Japan in a time of great turmoil.
However, despite my world being ravaged by plagues, wars, famines and death, my parents have done everything in their power to shield me from the worst of it.
Even if the way they did it was not always pleasant.
I was made to understand from an early age that my parents had expectations from me. That nothing in this world was free. That everything had a price and had to be fought for with tooth and nail, including my safety and continued survival. In my case, the price they demanded from me was excellence.
Whether it be sports, music, academic pursuits or anything else they wanted. I had to be the best. Nothing short of perfection was acceptable.
Love and affection had to be earned.
I remember how early on I tried to object to this treatment. To argue. To rebel. But it was always swiftly put down. By force, if necessary.
I vividly recall one particular day when I got a 99/100 on one of the end-year tests. It was the best result in class. And it was tied for the best result in the school's history.
Father was furious.
He did not care that I was the top student of my year. My efforts did not matter. I was supposed to get full marks on everything. This was the first time in my life when I had lost my temper. I had trouble controlling my emotions back then. I shouted back at him, arguing my points and challenging his unreasonable behavior.
I was made to understand that his will was absolute.
My mother was not any better.
She controlled my social life, or its absence, rather. She instilled her rhetoric into me about the worthlessness of human interactions and friendship in particular.
The few friends that I tried to make were quickly removed from my presence for not being "good enough". I had to seek out and interact with those of superior social standing to my own, as was the norm that I had to live up to. Because that's what it all boiled down to, the most basic pecking order. Those without power only approached those with it to steal it and take it for themselves. It was my duty to not allow those beneath me to get on my level. My excellence was meant only for myself. And I had to do everything to crawl further up from my own station in life using every leverage available to me.
I was not successful in such endeavors, unfortunately, despite my mother's best attempts at matchmaking, she simply lacked the resources and clout necessary to allow me to meet truly influential people and their children. Not that she ever admitted it. It was always my fault. I was not trying hard enough. I was a bad son for failing her.
I wasn't strong in my musical talents either, which only frustrated her further and soon, the few scraps of her attention I used to be able to receive had disappeared.
Thankfully, what I was good at was studying, especially after the encounter that I had with my father. Clearly, fear has proven to be a much stronger motivator than emotional manipulation.
I don't know if I can blame them for my warped perception of the world and people in general now. But after being raised by my parents in this world, I can't help but wonder why my original parents were so hard on me.
After all, it certainly didn't help me out later in life.
- ENTRY #2 -
Because of my upbringing, I focused everything on learning.
Economics. Mathematics. The sciences. Everything and anything I could get my hands on that'd help me progress further above my classmates.
I didn't focus much on History, as History is the human race repeating the same mistakes that've occured ever since the time one ape slapped another. Nor did I waste time with extracurriculars like cooking, since they were irrelevant to my endgoal of becoming the breadwinner in my family. Even if I was forced to learn those skills later in life.
I didn't talk to my peers, nor did I interact with them after those disastrous early attempts my mom tried to instigate. I was fine with that. On some level, I think they were fine with it too, since none of them ever tried to get close to me.
Not that I would have allowed them.
By this point, my parents had hammered into me that to talk with lesser folk would be a waste of my time and talents. While they were cruel and unaffectionate, my efforts were rewarded as they got me into the top school in Japan at the time. There, I was able to foster my growing talents and intellectual prowess with all sorts of teachers who were experts in their fields.
I didn't waste time with school festivals or the weird shenanigans my lesser peers got into. I couldn't. For I was destined for great things, and not a second could be wasted on such vulgarity.
My efforts throughout High School eventually landed me into one of the top colleges in Japan. Where I graduated in less than three years with a degree in Engineering and then another in Bio-Engineering after another year.
I was the top of my class. Truly, I was smarter than even some of my professors who were amazed that I wasn't the one teaching the class. It was perfect. For once, everything in my life was looking up.
- ENTRY #3 -
It took no more than two days for my life to come crashing down.
You'd think that my parents would finally be proud of me after my graduation from the University of Tokyo with the highest scores in its history, along with countless honors, merits, and certificates of recognition to my name.
However, I never learned if that was the case. They'd died from an illness before I got home.
As shocking as that was, I didn't grieve for them. I was just left with an empty feeling of not knowing if I'd finally done something to earn their love and affection or not. A mere afterthought in the &^%$storm that occurred soon after.
Funeral services needed to be arranged. And then came the other members of the family who I never saw growing up. Those who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, wanting a piece of what my parents had in their will as if they were entitled to it.
How funny it was when they learned that my parents had nothing to their names. Not even the house was theirs anymore. Without my knowledge, they'd put themselves deeply into debt to fund my education and scientific pursuits. And they'd taken their loans from banks that were less than credible.
I still laugh when I remember the looks on my relative's faces when the loan sharks showed up, demanding payment. That got them out of the house real quick. None of them bothered to give me even a single (yen) to help me out as they walked out the door, leaving me alone with those savages.
It was only because I was quick on my feet that they didn't kill me then. Instead, my parent's debt was thrust upon me. They were… generous, enough, to give me a couple of weeks to find a job before they'd start hiking up the already high interest rates for when I couldn't pay. That time was purchased by everything in the house being taken. And finally, by me being thrown out of my home with nothing more than the shirt on my back and a laptop in hand, being forced to live in a downtrodden apartment complex.
Most people would find this situation sad, but it was the norm in my (Japan). And to be honest, I just found their constant appearances while I was searching for a job annoying at best. I had to put my brilliant intellect to good use, after all. And I didn't have time to waste with these mud scrapers.
Only, as it turns out, it's much harder to find a job in the modern job market than one would realize when one has no experience or connections and only a few days to get the money flowing. That was how long it took for those sick &^%$s to get impatient, and to threaten me with death if I didn't pay them what they were owed.
With my education, I could have easily been an executive for a small time company, or a manager in a much larger one. I could have been designing buildings and patenting inventions no one else had ever come up with. If I'd only been given the time to look. If I'd only been given the time to apply.
…
Heh. I ended up in mindless cubicle slavery, just like many of my peers from school. All my knowledge and talents were for naught. From that point on, I was just another blank face salaryman, struggling to make ends meet while paying off the debt I was saddled with by my parents.
Life was a cruel joke from that point on.
- ENTRY #4 -
As I have grown older, the words of my mother have continued to ring true: Everywhere I went, I was faced with nothing but Cronyism, corruption, and greed. Every person, no matter how kind they had initially appeared to be, always possessed some personal agenda to elevate themselves in one way or another.
I was met with it even at my job. I struggled day to day with the monotony of being put on worthless government projects designed to waste tax payer's money and to fish for more grants to launder. I sat through endless meetings with idiots where nothing was accomplished. I got to see the credit for my hard work on the projects that I did finish going to someone else on the team who was far less deserving of it, only because they were 'friends' with the higher-ups.
I couldn't even play the financial markets like I initially wanted. It would have required me to possess some serious starting capital to try that option in the first place. And besides the randomness and 'predictability' of the markets, the ones who truly profited off them were the ones already artificially pushing the market in whatever direction gave them the most profit. Not to mention, every spare yen I got from my measly paychecks that wasn't used to pay my bills was going towards those loan sharks, with the debt increasing despite my continued payments.
Within a couple of years, I knew I'd need to take drastic measures. Even someone like me couldn't continue living like this. I needed to make more money, and fast. Else I would never escape from this poverty hole that my parents had dragged me into.
The main problem though wasn't just the higher-ups not promoting me. It was also my fellow co-workers. Some laughed at me for trying to 'jump over my head' with my projects. Others not only mocked me but actively tried to sabotage my work when they realized that what I was doing could put me ahead of them in terms of the pecking order.
If anything, they taught me to keep my plans secret. To wait until they were finished before I made my great reveal.
And thanks to all those years that I spent learning to expand my knowledge as an engineer, my work finally paid off as I developed a new type of engine that was far more efficient than any of the leading brands on the market. And I did this in a way that would keep the manufacturing costs low too. It could be used in both civilian and military vehicles. Everything about it was a net gain. Any fool that had eyes and a single brain cell to spare would be able see it for what it was.
And so, with my magnum opus in hand, I cornered my company's CEO at the bar that he and the other executives would usually hang out at during the weekend. I presented them with my new and amazing creation. I painstakingly explained how it'd not only cut our costs but make our products far more desirable to our customers as it'd help them to save money too. This would be a boon for our company! A golden goose that'd lay golden eggs for as long as it took for the competition to catch up to it!
It could make millions overnight. And it would, just not for me…
When I presented it to that group of fat, greedy blobs, they laughed at me. They told me that my invention was worthless. That I was worthless. They ordered me to stop wasting their time and to go back to my job and put in more overtime on projects that'd ultimately make me only a few hundred yen more than I made an hour. If I was even rewarded for them in the first place.
I… struck the CEO with my new engine. The lessons that I'd had with my anger-management counselor in college were forgotten at that moment. I was angry. And as I viciously beat him, I yelled about how I knew that they were siphoning money out of the company. How they were laundering it with fellows I knew at work. How only half of their government contracts ever got completed due to either sheer incompetency or corruption and that it was only because of my efforts that we hadn't gone bankrupt.
I beat that man within an inch of his life in my fury. I had never been one to possess a predisposition toward violence. But I was too angry to care then… up until the others, after they'd recovered from their shock, managed to drag me off him and throw me out of the bar.
I was fired the next day.
And by the next year, I saw cars driving around with 'my' engine in them.
They'd made millions overnight, just like I'd promised. And my hard work put them at the forefront of the industry for years. But I wasn't given a single ounce of credit.
My attempts to sue them for stealing my invention were only met with me getting blacklisted from the industry. The corrupt justice system of Japan sided with my former employers time and time again, until I had run out of appeal opportunities.
All my hard work had been for naught.
- ENTRY #5 -
I still had my debt to pay. But instead of mindless cubicle slavery, I ended up someplace even worse. Working a job that no person deserves to be forced into.
A convenience store clerk.
I tried to find any other job I could at night. Literally, anything would have been better than that. But because I got blacklisted, nobody was willing to have me work for them. My talents as an engineer were being squandered by a midnight shift of watching over a stupid store. No company would hire me, not even to clean their toilets.
On top of the debt that I owed those loan sharks, I was also fined heavily for almost killing my former CEO. I guess I should have been grateful that they didn't throw me in jail. But then, at least that would have improved my situation. It would have made it impossible for those goons to demand money for a debt that kept growing bigger and bigger under their greedy influence.
I have no doubt that this was the exact reason why I wasn't thrown in a cell. It'd make sense, with how corrupt my Japan was.
As my debt grew, so did my apathy toward my situation. As my paycheck became smaller and smaller, I grew increasingly demoralized. I understood it then: nothing I could do would change or improve my world.
The only thing that I could still feel was my hatred for humanity. For my fellow flesh bags who harassed me day in and day out. For every ounce of suffering that I was forced to endure in one form or another over the course of my life. For those who grouped together with other stupid people to push smart people like myself who deserved to be on top, to the bottom heaps of society.
On my thirtieth birthday, only eight years after I'd graduated from college, I had been fired, or 'let go' as they liked to call it, again. The economy was in bad shape, they said. It was not viable to keep human workers for such mundane tasks in the age of automation. A point of view that I would have normally shared, had I not been dependent on such jobs just to survive.
Regardless, those idiot loan sharks cornered me in an alleyway shortly after. Demanding that I pay them in full, or else.
I couldn't take their stupidity anymore. And I couldn't take being stepped on either. In my anger, I lashed out at the nearest one, trying to land a punch on his smug face.
I didn't even come close. Two more of their goons grabbed me from behind. They'd known I wouldn't be able to pay and wanted me to sign an agreement to sell some of my organs. And then, when I refused to comply, they proceeded to give me the beating of my life.
They laughed as they did so. They told me that if I pleaded for mercy, they'd let me live another day. I didn't give them the pleasure though. I continued to glare at them.
The look of glee in their eyes gradually disappeared, and they continued beating me until several of my bones had broken and I was covered in bruises.
They likely would have continued, killing me in the process, if not for the sound of a police car approaching. They fled after that, and the car parked nearby.
Even after all that I'd been through, a small part of me thought that, maybe, I'd finally have some help. That I'd be able to get justice for myself. That I'd be able to escape my situation. That…
Well, the thought quickly died. The officer didn't see me on the ground. Or maybe they saw me but didn't want to deal with me and drove away. Leaving me there, broken, and done with life.
I could not take the cruelty of my world anymore. I could not endure one more second of it. I tried to scream at the sky for every bad thing that'd ever happened to me, from the parents I was born to, to the people that stomped me down to the ground; only for it to hurt too much to take in that much air. I tried to cry in frustration and agony, only to find that hurt too.
I didn't move as the cold of the night came across my city. Those stupid loan sharks, while having done all that damage to my body, hadn't hurt me badly enough that I'd bleed out or anything before they fled. So I had to wait for the cold to do me in. Or for some thug to find me and finish the job they started.
Not like I cared. I was done with living. I didn't care about anything anymore.
And then…
… I met one of them.
I wish I could say more about that encounter. About the moment when my life had been changed forever. About the ones who'd saved me that night. But I cannot. The contract that I signed with them back then, as part of our deal, included a nondisclosure agreement. And breaching it would spell total destruction of my soul on the spot.
I have seen the consequences of not respecting the contract firsthand when a fellow reincarnator who was a bit stupider than most tried to talk about our employers while he was drunk. Something that I can only describe as a miniature black hole opened in the middle of his chest, where his heart was.
I saw every agonizing second of it.
I heard the poor bastard's screams as he was turned inside out before getting crushed, compressed, collapsed, and finally sucked into the black abyss with his body, soul, and everything. It was a type of destruction so complete that when it was all over, there was not even a sign left that he had ever existed.
Even if nobody else will see this, even if this is only meant for me to detail my life till now as a way of coming to terms with what happened to me, I'd rather be safe and sorry.
But what I can say is this: that night, 'they' gave me a choice. To either continue living out my life in my cruel world that did everything and anything to push me down. Or, I could wish for the power I most desired, and be reborn with it in another world. One where I'd be able to thrive, to do what I always wanted, and someday, even make it my own; as long as I would continue to fulfill my contractual obligations.
I'd already been abused by my world for thirty, long years. I'd been surrounded by Cronyism, corruption, and greed for as long as I could remember. My own parents hadn't loved me. Nothing I ever did had garnered support or sympathy from anyone. Not even my own relatives wanted anything to do with me. My knowledge was wasted on the idiots of my world.
In short, I had nothing left to live for.
Was it any wonder that I swallowed their bait hook, line, and sinker; and immediately agreed to the offer given to me?
After accepting the deal, I was reborn into a new world. I became the son of a somewhat well off noble family in Luvar. They weren't rich enough to afford all the luxuries of life, but at least they weren't deep in debt like my original parents.
I will not bore myself writing down the details of my early years, as I was very much aware of what I was doing even after I was born. Perhaps it would be considered a strange thing to have memories from so early on. But for me, it just meant I could put my knowledge to good use all the sooner.
I could innovate so much in this backwater world. I already had my extensive knowledge as an engineer. But with the power that I'd wished for, something I'll call "Search Engine" since it allowed me to look up anything I didn't know, I was really able to do more than just develop an engine for cars. I just had to grow up more quickly so my new parents would give me more leeway to do what I wanted.
It was a pleasant change, compared to my first childhood. My new parents did not seem to care or hold any strong expectations for me early on. I was fed, clothed and guaranteed to have a roof over my head with no demands for it, for whatever reason.
They supported my pursuits to the best of their ability, but never got in my way, aside from some token attempts of social bonding. I tolerated those for the sake of maintaining the favorable status quo that I was in. I might not have cared much for them due to my previous upbringing, but I can say I hold them in higher regard compared to my original parents in my mind.
When I was around ten, making me forty in total, I met Yomogi. She was an annoying brat back then. An orphan from some piss-ant village the name and location of which has long since been erased from history, after being torched by some bandits.
Ever since the day we met outside the town while I was doing some field work, she clung to me like a damn leech. Always following me around wherever I went and being annoying. I thought back then that it was because she wanted a handout or something.
The words of my first mother continued to echo in my head, warning me against associating with such a lowly wretch. That she had nothing to offer and only wanted to take things away from me. But, surprisingly, that hadn't been the case as I later found out.
One day, I was out on a stroll in the nearby woods collecting some potion ingredients. Yomogi was with me as usual, acting as a pack mule to carry my stuff. It was the only useful service that she was capable of. Or it would have been if she wasn't always clumsily stumbling everywhere on her stubby legs and spilling my precious ingredients all over the place. She managed to do it again, for the second time that day and I rolled my eyes at the noise before turning around. This time, however, she actually did have an excuse. A monster had ambushed us.
I'd known monsters sometimes prowled the area, and I had a couple of trinkets I'd developed to drive them away. Before I could use any of them though, Yomogi pushed me out of the way and tried to fight it with her own fists.
It went about as well as you'd expect.
I was able to use the potions I had on hand to send the beast running. And then while I was healing the stupid girl since I still needed her to carry my stuff back, I asked her if she was an idiot. Seriously, what did she expect to do against that thing as a god damn eight year old? And why had she pushed me out of the way anyway?
…
I can still remember her response, as she sniffled at my feet:
"Because you are smart."
…
When I asked her to elaborate after a moment, she told me a little bit about her life.
Apparently, she was at the bottom of the pecking order in her orphanage, because she was stupid and a useless good-for-nothing. Everything she ever tried to do always backfired, angering the people around her.
No one liked her. Not her caretakers, nor the other children and especially not the townspeople. She couldn't even read.
It turned out that I was the first person who had even given her the time of day without calling her names or throwing stones at her for fun.
That still didn't answer my question, so I pressed her more and her following words shook me to the core.
"Smart people's lives are worth more."
This was not something that a little girl should have been saying, especially not with such a mature and sobering clarity ringing in those words. Even though I shared such a notion myself, when I was confronted with my vision of what an ideal world would have been like, I could not bring myself to look directly at it.
As I carefully asked her to elaborate again, my suspicions proved to be correct. She genuinely believed the words that have been thrown at her time and time again, ever since she arrived in my new hometown. That she was stupid and worthless. That she should listen to and obey people smarter than her. And that their lives were worth infinitely more than her own.
After all that I'd been through, I hadn't been ready to believe her back then. I was briefly shocked and speechless by her words, but then I merely scoffed it off and took her back to the village. Taking the potion ingredients I'd gathered from her without even saying thanks before going back to my house.
I thought that'd be the end of it… but the next week, when I needed to gather ingredients again, she was there, waiting for me. And without saying a word of complaint, I let her follow me.
I think even if I hadn't wanted to think about it back then… it was the first time in either of my lives when I wondered if the answer that I got from my first life was wrong.
- ENTRY #7 -
My teenage years in this world, or my mid-life crisis years if I still counted my age from my original world, went by much more smoothly than they had in my original world. A lot of different things also came together for me during this time.
One thing I found annoying and bothersome about this time of my life was Puberty. I hadn't really had too much of a problem with it in my previous life, but here it was like those damn sexual thoughts were coming up every other minute. It was almost as if my current body was purposefully designed to be hornier than my original body or something?
I have noticed this strange behavior exhibited by other reincarnators over the years. Every last one of them has been intent on gathering a harem of young women around them as soon as they were old enough to 'get it up.'
I have no idea why. Maybe the increased libido was something 'they' did for us to make our lives in these worlds more enjoyable.
Either way, I didn't let the thoughts of puberty distract me as I was much more interested in continuing to build my way up in this world. I'd made several simple inventions by this point, which I sold off with help from my parents to make some cash.
They'd begun to realize how much of a genius I was, and despite me still being young, not counting my age in the other world, they began to actively take steps to make sure I had everything I needed to succeed. From trade deals with the right merchants that traveled through their lands, to connections with the Capital to ensure my work was patented under my name.
I didn't have a repeat of what'd happened with my engine. And I was more than okay with that.
My father even bought Yomogi as a 'slave' for me at my insistence. As it never did hurt to have an extra bit of muscle around.
The girl still followed me like a damn dog everywhere. But I didn't mind that so much anymore.
Despite her low self-esteem, she wasn't near as stupid as she believed herself to be. She learned to read very quickly after I took her in, and she was surprisingly good at math. She can be very naive and follow her heart more than her mind, and she also believes anything I tell her without question, but despite all this, she is not stupid.
I did not tell her this, however, as the last thing I needed was for her to grow an ego. It's bad enough dealing with that whenever I have to meet another reincarnator.
During our later teenage years, Yomogi began to nag me about using my inventions to help people. I'll admit, I did not see much point in doing that. I have the heart of a capitalist. I'd rather make money selling my goods than waste my time being a good Samaritan.
Those corporations that did this in my world anyway were just a sham. Providing meals for the poor? I guess nobody reads the fine print about how around ten U.S. pennies are considered a 'meal.' When they said they helped donate several million meals to starving people poor worldwide, they hadn't even put a million dollars towards that stupid crap.
Anyway, I guess in an effort to show me what she meant, she made me a pair of cheap crappy glasses for my birthday.
I hated them as soon as I saw them. They reminded me of my past life with the name-calling and the talking behind my back. I demanded that she tell me why she made them for me.
Again, her response surprised me:
"I noticed how you're always squinting. And I read that people do that when they find it hard to see things."
I asked her why that should matter. And again, her response silenced me.
"It makes it look like you're always annoyed when you're around people. And I think it might be hurting some of your trade deals. I thought fixing this might help with that."
…
I calmed down as I thought over what she'd pointed out and realized she was right. I'd recently had a few deals fall through, but I hadn't been sure why.
It still took a little convincing to put them on. After looking in a mirror, I said I looked stupid.
Yomogi smiled and then said: "I think they make you look cool and smart."
…
I wonder if that is why I still wear them today. Despite having managed to fix my vision through alchemy a couple of years ago…
The glasses did help. It was surprising how she managed to make the lenses just right for my eyesight. Yomogi was definitely more observant than I thought, and, when she dedicated herself to it, she could make some incredible things. My trade deals after that went much more smoothly, and I couldn't deny that it was thanks to her insight.
To reward her without telling her it was a reward, I put together an ice cream machine. I just inserted this world's version of cream, sugar, and other ingredients in one end, put some gems with ice properties in the other, and through a process where the machine magically induced the mixture and temperature required, ice cream came out of it.
It was pretty simple. I didn't even need to use my cheat power to learn how to make it. When I presented it to Yomogi, she pointed out that shaved ice already existed. I still had her try it though.
After one taste, she became instantly addicted to it. She claimed that it was the BEST. INVENTION. EVER.
As we ate ice cream, I asked her what she wanted. After the last few years and how kind and annoying she'd been, I still expected her to backstab me, or to take advantage of me, or whatever. But I wanted to ask anyway. Maybe to test her and see how she'd respond?
…
She wanted to see the sea. When I asked why she said it was because of the books she'd read about it in my library.
She didn't want riches. She didn't want a place in the world or anything. She just wanted to see the ocean with me…
Heh.
I arranged the trip with my parents and a week later, we were at the beach. I was eating ice cream from my machine while she played around in the sand like she was a little girl. It was annoying in some ways, but… good in others.
And I can admit that even though I'm not a fan of the outdoors, it was one of the most relaxing days in my entire life. In both my lives, to be honest. And it'd also been something I'd desperately needed. Genuine friendship.
"You should sell the design for this." She told me at the end of the day.
"What?" I responded.
"This ice cream is so good. You'd definitely make a ton of money selling this." She added to her previous statement.
…
I thought about it long and hard. Then I shook my head. "This is one thing I'll keep to myself."
She cocked her head at that. But I didn't elaborate further.
It was honestly the first time I'd invented something without the intention of making a profit.
I didn't want anybody else to ruin it. And this day had been special to me.
So I kept it between us, for whenever we went back to visit that beach. Something we did as often as circumstances allowed.
And thus I passed through the teenage phase of my new life.
- ENTRY #8 -
Finally, I get to the point I'm at now. This took a while to get to, and I had to pause on and off because of the things going on in the world right now. But I can finish detailing my life up till now at the very least.
By the time I was 18, I was pretty much independent. My parents had helped me all they could but when they realized they'd just be getting in my way, they went to living a quiet life back in our home while I took the reins of our family's affairs. I decided to take the world by storm this time.
Unlike before, I had a hefty amount of liquid assets thanks to some smart investments. With these funds, I managed to build myself a nice mansion and refurbished it. I'd always wanted a home out in the forest. And I finally got what I wanted.
At Yomogi's insistence, we traveled the world together. Peddling my inventions by demonstrating their effects and helping various groups of people. I was still reluctant to do so, but I suppose there are merits to a smart advertisement campaign even if it cuts into your profits initially. The people were happy to receive free help and became much much more interested in what I was selling afterward. It also got Yomogi off my back while making more money for me.
I got to deal with plagues. Natural disasters. Famines. Monster attacks. Etc. I worked with plenty of different folks. The Gem People were especially fun to work with.
They've been this world's most notorious pursuers of progress for centuries and made for some very good business partners. By working together with them, I managed to help improve crop payoffs at farms and advance medicines in certain areas with the right amount of machinery and gems.
In short, I was beginning to make a name for myself in this world.
Around the time I was 20, however, my employers started to become impatient. After all, I still had my contractual obligations to fulfill and I no longer had the excuse of being a powerless child. I'd raised my level somewhat by facing monsters with Yomogi. But if I truly wanted to stand a chance, I'd have to steal a Hero weapon.
That is another ability that was granted to me and other reincarnators. Once our level is high enough, we can steal a Hero weapon and force it to obey us with our power. Or at least, that is what should have happened.
Thanks to my connections, it was easy for me to get into Luvar's Capital and enter the building where the Vassal Book sat on a lone pedestal. It was in the middle of a library with some of the shelves dedicated to stories about the past Book Heroes.
It didn't look like much. But I was going to get elevated in status even further if I 'made' it choose me. I could even take some of those other books and destroy them. Since that was also something that my employers wanted me to do.
It was supposed to be a simple matter, but…
The Book disappeared from the pedestal in a flash of light, only to reappear directly in my hand. It chose me to be its wielder willingly.
I was speechless. Was it defective or something?! I didn't have to steal it or force it to obey my will or anything! It was ludicrous!
Though, then again, I have noticed that my attack stat has gotten a lot lower since getting it. So maybe it just did this so it could inflict me with its stat build or something?
Whatever. I normally let Yomogi or anyone else around me deal with monsters anyways. The Book is mainly useful as a support weapon. And more importantly, becoming its wielder elevated me into a very important position in Luvar. That was my main reason for wanting to steal it anyway.
The people in this world look at Heroes as political icons or tools depending on who they are and how they can be used. The Book and my connections in Luvar shot me to the top of the pecking order more quickly than any democratic process ever could have.
I consider it one of my greatest accomplishments. It was too easy. Even Yomogi looked at me with sincere happiness and…
That's right, there is one thing that I forgot to mention. She had confessed her love to me shortly before I became the Book Hero.
It was an uncomfortable conversation. I was aware of such concepts from my studies but I have never experienced the sensation myself. It was alien and confusing to me. But ultimately it was just another chemical reaction in humanity's collective lizard brain that made everyone feel good about themselves. So its absence had never bothered me.
Until now that is.
I contemplated marrying her to fulfill my social obligations, but the notion of a sexual relationship with Yomogi filled me with dread and disgust. I had no interest in her in that regard. She was physically attractive and her personality was a pleasant one, but watching her slowly grow up from a malnourished child into a beautiful young woman over the years killed all potential sexual thoughts I had regarding her.
So I rejected her as gently as I could, using that argument.
She'd looked destroyed back then when I rejected her, but it was better to make our relationship clear right now instead of stringing her along. Yomogi is a beautiful and smart girl. A bit annoying at times, but an overall good person. I am certain that she will find a suitable partner in time.
And if not, I suppose I could dedicate some of my time to play matchmaker for her eventually. She deserves that much for her exceptional work and dedication to me over the years.
Well, regardless, she got over it fairly quickly. And she even stuck around for some reason despite my rejection. I have long since terminated her slave ofuda, since it was pointless and detrimental to the kind of work I needed her to perform. She could have left at any time without any hard feelings, but she didn't.
I still wonder, why? Did she have some false hope that I'd change my mind? Such foolishness. I can't understand her at times.
Well, I am now caught up on my life in this world. I honestly can't say if the words of my anger management counselor have helped me out or not. I have no idea if I'll write in this stupid thing ever again. I still feel resentment toward my former life, and every day is another step forward to me conquering this place.
But given that I can store this Journal inside the Vassal Book, no one else, not even my employers, can access it while it is in here.
So maybe I'll continue to write my private thoughts in it? I don't know. That's what smart people do, right? It has also become easy to notice when 'they' are observing me and when they're not. This is one way for me to keep something over them.
It does appear that more trouble is starting to be stirred up in this world thanks to the Demon Dragon. So maybe some more interesting things will happen from here? I can guess my employers will want me to start taking out Heroes soon though. Maybe they'll have me take out the Hero that Sickle plans on summoning?
If not, well, I can at least detail how I took over the world through either economic or military force.
And here, I thought I wouldn't be writing in this dumb thing again. And so soon after my last entry too.
A few days ago, the King of Sickle sent out a recruitment notice to all the Vassal Heroes in the world to help slay the Demon Dragon.
That creature has truly grown into a nuisance during these last couple of months. It's been raiding other countries increasingly often now. Not only that, it has empowered four monsters that it calls its 'Generals' to do its bidding.
One of them destroyed a major source of investment I had outside of Lazuli when it tried and failed to breach the city's walls. Another general killed the Katana Hero, though it was a rather short-lived triumph on its part. The weapon chose its wielder's younger brother as its new wielder right away. The new Katana Hero then proceeded to drive all the monsters out of his town. The last two generals have been wreaking havoc across other parts of the world as well. And that isn't including what the Demon Dragon itself has managed to accomplish.
That Dragon and its armies are really starting to become a threat to my own plans for world domination. King Berg requested for us 'Heroes' to band together to assist the Hunting Tools Hero, who was summoned a couple of months back to save the world from this threat. Back then, I had no idea why he chose to hold off on announcing the Hunting Hero's summoning. Seemed like a foolish move if you asked me…
Thankfully, I am not one to keep all of my eggs in one basket. Despite the losses that I suffered from that damn lizard, I still have quite a bit to my name, so much, in fact, that I decided to have Yomogi stay home and keep track of my lesser affairs while I'm gone. Since I have made her my official retainer and representative, she even has the authority to show up in my place for Luvar's political affairs now.
I'm not afraid to leave her be for a while. She has proven herself to be trustworthy enough to not drive a dagger in my back while I'm gone. And she is smart enough to not mess everything up. Worst case scenario, she can always give me a call to discuss important matters if any come up.
Now, because of my weapon's stat restrictions, I'm going to have to play a support role in this endeavor. But I am fine with that. It's much more preferable to stay back and let the fools throw themselves into danger in my place.
That's right, I ended up following up on King Berg's 'summons'. Not by choice, mind you. I would have preferred to deal with that dragon by myself.
However, my... 'employers' have contacted me personally on this matter as well. 'They' told me that the beast had to be dealt with quickly. It could prove to be a major obstacle in the way of the Waves of Catastrophe years from now if it were allowed to take over the world. The Demon Dragon is not only the "King of Monsters" in this world, but it also has humans loyal to it, as well as the ability to create loyal undead servants from amongst the living. If it were in control and summoned the other three Cardinal Heroes by itself when the Waves of Catastrophe hit…
Well, that is why my 'masters' have told me to deal with this creature immediately. It's a no-brainer, but I wish 'they' had informed me about it sooner.
…
'They' have also ordered me to kill the Hunting Tools Hero if I get the chance. I'd have the perfect opportunity to do so as I could easily get close to them under the guise of a 'support' Hero. And since the war with the Demon Dragon was going to impact my ability to take over the world, I thought, why not? And if I learned how it used magic to control its servants, that'd be an even bigger bonus for me when the time came for me to make my own bid for world domination.
So I decided to go along with their plan and went to meet this 'great' Hero everyone was talking about today. And she is the main reason I'm writing in this damn thing again.
You see, I thought that if I integrated myself into Sickle's coalition, I could make a name for myself amongst the idiots there, and make it easier to fool the other Vassal Heroes in attendance to boot. I could eliminate all of them in one fell swoop later on…
…
"Wow, mister! You look super smart! You must be the Book Hero that King Dad mentioned! I'm Kizuna, nice to meet you!"
Those were the exact words the Hunting Tools Hero said to me today.
The Hunting Tools Hero is a little girl. Not even a teenager.
That was why the King of Sickle had held off on announcing that her summoning was successful until now.
…
…
…
What the #$%& have I gotten myself into?
- ENTRY #10 -
Damn this brat! Just what the hell is wrong with her?! I thought I had seen some awful managers in my time, but never in my life would I have expected for a goddamn preteen to be this much of a slave driver! That stupid brat's bossiness is matched only by her sheer arrogance and ignorance. She is stubborn, stupidly innocent, and idealistic to a fault and it's driving me up the wall!
In short, she's the worst possible person we could have leading our forces right now!
She's never happy with any of the plans or the suggestions that I put forward! Not one! And only because they involve a high likelihood of people dying during them!
Even the freaking Boat Hero, the only other person in the war room besides myself who seems to have more than a single brain cell in his head, agrees with me about how my strategies would not only work, but that they're absolutely necessary for curbing the Demon Dragon's advances against the nations of our world!
Label has already lost half of its territory, and Mikikage is nearly entirely taken over! Its Capital is barely holding out! Lapis and other nations around the world are struggling to do their parts while we're over here twiddling our thumbs! At least my home country of Luvar is holding the monster hordes off, for the moment. In no small part thanks to Yomogi using her charisma to force the useless cretins at the Parliament to actually follow the orders that I send back to the letter. But even then, it's only a matter of time before the Demon Dragon's forces figure out some kind of weakness to exploit or straight up overwhelm the defense lines I set up to protect my assets and-
Anyway, as I wrote earlier the Boat Hero has been trying to convince the Hunting Tools Hero that sacrifices are sometimes necessary, but it's been to no avail! And despite her being a brat, the King of Sickle and most of the others besides the new Katana Hero basically give her free reign to tell everyone what to do, with only the barest minimum of restrictions! And even when Kenshiro is here to knock some sense into her, it only lasts for a short while since he's always on the front lines fighting the monsters back and trying to single-handedly liberate his country's occupied territories!
It's absolutely ridiculous! This War will never progress in humanity's favor so long as this girl is in charge! Maybe that's why my bosses told me to eliminate her?! We'll only be able to stall the Demon Dragon's advances at best if we're never willing to sacrifice people to gain an advantage!
Urgh! I'm so tempted to kill her right now! If nothing changes during these next few days, I might just do it! Forget about her being a child! She is not just useless, she is a detriment that needs to be removed!
- ENTRY #11 -
Looking back at this last entry makes me want to just erase it, but alas. Even I am prone to make the occasional miscalculation.
My frustration from before finally boiled over because of one of our previous meetings. Kizuna asked me how I can proclaim myself as the smartest person in the world when I can't even put together a plan that doesn't involve any planned casualties.
I got very angry, almost to the point where I was feeling deranged. I had never felt such a strong desire to prove somebody wrong before. So after writing down my previous journal entry, I spent all night working nonstop, fueled by my rage over how this stupid brat could call me out on my 'supposed' lack of intelligence when she was the one who was obviously in the wrong.
Anyway, I wanted to prove she was wrong just so I could rub it in her face. And in an interesting turn of events, the boat hero, Ethnobalt, visited me the following morning while I was beating my head against this problem and helped me out.
At first, he just appeared to be concerned, since I didn't show up for breakfast in the Sickle Castle's mess hall. He'd found my workspace in disarray, with notes and maps I'd pored over that night sprawled all over the place. And he just happened to pick one of my notes up and ask me why I'd discarded it. The plan I'd written on it had been feasible and would not only push the monsters out of Mikikage but simultaneously ease the burdens on Label and Luvar too.
There was a problem with it, however. And I begrudgingly explained to him that the area's layout was suboptimal for such a large movement of our troops, and that it wouldn't fit the 'no casualties' criteria that Kizuna had set for me. After studying it some more, however, the boat hero suddenly pointed out to me how the map of that area which I'd been using was actually somewhat inaccurate and outdated to boot. He then pulled a different one out from his weapon for me to look over.
The two of us spent the rest of that morning poring it over together. And he was right. The map I'd been using really had been outdated. It didn't account for hills we could position our troops on and rain ranged attacks down from. Valleys that we could use to sneak past enemy positions and ambush them behind their lines while our other forces kept the enemy distracted.
Suddenly, my job became a whole lot easier! And Ethnobalt helped me out a ton too, showing how his Boat could contribute to the plan in ways I'd never thought about before.
In the end, I was able to present a zero casualty, foolproof plan to Kizuna that'd cut off a part of the Demon Dragon's Army, reclaim a large chunk of Mikikage and Label to use as a staging area against the Demon Dragon's forces in the future, and alleviate pressure on my own nation from future attacks. I still remember how everyone in the room was shocked at its elegance and simplicity…
…
I'd planned on mocking Kizuna for her tantrum from the previous day. Now that I'd clearly shown how I actually was the smartest person they had in that room…
But instead of getting angry at being proven wrong, she beamed at me after I was finished.
"Thanks, Kyo! This is a miracle! I'm sorry for calling you stupid before! To think you were able to come up with a plan like this in so short a time! You definitely are the smartest in the world right now!"
…
Those were her exact words to me.
I was so stupefied that I wasn't even able to get in how Ethnobalt's contributions had helped me out, since his gathering of sources and data had been the only thing that'd made my job of drawing this plan up possible. But even when I tried to do that later in the conversation, Ethnobalt interrupted and kept me from speaking, telling me later that he'd only brought me reference materials and pointed out minor issues. I'd been the one doing all the brainstorming.
…
What is up with everyone here?
- ENTRY #12 -
It's been a week. The plan that I put forward went off without a hitch.
The Demon Dragon's Army suffered a crushing defeat. Kenshiro himself almost killed another one of the Generals with Prince L'Arc and Kizuna's help. And while our foe got away with her wind magic in the end, she's definitely far too injured to participate in any future battles anytime soon, so I'll count that as a win.
My plan went even better than expected too. All of Mikikage and Label's territory was liberated. What I thought had only been a weakness in the surrounding area had actually allowed our forces to penetrate deep behind the enemy defense lines. By the time they finally realized we'd cut them off from their allies, they'd been surrounded by our forces on all sides.
All the experts would say that our counteroffensive should have had double to triple the casualties than the other side. But that didn't happen. By the time it was over, we only lost a couple hundred men and women.
…
I actually expected Kizuna to throw another tantrum and complain about the fact that people had still died despite my brilliant plan working so well, but… she didn't.
She thanked me again instead, and hugged me after listening to the full report along with the other leaders of the alliance.
I really should have kept my mouth shut and just rolled with it, in retrospect. But my annoyance and anger at her hypocrisy reared its ugly head again. I could not help but bitterly and mockingly ask why she was not showing any reaction to the news about all the deaths. She used to make such a huge stink every time anyone would even remotely bring up the possibility of such a thing happening before. So why did I even bother putting in the effort into this plan then?
All the eyes in the room were on her. The others joined me in solidarity for once, even the king of Sickle who was the one responsible for letting Kizuna do whatever she wanted in the first place.
…
Her response made me rethink a lot of things.
It turned out that the reason why she was angry before was not because our actions would result in people's deaths. Rather, she was furious because we not only accepted such a thing as the norm, but were, in fact, actually planning around and for it, by using the lives of the soldiers as just another asset to use and gain an advantage.
She wasn't actually so stupid and ignorant that she thought that we could legitimately win without suffering any casualties. No, what she wanted was to eliminate this particular mindset at the war table; that our people are simply pieces on a chessboard to move around and sacrifice as we see fit.
"We shouldn't be planning out how we are going to die." She said. "We should be planning out how we're going to smile and live together!"
…
While I personally disagree with such sentiments, I have to admit that the brat is not as stupid as I thought her to be. Even if it was done in a rather crude and hamfisted way, her actions inspired everyone, including myself, to act and put more effort into our work. Which in turn improved both its overall quality and quantity.
I'm still annoyed by her overly positive attitude… but I can't help but concede now that her presence here is bringing an overwhelmingly positive impact on everyone's morale.
…
I wonder if even Kenshiro is starting to take notice of that too?
The Katana Hero seems to be going just a tad easier on her compared to before as of late.
- ENTRY #14 -
It has been several weeks, but the war continues.
My skills as a strategist have been more critical than ever. While Kizuna still grates my gears at times, I've learned to get used to her antics.
The plans I am producing now are my best attempts to reduce casualties among our soldiers as much as possible. It has helped that Kizuna and Prince L'Arc were able to go and personally clear the airspace around Lapis with Ethnobalt's help, freeing up their surprisingly superior airfleet in the process.
I have visited Lapis several times in the past, but not even my title as the Book Hero could grant me the credentials necessary to get access to the gem people's famed armaments. The reputation and quality of their enchanting and crafting techniques is only matched by how zealously Lapis protects the process of their manufacturing from outsiders. And while I could have used [Search Engine] to figure out all the details on my own, the engineer in me wanted to study these things for myself firsthand.
Even with the Demon Dragon's threat hanging over us, I would have found the probability of the Gem Empire spilling their secrets unlikely. But through a stroke of luck or perhaps something more, Kizuna somehow managed to gain the empire's full support by helping to end its succession crisis that started when one of the Demon Dragon's generals slayed its previous emperor. Out of all the successors available, she seemed to favor the one known as Corrin for some reason and derailed a good chunk of our resources into putting him and Hinoka on the throne.
He seems like a mediocre pick to me. Overly hesitant and with no ambitions to speak of. His military leadership skills are lacking too. When the matter was discussed I had suggested for Xander to take the throne instead. He would have been a far more useful ally in a military campaign, but my proposal was rejected because he was 'a big meanie'.
I sometimes forget that we are being led by a literal child. Normally I would be more angry, but Corrin has turned out to be rather open-minded compared to his predecessors. He actually granted me and the Boat Hero full access to his country's weapon designs at Kizuna's urging which brought up some... 'intriguing' developments. Beyond the obvious applications, it has also helped me with a fun side project me and Ethnobalt are working on to see if we can make him a ship with a high enough attack stat to allow him to support his friends on the battlefield.
Perhaps the designs will prove useful for my future fleet too.
Anyway, with Lapis's Air Fleet available to assist us, we've been steadily pushing the Demon Dragon's forces back on all fronts. It is only a matter of time before we've recaptured all the territory lost to that vicious beast. And then, we'll have to conduct an invasion of its continent to ensure that it doesn't come out against the world in battle ever again.
I look forward to when that happens. I've still been tasked with killing Kizuna if given the chance. However, since her weapon is our best way to slay the worm, I'm holding off on it for now. And besides, it's not like she'll be able to resist later on, no matter how high her level gets.
The legendary Hunting Tool prevents the user from harming other humans, making them easy pickings. Not to mention, she is still a child.
I'd still rather not kill a child if it came down to it. But orders are orders, and 'they' are not the kind of people you want to disobey.
Not without a death wish, at the very least.
Fortunately, there is still time.
- ENTRY #15 -
I… am unsure where to begin here, but let's give it a try.
There is an old holiday from my world, one that my parents never participated in called Christmas. Granted, not many families in Japan participated in it for obvious reasons outside of the money it raked in for the various corporations.
But anyway, it appears that the world Kizuna came from also celebrated Christmas. And she told King Berg about it, and he invited the rest of us to participate. Granted, I can see why, since we need all the morale we can get while we plan out the invasion of the Demon Dragon's homeland.
No plans I've come up with have been able to calculate how we'll be able to perform an aquatic or air landing without losing a lot of people. But then, I don't think such a thing is possible. Not without being able to fool a beast capable of seeing through every illusionary tactic out there. At this point, all of us know that this won't be a low-casualty affair and that there will be a lot more death ahead than ever before.
But still, even with that in mind, I wasn't sure if such a festivity would be worth going to or not.
I went anyway, I even made sure to get Kizuna a gift that'd be useful. Though only if she learned how to read. It was my way of picking at her lack of intelligence since she still hadn't learned the language since being summoned. But…
She accepted it. No, she LOVED it. She thought it was the greatest gift ever and was inspired to learn how to read because of it.
And of course, she hugged me again. She seems intent on giving those out like candy for some gods forsaken reason. I don't think that even my mother had hugged me as many times, back when I was just a baby in my previous life, as Kizuna has done in the last few months.
It feels awkward and uncomfortable every time she does it because it always brings a reminder up to the forefront of my mind that I am supposed to kill her. And that makes something in my chest twist horribly every time, despite me being perfectly healthy.
…
Why does she do it? Why does she always seem to only see the best in everyone around her? I would dismiss her as just another idiot but she has displayed ruthless cunning far beyond her age in other ways.
So why? I'm still going to have to kill her when this is all said and done.
I can't disobey my orders.
Because if I do. Then I'll…
- ENTRY #16
The war is over. We've won, which was inevitable with my contributions. The lizard had a few tricks up his sleeve right until the end, however.
Unlike previous battles, there were a lot of casualties. We were not only fighting the monsters, but the people serving under the Demon Dragon. Kizuna couldn't do anything to them and had to focus solely on her battle with the Demon Dragon while the rest of us fought the humans and monsters, as well as the hordes of undead serving under the Demon Dragon.
It was a rough campaign. From the initial landings all the way to the final confrontation. Not even the Gem People using the power of their ships to form a massive and honestly astounding illusion landing elsewhere on the continent diverted the Demon Dragon or its forces from our real landing spot.
Kenshiro got an ugly burn scar on the right half of his face from being forced to take a blast of dragon fire to protect Kizuna. He is growing alarmingly soft and complacent compared to before, but I suppose it doesn't matter anymore since we've already won.
The Harpoon and Mirror wielders both died during the battle. But in the end, Kizuna managed to slay the beast together with Prince L'Arc and Glass, and the Demon Dragon's remaining Generals and monsters all scattered while the humans and undead fought to the bitter end.
It was a massacre and all of them had to be put down. But now, even if the Demon Dragon is revived by some idiot, it'd take it hundreds of years to amass the forces it once had to launch an attack on the world again.
Hopefully, by the time that'd be possible, another dragon will have grown up and found its core. If the dragon's personality is strong enough, then it could overcome the Demon Dragon's personality and erase it from existence. Eliminating such a threat entirely.
I will probably consider this if I feel it becomes important enough for me.
Anyway, the war is over, and I am now back in my lab at my mansion for the first time in what feels like years.
My trip was not without its rewards. I have plenty of materials from the beast for future experiments if I so desire. Along with that, while having Kizuna alongside me while exploring its old castle, I found information relating to the Core Method of Kizuna's weapon. Information that she herself did not have till she read it alongside me due to 'their' interference prior to her summoning.
Had she had it, that fight could have been so much easier, but oh well. It allowed me to learn that Heroes were capable of sharing methods with each other. Something that Kizuna and the others have not realized as of yet. This could fit in well with my future plans. And while I might not have many offensive options still, being able to inflict double damage against monsters is a nice boon.
Besides what I took from my trip, I found that Yomogi kept everything clean and pristine, just the way I like it. She didn't interfere with any of my ongoing experiments either. She handled all my affairs to the letter while I was gone, and even somehow used her political influence as my proxy coupled with her natural charisma to discreetly secure me the rights to a mine in Luvar that had recently unearthed an adamantium ore vein. The mine is close to the Misty Forest too.
I went to check on it immediately since it sounded too good to be true, but it was real adamant ore and of high quality too. Normally, I would have to report this discovery to Lapis and sign a forced exclusivity contract to sell the ore only to them. It was part of a bunch of old international treaties.
I will do no such thing.
Besides having had enough bureaucratic red tape in my previous life, I am not planning to sell the ore to anyone on the black market in the first place. I already have plenty of perfectly legal sources of income. Oh no, something like this warrants to be kept for personal use.
Yes. Yomogi has done very well. She exceeded my every expectation for her…
…
Before I left Sickle, Kizuna said she wanted to honor me for all the hard work I put in to save everyone with my strategies. I'd felt envious of the others being honored when it was my hard work that made them so successful. And yet, when she said that…
I couldn't bring myself to accept it.
Thinking back on it now, this was also the perfect opportunity to kill her. She was far away from everyone else. I could have easily done the deed and made it to the hourglass before they could capture me. But the thought never crossed my mind.
All I could focus on was her indirectly calling me her friend when she invited me to go on a celebratory fishing trip later.
…
I said that I would think about it, but the answer is a firm no.
Planning out how to kill her is becoming hard enough as it is.
- ENTRY #20 -
It has been several months since the fall of the Demon Dragon.
'They' are getting impatient with me again since there is no more reason to keep Kizuna around anymore.
I've told 'them' repeatedly that I already have a plan to discreetly eliminate her. That I am merely just working on my experiments while I wait for the opportunity to kill her and all the other Vassals in one fell swoop.
The Mirror has already chosen a new wielder, and I learned that the Harpoon had also chosen another wielder during the Final Battle against the Demon Dragon. However, I have not been able to learn any details about the Mirror's summoning. As for the details of the original Harpoon wielder's death…
Regardless, I've told 'them' that I'm working on it. And that I just need a little more time to ensure that the brat will be gone. And so will the other vassals that aren't loyal to 'them'.
Kizuna invited me to come along on another one of her fishing trips again.
I had to come up with another reason to pass on it.
- ENTRY #24 -
Kizuna keeps on sending me letters, asking if I want to come on her latest planned fishing trip. The fact that she isn't choosing to send me an ofuda to contact me that way shows how personal this is to her.
She's long since learned to read, and has even learned how to write since these letters are no longer written by Glass or Prince L'Arc or even Ethnobalt. Her handwriting is a little messy at times, and she often uses the wrong characters to spell out a word, but despite that her writing shows clear signs of hard work and progress.
She keeps writing to me to tell me about the various adventures that she and the rest of her friends have gone on lately. The Demon Dragon might be gone, but there is always work to be done for Heroes. She is meeting new people and seeing new things every day, eager to experience everything this world has to offer. She has also gone through the whole book I gave her back when we celebrated Christmas together. And in her latest letter, she said she wants to ask for my help to find a certain fish off the coast of Mikikage that only appears when it is storming.
I've had to tell her repeatedly that I'm too busy with my own work. But that I'll consider it when I have time.
'They' are growing more impatient though. I'm sure, the next time I see Kizuna, they'll force me to kill her. Or else, it'll be my soul that gets destroyed.
…
In the past, I used to feel eager to work with 'them', because I thought that all worlds everywhere were full of scum and awful people. That some of them could be useful as tools to exploit, but nothing more.
But now?... Now I can't help but wonder. Did the world I come from really have no good people in it? Or was I just not paying enough attention to see them around me?
After reading over my old entries, I recalled fond memories of my professors and counselor. How they earnestly helped me to succeed. I wrote it off back then as them being only interested in networking and wanting to profit off the fruits of my labor. And yet, thinking back on my interactions with them now…
Was… was I wrong?
- ENTRY #25 -
I don't want to do it.
I don't want to kill Kizuna.
I don't want to be a part of this anymore.
I must find a way out.
The Hunting Tools Hero has gone missing.
She disappeared during a shipwreck off the coast of Mikikage.
She was trying to find that stupid fish species she kept writing to me about.
I wondered why I haven't gotten any letters from her lately. Prince L'Arc sent me a message through an ofuda and gave me the news in his own voice.
Everyone is desperately looking for her. And the only clue they have that is pointing to the fact that Kizuna is still alive is the shikigami that Ethnobalt had made for her and the Fan Hero last Christmas. It would be able to tell if one of its 'parents' was dead.
…
I am going back to Sickle to help.
- ENTRY #30 -
Nothing.
There is nothing. No clue. No trace. No witnesses. No shipwreck. No evidence anywhere pointing to what happened.
King Berg is emptying Sickle's coffers trying to use every available means to find her.
Me and Ethnobalt are working day and night trying to use every available tracking, clairvoyance, and detection ritual this world has to offer to find her, but nothing is working!
Even the damn penguin is useless! The shikigami are supposed to be the ultimate tracking device used long, long ago by sailors from an ancient civilization! They would leave them with their families, so they wouldn't worry about their health and whereabouts during long voyages!
Or to give a definitive answer that they had perished.
The fact that Chris isn't able to do his job is not normal, no matter how you look at it.
I excused myself to return home to Luvar for a couple of days under the pretense that I needed a break. No one questioned it. Everyone in Sickle, including King Berg, trusts me explicitly, even without Kizuna around.
I have suspicions about what might have happened. But I need to confirm it away from prying eyes. It has been a while since I last used the cheat skill that 'they' granted me. [Search Engine]. It has lost its appeal to me as of late. And I fear the truth that it might reveal.
But this is an emergency. Time to put it to the test…
- ENTRY #31 -
I have made a mistake.
I should have known. They are always watching. This is all being shown in real time after all.
I should have known, yet I could not resist. When I asked [Search Engine] where Kizuna was, 'they' descended upon me with my punishment.
Of course they took her. Who else is able to interfere in the universe the way 'they' do? They realized that I had grown too close with those who I was meant to destroy. They waited for me to use their gift to catch me in the act of trying to find Kizuna and punished me greatly for it.
My mind feels foggy, there is little that I can remember about the event. Perhaps that in itself is a blessing, because every time I try to recall the details, I begin to vomit uncontrollably and experience symptoms usually associated with seizures.
Whatever had happened has destroyed half of my Mansion and left Yomogi's body scarred with Cursed fire. She was crying uncontrollably and clinging to my body when I finally snapped out of my madness.
What an idiot…
On the plus side, I finally have effective offensive skill options, thanks to the two new tomes I unlocked.
I will make sure 'they' pay for what they did.
- ENTRY #35 -
The main event has finally begun. The Waves of Destruction are here.
This is going to be f̶͓͈͚̂̚͠u̴͓̱̝̚n̶̫̣̪͊͘̕
- ENTRY #45 -
I said goodbye to Ethnobalt and the others today.
With Kenshiro's death and the newly summoned Cardinal Heroes refusing to participate in the Waves any longer, it is only a matter of time until this world implodes.
I guess it's up to me to save the world then. Since no one else will.
So that Yomogi, Ethnobalt, and the others will have somewhere to live in peace.
So that Kizuna would not be disappointed in me.
And so I can k̸̖͋̀̓̐̚ȉ̶͎͉̫̞͋̽͜ḷ̷̥̔͆̊̄͌̍͊̊͋͛̈́̉̈́̕ľ̸̟̩̜̜͎̮͚̭̘͙̌̅͐̆̈̽̈́ ̴̧̲̪̯̜͗̓̍̓̽̉̏̐̏͆'t̷̛̛̤͖̬̙̍̂̃̈́̑̏͝ḥ̴̨͚̹̯̤͇͛͛̓͛̒̂͊̔̾̽̐̓̚̕è̴̦̯͖͇͚͖̳̯̫̆̇m̶̯͎̏' for taking everything from me!
— ENTRY #57 —
All the Guardian Beasts are now slain. I decided to lend Sickle's coalition a hand once more to deal with them. Though I've parted ways with the others again.
It was almost too easy. We basically ambushed the three of them at the moment of their awakenings, before they could properly power up. Though, the fact is, a lot of people still died as they awoke near population centers. And even with our ambushes we were incapable of bringing them down immediately.
Either way, with their deaths, I have many new materials to work with.
I have a g̵̞̳̲̱̩̫̐̈́͆͝͠ǫ̶̝̠̰̤̦̋͗́̀̽͝o̶̢̼͋͠ḑ̷̘̝̗͚̞̰̏̿͘ ̶̬̙͈̽̏̄̈́͝f̵̠̜͍̗̀ę̴̗̦͎̺̣͊̏͆e̶̪̭͗̆̀̋̐̂̈́l̷͕̘̠̱̬̿͜ĭ̸̩n̵̦͈̬̥̩͓͇͑g̸̭͚̫̬̃̀̄͗͒̅ about this now!
- ENTRY #58 -
Amazing! I've spent all this time trying to figure the first part out, but my fellow reincarnator in Label already did so! Behind my back too! The jerk!
After stealing a few of his homunculi and dissecting them, it became clear that they were incomplete. However, that was hardly of any concern. It is much easier to finish something than it is to build it from scratch, after all.
Now that I have the basis for building homunculi, it should be easier to build myself a new vessel.
I just need to figure out how to sever my soul contract still.
What is the power needed to overcome it? If only I could ask Ethnobalt to help me again. He had been researching the Waves before I left with the books I didn't manage to steal from him. But he never gave me an answer to the riddle I left him with during the brief time we spent facing the Guardian Beasts together.
Perhaps he might find something useful to help overcome the power 'they' possess, something that I haven't managed to find in the texts I've gathered on 'them'.
— ENTRY #62 —
Yomogi has been checking in on me more lately. I get the feeling that she's worried for me. I hardly sleep and eat these days according to her. She tells me I'm pushing myself too hard.
I don't care though. I am more than able to handle it.
I'm the only one who can ş̴͓̗̮͈͂̀̿͜ͅa̸̡̢͍̰͓̣̘̝̗̝̣̎̌̏̆̄̄͘v̸̧̨̗̘̝̖̦̙͗̃̈́e̸͈͈̜̣̠̟̰͕͇͌̇̇̚ ̸̢̨̛̲̘̱̰̰͖̮̬͍̰͈͚̃͆̓̆̅̐̽͛̏́͛̚ư̸̧͈̭̱̰̻̲̦̩̠̞͌̌́͗̋̉̓̃̾͑̈́̚s̷̢̊͆̆́̂̎́̀ after all.
- ENTRY #69 -
Progression on the homunculi is proceeding as expected. I have fixed the development of the internal organs and a few even look like they could walk out of their pods at any moment.
Yet, while I've managed to accomplish this, and while I'm closer to my goal than I have ever been… I still have not yet found a power source for the ultimate body I'm trying to design. One that could free my soul from the contract that binds me to 'them'.
Things in the world are going from bad to worse. It is clear now that 'they' have put many more reincarnators than I expected in other positions of power. The politics of the world is turning into a true &^%$ show, and many countries have joined Label in blaming Sickle for Kenshiro's death.
I've even learned that L'Arc and Glass have started traveling to other worlds. Killing the Cardinal Heroes on them in an attempt to save our world.
They truly are foolish. Sacrificing other worlds isn't going to save ours. One might mistakenly think that if we give 'them' a good show of bloodshed and betrayal, that they might find us entertaining enough to leave us be this time for a future 'sequel'. I know better than that, however. I know what they are like.
Their petty cruelty. Their twisted sense of humor.
They will be far more likely to kill us all even if we bend over backwards to please them, just to subvert their fellows 'expectations' for some cheap shock value that will be forgotten in a moment like everything else they've ever done.
No, trying to play by their rules is only doing what 'they' want. And it's only a matter of time before the Vassals on those worlds that L'Arc, Glass and Therese have visited decide to come back for revenge and perpetuate the cycle of violence and death for the amusement of my employers.
Kizuna wouldn't have wanted this.
Kizuna wanted a world where the people could smile and live together in peace and harmony, didn't she?
Then I mustn't waste anymore time! I must focus all my efforts on s̶̡̕á̶̠̮̪̯͉̩̰̋v̶̛͉̭́̆̓̕͜į̶̱̱͎͒̋̉̋͝n̸̗̱̭̍̃͆̓̑̃g̶̲͕̞̩͑͐͝ ̵̝͖̣͌͌͐͗t̸̺̠̖͒͂̔̎͗h̶̺̅̽̒̾̈́̎͝į̵̱̝̅̐̀̓͑s̶̢̫̖̬̠͋͊̅̏͘͝ ̵̼͉͙̪̜̯̿w̴̲͇̫̰͗̿͠o̴̡̰͙̮̻͌́r̶͚̗̩̣̘̒͒͐ĺ̵̲̅͑͑d̵̰̱̯͈̹̰̻͐̿̑̏̾͒!
If only I could free my soul from this damn contract! I need a power that can counter even the gods, yet… what power could possibly do that?
I must research this further if I am ever to be free to save this world!
- ENTRY #78 -
I have done it.
I know what is needed now.
It's so simple. I even helped to fight them off since they could have threatened my research.
The Guardian Beasts.
The soul power they gather from destroying nations… I've done the calculations by hand in the Vassal Book itself to try and avoid drawing attention from 'them' to my plans. But it could be enough to power the ultimate body I'm designing.
That Adamantium mine… I originally played around with the ore samples I found there with the intent to make some new weapons to help combat the Waves. But in doing so, I found so many more interesting applications for it.
From my studies, I've found that Adamantium has the ability to not only act as a conduit for gem energy, but any form of energy. Perhaps, it could even be used to harness Soul Energy if I combined it with materials from the Guardian Beasts.
It… it could be enough to free my soul… to allow me to save the world from 'them'!
However, the Guardian Beasts of this world are dead, and the soul energy they'd acquired has long since been used up in meaningless barriers to protect our world from the Waves for a time. I could find and awaken the Fourth Beast possibly by convincing one of those three useless Cardinal Fools hiding in Lapis to awaken it for me, but that'd take too much effort, and put me in the line of fire too early with the others.
I'll need to find them somewhere else. Somewhere that's early in the Waves, where the Heroes won't be strong enough to interfere.
- ENTRY #80 -
I found the right world. Only a couple months into the Waves, and it has a large population of people to harvest too. Excellent!
I've informed 'them' of my plan to sacrifice it and steal the soul energy from that world to get 'them' off my back, and so that I'll be given the space and time from 'them' necessary to build this body without them interfering with desires for reports and the like.
My weapon is yelling at me that this could destroy my world. I have since used my powers to shut it up.
Like it could ever understand. As risky as it is, I'll never be able to live the life I want as long as I'm a slave to 'them'. I'll never be able to ş̵̧̢̪̣̲̝̐a̴̧̙̬̲̞̟̙͛̓̿̿́̀͆v̸̬͗͊͌̈́͌e̵̤̔ ̶̛̞̬̻̙̭̭͜o̵͈͚̦̳͎̊̆͋̋͐͑͜u̶̘̻̽r̵̡̭͍̿̓̓̑͜ ̸̨̛̥̻͖̩͆̃w̸̨̙̹͔͂̔o̷̡̐̈̓͠r̵̤̼̥̘̺̅l̷̝̀̚d̴̼̞̩̮͊̆́̏̓ͅͅ so long as it is on the verge of death.
Even… even if this means butchering an entire other world to fuel my ambitions.
There is no other way.
- ENTRY #83 -
I know what I'll do now.
The ultimate body. Harnessing the power of souls correctly could give me the power of 'them' for a long time… and yet, my Book was right.
No matter how many calculations and projections I run, the result is the same. This… this immense power. The power of the soul, the power of the life blood of a planet itself.
It's impossible to wield nor contain safely when fully unleashed.
The result is always the same.
Total annihilation of the world.
…
But that… that could present an opportunity perhaps?...
I could deliberately destroy the world with this process and then absorb the lingering soul energy that would be left behind.
And then… yes, I could use it to make something entirely new in the old world's place!
I was wondering about that before. But now, it's become clear to me, there are so many pathetic roaches everywhere in the world that Kizuna loved. So many that they put down everything good around them and corrupt what little there is left of the world's humanity.
While I've been tinkering with the beast known as the Spirit Tortoise here, I can't help but think how much better it'd be if it was all destroyed and allowed to begin again.
Yes, I thought about being careful, but I think I'll be better off doing it this way instead. Because this way, I'll be able to use my powers to take the souls of the ģ̵̻͖̤͎͗͝ơ̵͇̪̗̜̯̯̮̾̒̏͆̀̇̇͂̕̕͜͠ͅͅo̶̡̦̜͙̽͋̐̽̌́ḏ̴̖̝̥͈̂͘ ̷̢̰̥͚͓͔̖̝̝̽́̅̅̓̈́̂͗̌̈́̋̕͜͝p̴̧̝̪̘̒̓̓̀̊͊̾͂͠ȅ̴͙̩̲̲̯̤͓̈́͋̍̿̃͛̔͝͝͝ͅo̵̻̼̬̰̯̼̖̣͕̎p̶̫̹̘̙̍͋͒͘̚ĺ̸̲̮̏̏̽͛̐͌̽̽e̴͚̖̭̦̒̎ and give them new life in the world I'll create for them.
And at the same time, I'll punish the b̶̛͍̒̍̿̓͛͛̓̀̍̀̓͑̽̕a̶̢͍̺̺͇̭͖͓͙̫̜͎̔̌̑̂́̿̽͝d̶̫̬̰̤͔̦͕̩̓̀͑͂̏͝ͅ ̶̜̥͓̭͔͙̥̫̘̥͓̘̿̿́̒̄́̐͊͂̒̀́̓͜͜͠͝ͅp̶̛̲̜̮͙͈̲̓͂̾̈͜ȩ̷̪͕͎̼̮͉̍ȍ̸̜̻̕͜p̵̆̊̾̋̐͜ľ̵̢͖̫̠̮͚͈̹͓̙̳͕̮̗̇͆̔̃͑̿̽͜͝ȩ̷̗͖͔̱͊̒̎̓̀̉̌͌̒̀͗̋͑ by condemning them to the empty hell of nonexistence! Yes! It's b̴̻͔̫̱̈́r̸̢̺̤̬͕͉̯̹̱͓̮̙̀̀̔̄̃̾͊̑͛͋͠͠͠ͅȉ̸̝̮l̶͓̭͒̒́̐̀͌̂̍̒̂͆͠ľ̵͎͎̰̱̠̗̻̝̥̅̈́̓͑́̋͒i̵̡̘̪̜̫͈̭̞͉̭̞̭̪̒̊̓̾̒̑̂̈́̏̄̚ǎ̷̡̠͖͎̤͈̻̞̼͖͖̫͇͔̎̕n̶̨̟̤̞̜̘̺̝͗ͅt̶̢̨̬͓̰̯̗̤̙̩͋̎̌͂!̷̣͇̖͍̲̻̽͛̒́̏̆̂̐̌ͅ!
I'll be able to make a world where everyone is able to s̷̺͇͖̰̼̭̺̈̆̿́̾̐̓̈͆̕͝ͅm̸͇͐̂̐̽͝i̵̩̳̳̠̞̤̪̫̍ĺ̶̡̞͓̼̖̟̪̭̠͈̗͝e̴̜̤̦͎̼͇̱̬̦̓̽̑̈̇́̆̕̚͝ and l̸̛̼̖̰̼̟̱̋̆̅̇͗̈́͌̌͊̉͘̚̚͜͝a̴̢̟̼̣͖͊ü̷̩͔͕̿̓̄̆̈́̐͑́̑g̵̪͔̝̦͕͍̖̳̮̣͇͈̯̭̽̅̋́̎̑̐̀̈́͋̉̀̓̍͘ẖ̶̡͉͇̰͖͙̯͎͙̅… just like she wanted.
- ENTRY #85 -
AH! THE PAIN! I CAN BARELY FOCUS ENOUGH TO WRITE WITH MY LEFT HAND AS IT IS! WHY DID THAT FREAKING SWORD BRAT HAVE TO CUT OFF MY DOMINANT ARM!?
Oh well, it is no matter. I have succeeded in my designs in the end. Even… even if I had to kill so many people to accomplish them. And there's so much more death ahead before it's all said and done.
But at last, I am at the endgame.
My mind feels clearer than it has in years.
So why… what is this feeling gnawing through my chest again?
Why has it come back now after all these years?
- ENTRY #86 -
I just read through some of my previous journal entries.
What… what is going on? Destroy this world, what am I thinking?! That would be exactly what 'they' want!
And I remembered more of what happened while in that other world as well.
L'Arc, Glass, Therese, why did you guys have to be there too?
Why was I trying to kill them…!?
- ENTRY #87 -
Kizuna…
Kizuna… she was found… she's alive.
Somehow, that Shield Hero found her while trying to cross over.
She's… she's…
…
G̸̢̖̫͛̽̇͌̌̍͠ǫ̸̦̯͔̲̪͌̆̊̏̓̅̆̇̿̚͝͝i̷̧̛̪̖̰̥̋͐̐́͊̈́͆͂͑̎̌͆̚n̸̨̬̘̻̟̹̭͔̱̣̦̝͔̉͂̆̆ͅǵ̶̛̙̱̪͛́̂̾̆͐̏͜͝ ̶̡̬̹̫̰͙̣̲̀͑̌̅̇̊̓̈̀ͅt̸̞̩͓̻͇̦̭̝͌̇͆̎́̈́͆̈́͆͜͜͝ͅọ̵̈ ̶̛̙̠͊̔̃́͊͌̉̌̎̐̂̚͝r̶̛̰̝̅̅̒̾́͛̅͐̆̈́̽̄͑ũ̵̫̹̤̹̦̘̞̩͎̮͚͙̹̓͒̿̈́͝ǐ̷͉͚̗͓̖̮̩̦̼̃̿̀̊͊͂n̸̛̳̲͕̫͖͓̜̹͎̺͖̦̝̳͆͒́̍ ̵̫̹̲̬̘̋͗̌́̌́̑̊̎́̅̚̚͝͝ͅę̷͓̥̜̪̙͖͉̒͒̃̉͑͐͂̓̇̽͜v̴͕̘̺̣̣͙͍̟̠̮̩͍͍̖͍̈́̃̈̍̽e̷̯̹̳̼͛̉̌̉̈́̇͑̚r̶̨̮̩̦̗͖̩̝̠̻̤̫̝̉̀̎ͅý̴̛̞͓͉͔̳̘̖̳͇̱͙͇̟̓͆̂̎̈͌̅͘̚͜͠ͅt̸̥̓ĥ̸̡̢̻̼̹̣̰͉̏͐̄̑͂i̸̧͎͍͍̣͓̝͓̪̤͍̅̏̄̌̊̔̓̀͝ṋ̴͖̰͓̱͆̾͐̋͑͛́g̶̝̝̗̜̲̩̺̦̼̻̐͊́͂̍͠!̶̢̨̡̜̮̫̹̥̩̱̥̤̗̑
…
What?
What are these words?
Who wrote this in my journal in my handwriting?
This isn't me.
This shouldn't be coming from me!
- ENTRY #88 -
I found out how Kizuna disappeared all those years ago.
I paid a visit to Albert while conquering Mikakage to confirm the news.
He is getting the punishment he justly deserves from it.
My mind feels clearer again, but for how long?
Those thoughts won't leave me alone. The feeling in my chest won't go away.
I…
What is happening to me?
Yomogi, please, come back.
I'm scared…
- ENTRY #89 -
No… all of my work was for naught.
'They' knew. 'They' knew what I was planning all along.
They just haven't intervened because 'they' found my struggles to be entertaining. They just wanted to see me fail and destroy my world.
They laughed at me one last time, mocking my idea to use soul energy to break out of my soul contract. They said that even if I were to harvest a hundred or even a thousand worlds worth of it, it would not make a bit of difference. Nothing would ever break their hold on me. Or on the other pieces of Trash they use as their cannon fodder on all worlds.
Especially not while my mind was muddled by my Cursed Series.
…
That is why my past journal entries became so disturbed.
I just looked at my Book and confirmed that 'they' were right.
Those two tomes I unlocked that gave me offensive capabilities…
…
I just used [Search Engine] to finally verify it.
My only purpose in being born… our only purpose in serving them… is to destroy it all.
Everything… all that I've done up to this point… all that I did in the name of saving this world…
It was for nothing.
My plan will not work.
Because of me, everyone will die.
…
I never had a chance.
I
Never
Had
A
Chance…
- ENTRY #90 -
I remembered what happened that day now. After finding the pair of glasses Yomogi gave me.
They didn't punish me after all.
They never even appeared.
I punished myself when I fell into Despair after learning a twisted version of the truth from [Search Engine] and unlocked both of my Cursed Series at the same time.
Yomogi was trying to stop me. To snap me out of it before I went out to destroy everything in my path.
I remember her cries. Her stubbornness to bring me back to the light. She even hugged me when all else failed.
That's why she was hurt so badly when I came out of it.
That is why I have been slowly growing insane as of late.
I hurt her.
I was the one that hurt Yomogi, the first person to ever really care about me.
…
…
Guilt.
That is what the feeling in my chest was. I understand it now.
…
Yomogi…
I…
I wish that I could do better by you… but it is impossible.
I cannot beat 'them'. I will never be able to beat 'them'. I will never be able to give us the happy ending that you and our friends desire.
All I can do… is fulfill my purpose and destroy everything so we won't have to suffer any longer.
…
…
May you and Kizuna forgive me for what I do next.
Naofumi almost thought that was the end of it, as the next page was blank. But he found that turning the page afterward revealed more writing. Unlike previous pages, the writing was messy and scrawled as if in a hurry.
This… this was what Kyo had written after he'd been beaten by the Shield Hero and his allies.
Kizuna, I will not tarnish your eyes with empty words of apology over what I've done. Nothing I can say will ever absolve me of the sins that I have committed.
While I could blame my Cursed Series for my actions, I chose this path. I chose to go to that other world. To murder millions on it in the hopes of saving our world. To come back, to become a Demon Lord in the eyes of everyone, and then to end everything when I saw no way forward for our world.
I suppose after I learned the truth, a part of me wanted to stop. But I didn't… and you know the rest.
I implore you to read this all the same. If nothing else, then for the sake of the continued existence of our world and its people whom I know you love with all of your heart and who do not deserve to die.
I am writing this with a sound mind. My thoughts are more clear than they have ever been thanks to the Shield Hero's skill somehow sealing my cursed series away. I am writing this now as he is trying to speak to me. I cannot give him the answers he is asking for though. At least, not out loud, where anyone could hear them. I wish I could write down the answers to his questions, but alas…
That... [Blessed Series], seems to be able to naturally suppress curses of all kinds. What I am experiencing now happened earlier to a lesser extent when the Sword Hero cut my arm off. Whatever it is, you should take note of it for the future. It could be very important.
I regret many things, Kizuna. Things I wouldn't have ever regretted if not for you. I wish I could try to atone for them. But it's too late now.
I was wrong. Soul Energy is not infinite, and a planet's vitality can only last for so long.
To harness such power would be like harnessing the power of nuclear fission or even nuclear fusion. It is powerful, certainly but it is not everlasting. Stars eventually die, and galaxies collapse under their own weight if they're not careful enough.
Perhaps a safer way to use it could be developed in the future, but it will not be done by me. I can only hope that no one will ever try to do so again, however. It is not worth the lives that'd need to be sacrificed to allow it to happen.
Even now, I can't fully understand why this happened. The others who stole their weapons are able to control the Cursed Series their original wielders unlocked just fine. Whereas for me…
Perhaps it was because I unlocked them myself. Or perhaps, being around you, Ethnobalt, Yomogi, and everyone else has made me grow emotionally in ways the others were incapable of. Ways that made the Cursed Series able to affect me where it wouldn't for others.
No time for excuses left. The pain is becoming unbearable. So please, heed what I am about to write carefully. This is the important part.
…
…
If I am destined to die, then so be it. But as a martyr, I'm going to make sure I take 'them' and their plans down with me so you have the best possible chance at saving our world!
You will not find many written sources that mention 'them.' Because they make sure that us pawns go out and find these texts and destroy them on every world 'they' are active on. If you were to ever hope to find a text with even a glimpse of what 'they' are and how 'they' operate, it'd need to be inside a place not even 'they' are aware of. Or one so heavily guarded that no reincarnator would ever be able to enter it.
As for us reincarnators, for that is a label some of the agents of 'them' are called by, we cannot die by normal means. We die, yes, but we respawn as strong as ever soon after, just like in a video game. Killing us over and over again will do nothing to stop us. The only true way to kill us is by destroying our souls.
As for getting information on 'them' or their plans out of us, it is impossible. Speech, written, or otherwise, we are bound by contract never to reveal 'them' in any form. To do so would instantly destroy our souls on the spot. I believe I wrote about what the process was like in one of my earliest entries.
Old written texts from those who fought 'them' in the past are your only option. Do not worry, I have no doubt Ethnobalt will locate them eventually. None of those texts were in my mansion when I destroyed it. What I acquired is hidden somewhere safe. Find it, and learn how to fend 'them' off. It is closer than you think.
As for the state of our world, that is also thanks to reincarnators. That is the reason why I said that your contributions will amount to a net zero. Even if you beat the Waves now, these 'geniuses' as they're also called will continue to stir up trouble in this world and in other worlds long after your death. To regress every aspect of technology that they can get their hands on and put themselves into positions of power by any means necessary so that they can drive their nations to ruin.
This is by design. We are meant to be expendable. None of us start out knowing that our only purpose is to destroy it all. All we know is that the world was made for 'us' and 'us' alone. And as the scum of every society, that means we will go through any means necessary to make the world ours, regardless of how it affects everyone in the long term.
You know who these individuals are. They're all the same. You've already met the new Harpoon Hero, right? He is a reincarnator, just like me. I don't know what his cheat skill is, but I know that is also something all reincarnators also share. An ability that puts us ahead over all normal folks, be it the ability to create barriers out of thin air, to cast magic without a chant, to portal without the use of a weapon, or even something as simple as my [Search Engine]'s ability to look up any info that I should know nothing about.
The Musical Instruments Hero is a reincarnator too. Mikikage's representatives were reincarnators as well as Albert and Kenshiro's younger brother. Actually, to save you the trouble, I can safely say at this point that anyone who identifies themselves as a 'genius' and is placed in a position of power in our world is actually a reincarnator.
Not Ethnobalt, however. He is a true genius, someone who doesn't live with the word 'genius' as his title.
You are smart. You'll be able to easily tell which ones are true humble geniuses like Ethnobalt and which ones are reincarnators just like me. But just in case. Besides the assorted bonuses the page I've written for you will grant, it will also unlock a list of names and last known locations of certain people in the help menu of the Legendary Hunting Tools. It is not a full list, but it will be a good start.
Do not hesitate. They all act the same, and their only goal will be to kill you and those around you.
I'd know. I acted just like them not so long ago.
'Their' ultimate goal in conquering our world is to topple Lapis in the future. Tell Corrin to never modify those gem golem caretakers of his. They are the only reason why reincarnators are unable to be born from gems inside of his country. The first Gem Hero had installed a system in those constructs that is able to detect reincarnators from the moment of their birth and take care of them.
As horrible as what this exactly means, it is necessary to keep future generations safe. 'They' cannot be allowed to regress Lapis's technology back to the time of the Stone Age. To do so would spell disaster for everyone in the world. All the advantages the people have now would be wiped out within a generation if that were ever allowed to happen.
Though, you should tell him to restore their ability to scan the souls of adults again. I turned off that function at the main control hub to prevent them from killing me back when we were allied against the Demon Dragon. His engineers will know how to do it. It'll be more than obvious once they look closely enough to find where the energy is misaligned. And once that is fixed, he just has to give the golems the right order to put them back to action.
Lastly, as for why and how Hero weapons could ever choose reincarnators to wield them… they don't. All reincarnators have the ability to steal a Hero's weapon and submit it to their will. It doesn't matter if the weapon is being wielded by a Cardinal Hero or a Vassal Hero or even another reincarnator. The real Harpoon Hero died during that battle with the Demon Dragon's forces years ago to the Trash wielding his weapon today.
Using this ability requires the reincarnator to have a high enough level to both steal and subjugate the weapon's will with his/her own. And while I've never tested it, I believe if a reincarnator raised their level enough, the ability could evolve to allow them to steal multiple weapons from different wielders.
I didn't steal mine. I am an anomaly since the Vassal Book chose me that day.
I still can't understand why…
…
Kizuna… while I said I didn't want to, because I know how empty it'll sound… I'm sorry that I became your enemy.
You most likely realized it already, but I am Japanese, just like you. So I know what your name signifies.
'Bonds'
Bonds of love. Bonds of trust. Bonds of camaraderie and friendship. Bonds between people.
I couldn't think of a more splendid and fitting name for an amazing person such as yourself. You are truly a hero in every meaning of the word.
I would never be able to live up to your expectations of me. I could never share such a beautiful view of this world, knowing all that I know.
If you allow me to say but one thing in my defense. In defense of all the terrible things that I've done, in taking all of my sins upon myself…
I just wanted for all of us to live and smile together in a world where nobody had to die.
I'm sorry that I couldn't believe it was truly possible until it was too late.
Thank you for everything, Kizuna. May this world never darken your pure heart.
...
One last thing… she might have been my accomplice. But please do not hate Yomogi. She was ignorant of most of my despicable deeds. Please, do not judge her over my actions. She should not be forced to bear their consequences.
Please take care of her for me.
She deserves a life far better than what I had ever given her.
…
No matter what.
Above all else.
Please.
…
Beat 'them' and survive!
…
…
…
Naofumi slowly closed the book in his hands.
Looking up at everyone around him, who'd listened as he read along, he found similar looks of disbelief on their faces. As well as sadness and confusion.
"So… he really was from a world like yours." Rishia finally broke the silence first.
"Yeah…" As Naofumi stared at the journal in his hands, he remembered Itsuki telling him about that riddle Kyo had given Ethnobalt before he left.
It suddenly made a lot more sense. And yet, it left him with even more questions than ever before.
Who was this group Kyo had been working for? How were they the ones behind the Waves and most everything bad going on in Kizuna's world? Were they behind the Waves in his world too? Just how far did their influence extend if they had so many notable figures under their belt?
He thought back to earlier, how he'd thought he pictured that black chain surrounding Kyo's soul. And realized that hadn't been because of his exhaustion.
…
…
"Come on… we should get going." He finally said tiredly.
The others quietly nodded. As they walked off to help Itsuki up or to examine the panic room from which the casket from earlier had risen, Naofumi took an ofuda off his belt and activated it.
"Ethnobalt, we've finished up here. Do you and the others need help over there?" He asked.
The sky had lost its crimson sheen by that point, and everyone's levels had returned to normal.
Still, it didn't hurt to check.
…
…
It took a moment, but Ethnobalt's voice finally came on the other end. "Oh, thank the Gods! We were starting to fear the worst! I'm already on the way with Glass! Is everyone alright?"
"Yeah, we are," Naofumi said, almost in a deadpan.
"Good, good… and, Kyo?" The librarian rabbit asked.
"..."
"..."
"I… I see…" Ethnobalt took Naofumi's silence as confirmation. "We'll be there shortly."
"Got it." Naofumi turned the ofuda off and silently waited with everyone else.
Nobody said a word. Instead, they chose to ponder on everything that they had learned.
…
Eventually, Ethnobalt's ship landed in the area, with only the rabbitman as well as Glass coming off of it.
They were the only two who'd been on board. Everyone else was back in Luvar.
It took a short time for Naofumi to explain what'd happened to them. As well as to give Ethnobalt Kyo's journal, which the rabbit man was able to read since he'd learned Japanese long ago to help read some of the ancient hero texts he'd found over the years.
The boat hero said nothing as he quickly went through it with his superior reading speed. A solemn silence rested over his figure as he took it all in.
…
…
Finally, Glass was the one who broke the silence. "Kizuna isn't going to take this well."
"No… she won't." Naofumi couldn't say more.
Everyone boarded the ship soon after. And Naofumi went to the casket still lying on the ground to absorb the stolen Soul Energy from it. Finally fulfilling his task in Kizuna's world.
Despite the danger that the contents could potentially hold, he didn't destroy it. It was instead stored away in the Vassal Boat. For Ethnobalt to study at a later time.
Yet he still didn't feel as if he'd accomplished anything…
Instead of ending a long exciting journey… it felt like he'd just completed a long, windy side quest in some kusoge.
They hadn't progressed forward whatsoever.
Chapter 21: Impact on the Otherworld
Notes:
I think now will be a good time for me to finally point this out. I think all of you can see at this point that the Kyo shown in this fic is very different from the Kyo shown in the anime and even the Light Novels. You've probably asked, why did I change him?
Here's the thing, I didn't change anything with the Book Hero personally outside of fleshing out his backstory. I didn't change his personality or his occupation from the LNs or what he did as a child with Yomogi or anything. Had it not been for one big actual change I made in the Otherworld before the start of the story, Kyo would have been portrayed the same as canon. So, what did I change?
One of the few things I never understood from studying the Otherworld Arc from the light novel: the fact that Kyo as the Book Hero was part of the coalition that helped out against the Demon Dragon, and yet, somehow, Kizuna had no idea who he was.
That's right, the change I made was that I decided that young Kizuna not only knew Kyo back then, but she also tried to befriend him alongside Ethnobalt and Glass and all her other allies back then. I figure she'd be so awesome as a young Hero getting the world that hated her to stand alongside her to face the threat of the Demon Dragon that she would have been capable of getting someone like Kyo, who gave little value to human life in general because of his experiences from his old world, to like and respect her to a degree that he'd come to rethink what he thought he knew from his previous life.
To put it bluntly, this version of Kyo is different because he is a result of young Kizuna bluntly throwing social norms out the window to get to know the Book Hero. To bluntly force into his skull that she wanted to genuinely be his friend, an action which irreparably changed his character actions and motivations going forward. Which, in the end, amounted to the same conclusion canon Kyo faced. Death.
That is the ultimate tragedy for all reincarnators. As the worst of the worst from society, it is near impossible and almost wholly unrealistic to get them to genuinely change to the point they acknowledge that they need redemption, much less, that they'd 'want' redemption for themselves. But even if they could be brought to that point where they'd genuinely want it for themselves because of awesome people like Kizuna or Raphtalia or Yomogi or any other awesome characters that'd love/care about them and inspire them to want to genuinely change for the better, they'd never be allowed the chance. Because 'they' would never allow for their pawns to turn against 'them' and would delete their souls on the spot for not wanting to fulfill 'their' objectives in the world any longer.
If you do not like this knowledge, that is fine. As a reminder, I am not here to please your every want or fulfill your innermost desires. I'm not here to stoke my ego or give everyone around me life lessons or to hear everyone's opinion on something or whatever.
I'm simply here to tell a story, to try my best to treat the characters of said story as close to their canon selves as possible, and to treat these same characters as if they were actual people in real life. Yes, this is fiction, these are only words on a page, and some of the tropes characters embody aren't common in real life. So what? For me, Aneko wrote these characters well enough that I can picture them and interact with them in my head as I would another person in real life. I've always been an imaginative reader. So my goal is to make the same thing possible for anyone who reads this.
You guys can read however you prefer. As for me, I want to write characters that feel genuine, whose emotions are genuine, and whose lives are genuine; whether they're side characters or not. That's the goal I want to work towards in writing this story. You all can have your own reasons or logic for writing fanfiction for Shield Hero, but this is my reason to do so. Whatever extra you guys end up taking away from the story that impacts your lives positively is something I'll consider a bonus to all the months of effort I put into every last detail. Something which, after 8+ years of writing, is something I'm still learning how to do, and something I'll gladly accept any constructive criticism for.
Anyway, this arc has two chapters left after this one. I decided to post this chapter a week early since next Monday is Christmas and I want to see if I can write another Christmas special this year. I'll be posting the other two chapters simultaneously in two or three weeks.
Oh, one last thing, I finished my last college final.
I'll look forward to seeing you all again soon for the Otherworld's finale.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Surprisingly, Kizuna took the news of what'd happened better than expected.
As in, she didn't immediately break down and start crying after returning to Sickle together with the majority of the coalition army.
It was the day after their battle with Kyo. Most of the relevant people with high clearance were present in the castle's throne room when Kizuna read Kyo's journal for herself. The only ones missing from the proceedings were the Bow Hero, the new Projectiles Hero, and the Emperor of Lapis.
The first two were missing for obvious reasons. Itsuki was still shellshocked, and Rishia was at his side helping him out.
As for Corrin… Naofumi decided not to press. He didn't know the man too well, but he understood better than most when people wanted to be left alone. And the haunting look in the young Emperor's eyes told Naofumi all he needed to know.
It was better to let someone close to the young man handle it instead.
So the Shield Hero simply stayed by Kizuna's side. Watching as she read Kyo's entire journal from cover to cover.
Until, finally…
"I… I'm so glad that I was right." Kizuna smiled, gripping her friend's journal in her hands.
"You were right?" Naofumi was caught off guard. Kizuna was looking surprisingly cheerful after reading and learning everything for herself. "Right about what?"
"He was not bad… there was still good in him." Kizuna continued to smile. "I know I said otherwise in the heat of the moment before, but he really wasn't a monster.
"He just had the light of his soul buried under a suffocating veil of darkness. And when I vanished, there was no one left to tend to that lone flame and help it overcome the dark."
"I… I was right, and he… he wasn't actually an evil person…
"... … …"
Tears slowly began to form in the girl's eyes. Her body began to tremble.
"He was still a hero. Deep down, he'd been a good person. And… and I…!"
…
After a long, hollow pause, Kizuna's tears finally began to fall. She sobbed as she hugged her friend's journal to her chest. "Oh, Kyo! I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry! KYO!"
Naofumi immediately took the girl into a comforting hug. Opposite him, L'Arc and Glass did much the same, with Ethnobalt joining right after.
"WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Kizuna continued to cry loudly as she broke down in their embrace.
Nearby, Yomogi, who'd listened as Kizuna read the journal from beginning to end, finally broke down herself. The swords in her hands dropped to the ground while she covered her face and began to sob herself.
"Kyo… you stupid, stupid idiot… why didn't you realize I only wanted to help you… why did you have to push me away when I cared about you?!"
As the girl sobbed, Therese walked up to her and took her into a comforting hug.
Yomogi gripped the gem girl tightly in response and sobbed into her shoulder. Therese said nothing as she moved a gentle hand through the girl's teal hair.
Nobody else in the room spoke. Dou-Lon held a solemn air around his figure. The Otherworld Heroes all stood in place, not saying anything. The newly minted Axe Hero of Naofumi's world stayed silent as well alongside his girlfriend.
Their eyes were all downcast. They'd known this was going to be painful, but they'd stayed around anyway.
Maya and Aksel moved to Yomogi and Therese. The couple still didn't say a word, but they both rested a comforting hand on the sobbing girl's back. Soothingly rubbing it while Kyo's loyal retainer released all her pain.
Dou-Lon, meanwhile, put his hands to his forehead and began to mutter a silent prayer. Kyo had been destroyed in both body and soul, but perhaps, his God would be able to hear his plea and help in giving his friends the mercy and comfort they needed right now.
Akane, Daitan, and Hoshi did nothing. The three could not look upon the scene without feeling ashamed of themselves. Ashamed of what their inaction these past couple of years had led to. While nobody said anything to blame them, they still felt partly at fault for what had happened.
If they'd only been stronger. If they'd only participated in the Waves more. If they'd only tried to be the Heroes their world desperately needed instead of standing on the sidelines, doing nothing…
Perhaps that was too harsh for them to think. After all, had they continued trying to help after Kenshiro's death, they would have easily died in a later Wave, which would have made their world's situation that much worse. But it was hard to banish such thoughts at the moment, the way the room was.
…
All the while, Naofumi continued to hug Kizuna, feeling each one of her tears as they fell onto his chest. And he couldn't help as a few of his own also fell into her hair.
"I'm sorry." The Shield Hero finally spoke in a tight voice. "It took me a while, but I eventually realized that you were right. I tried everything I could to keep my promise, but…"
"I still failed in the end," Naofumi admitted. "There wasn't anything I could do. I'm sorry I couldn't bring him back here for you, Kizuna."
The girl and Yomogi continued to cry for a while longer. And Naofumi and the others shed tears of their own as well.
…
But, eventually, Kizuna managed to pull back from the Shield Hero. Everything else in the room settled as her friends let her go, and she wiped tears from her face using her hand. "I won't say that it's fine because it's not. It's not fine that he died, Naofumi."
The girl sniffled again, but she didn't look as depressed when she looked up at him once more. "But, th-thank you for trying, at the very least. I know it must have been hard to show him mercy after all that he did, but I truly appreciate it. Even…
"Even though he said that there wasn't any way for him to atone for his actions, I disagree. It's never too late to stop and turn back. But now, he'll never know that. In fact... he probably died still thinking that I wanted him dead.
"I… I just wish I could have apologized… that I could take back everything I said to him in that moment… but now…
"... I can't…"
Kizuna was on the verge of crying again, but this time, L'Arc hugged his little sister close before anyone else could. "You know, I don't think Naofumi is the one that needs to apologize here, little sis…" The King gave Glass a meaningful look as he said it.
The Spirit Woman nodded her head solemnly and spoke next. "We were the ones that did not try hard enough to help Kyo. All this time, we could have tried to continue to reach out to him, like you did. We could have tried harder to keep in contact with him after the Waves started.
"But we did not. And because we did not… I am afraid that-"
"Guys, please don't blame yourselves!" Tears started to fall from Kizuna's eyes again as she yelled the words. "I don't want anyone to feel like they're to be blamed for this! It's clearly my fault!
"I just… I don't want that this time. I just don't want it. If I just hadn't left on that stupid fishing trip. If I'd only listened to you guys and waited till that storm had passed…"
"I can't take much more pain, so please… please don't shoulder my failures for me! That'll only make me feel worse!"
"... right." L'Arc sighed. "We'll just say that we all share the blame equally then. How about that?"
"Sniff. L'Arc, that isn't what I want!" Kizuna complained.
"Tough luck then, Kizuna!" L'Arc snapped condescendingly as he put Kizuna at arm's length, much to the girl's surprise. "Because there's no way in hell that this was only your failure!"
…
"Listen," The Scythe Hero's harsh tone deflated after a short pause and the girl continued to blink at him in shock. "Kyo tried just as hard as any of us to find you. There were some days when I collapsed into my bed out of exhaustion. But he was still next to a map of the world alongside Ethnobalt, a pot of coffee glued to his hands while they both crossed off areas where you hadn't been located.
"And after the Waves started and Kenshiro died, none of us even bothered to try and convince him to stay. To check up on him and see how he was doing.
"Hell, we had the chance to try talking to him again when dealing with the Guardian Beasts, but we didn't! We didn't try one damn time to do so!
"He just gave us a strategy to follow and we followed it to the letter, just like before!" L'Arc slapped his hands together for emphasis. "We didn't ask about him or what he was doing or try to pester him or anything! I didn't even take the time to ask him something as simple as 'how are you' even once during these past couple of years!"
"There's no way I can't beat myself up over this! Not in a million years! Not in a trillion years! I'm going to regret not saying anything to him for the rest of my damn life after all that's happened!"
…
L'Arc's voice died. His lips had fallen as he said all those words, and he stared off at something only he could see in the distance. "Guess I'm just really #$%%^& at being friends with other guys. No wonder Naofumi finds me so annoying."
Therese slowly approached, with Yomogi standing behind her. And, without saying a word, she rested a hand on L'Arc's arm.
The other Cardinal Heroes in the room slowly blinked to themselves. They looked even more ashamed at how they'd blamed themselves when they hadn't been the closest ones to the heart of the problem.
…
When the King focused on Kizuna again though, his smile, though more melancholic than laidback, reappeared with a sincere look on his face. "But hey, I promise not to beat myself up over it more than you will. Same for everyone else here. Right?"
"Agreed." Glass nodded her head. Attempting not to cry for her best friend as well.
"Yes… even if I do feel like I'm the most at fault here since I was the closest to Kyo…" Ethnobalt said as well. "I'll try to follow our King's wise counsel on this matter."
…
…
"You… you guys…" Kizuna began to break down again.
This time, the Otherworlders all gathered for one big hug as they cried together.
Daitan, Akane, and Hoshi all shook their heads. They were doing their best to recompose themselves.
Whether they'd contributed to the problem or not… L'Arc was right. There was no need to shoulder that kind of guilt individually.
They didn't feel close enough to the other Heroes to feel like joining the group hug. But the three did stand next to one another, looking at each other and deciding as one to work through this together.
…
Outside these circles of friends, Naofumi stood next to Raphtalia. Raph-Chan was resting on his companion's shoulder, and Filo had moved to walk up next to her Daddy.
Naofumi and the others couldn't feel the same pain Kizuna and her friends felt. They hadn't known Kyo back before this whole mess. A small vindictive part of the Shield Hero even felt glad that the Book Hero had gotten what he deserved in the end.
Yet that didn't keep him or his family from empathizing with what their friends were going through.
…
Naofumi rested a hand on Filo's head. Idly rubbing his daughter's hair behind her ahoge.
"Filo's sorry that Filo couldn't do more, Daddy." His daughter said, sounding downtrodden. Seeing the sight before her had saddened her again.
"No, sweetie. You and everyone else did all we could." Naofumi managed to form a small smile for her. "Daddy's going to cook you a lot of food after we're done here."
"Hmmm…" Filo didn't perk up at the mention of food. She still looked very sad.
…
"Hey," Naofumi then got down to his daughter's level by resting on his knees and kissed her on the top of her head. "I'm serious. You were amazing.
"If it wasn't for that song you sang, I would have never realized what you and Mommy already knew before that fight. I wouldn't have chosen to try and save Kyo and who knows what would have happened then.
"I'm not saying you have no right to be sad. Daddy still has some feelings of his own to deal with too. But you should be allowed to feel proud of yourself as well."
Filo stared at him, still looking guilty, but also surprised. "I'm serious. You did amazing. I couldn't be more proud to have you as my daughter, Filo." Naofumi insisted while stroking the blonde girl's head.
…
Filo finally started to smile again, and Naofumi smiled too as he took the angel girl into his warm embrace.
"Thanks, Daddy! Filo loves Daddy!" Filo cried happily.
"Daddy loves Filo too," Naofumi said in a soft voice. "Just as much as Mommy, right?" He looked up over her shoulder at Raphtalia, who was taking in the heartwarming sight.
"No… I think Mommy might love Filo a little more than Daddy." Raphtalia teased as she sank opposite Naofumi to hug Filo from behind. Tears were falling down the sides of her face though, showing how his words had made her feel so happy.
"Oi, who's the one cooking her dinner after this?" Naofumi replied in a deadpan.
"You, of course." Raphtalia winked. "I'll just make sure to brush her hair and wings the way she likes while you cook for us."
"I'm sorry, us?" Naofumi quirked an eyebrow in response.
Raphtalia and Filo both started to giggle at Daddy's reaction. Raph-Chan also began giggling to herself, and honestly, the sight was too adorable for Naofumi to even pretend to be mad.
This was far better than staying depressed about what had happened.
"Fine, you win," Naofumi smirked, and then he smiled defeatedly. "It's not like I'm not used to being your butler at this point."
"Don't worry, Filo will help Daddy cook lots and lots after Mommy brushes Filo's hair!" Filo piped up. "And Sis can help Daddy out with the prep work too, right?!"
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan cheered in agreement.
"Alright, alright." Naofumi rubbed Filo's head, then he smiled at Raphtalia.
Raphtalia smiled back, her heart feeling just a little bit fuller than before.
…
You know what, maybe he was wrong in his assumption about this whole trip being a side quest in some stupid kusoge.
Yeah, they hadn't managed to save Kyo for Kizuna and her friends. But Naofumi and his family had grown that much closer since coming to the Otherworld.
There'd been a lot of pain and some mistakes along the way. Mistakes that even got him kicked onto the couch at one point. But the Shield Hero's bonds with everyone had deepened. And he was certain that they'd continue to deepen down the road as he looked at Raphtalia.
He pictured the smiling, happy girl wearing white, standing in front of an altar while staring directly into his eyes. And he smirked only to himself.
Yeah, he was dead certain what he'd be doing after they got back and readjusted to life at their village. If this trip had taught him anything, it was that life was too short to wait for a good thing. He wanted his wife friend to know for sure that he wanted to be with her for the rest of time. And even longer if he had anything to say about it.
"Are you thinking about something?" Raphtalia asked curiously.
"Shhhhhh, it's supposed to be a surprise." Naofumi pecked her on the cheek.
The girl's face began to flush red. It seemed like she might have had an idea about what her husband friend had been thinking about. And she looked all the happier about it.
"Hehehehe, Mommy and Daddy are both thinking lovey-dovey thoughts right now." Filo giggled under them.
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan's eyes sparkled with excitement. She couldn't wait to see her best friend's wedding with the Shield Hero!
"Better lovey-dovey thoughts than lewd thoughts, am I right?" Naofumi wiggled his eyebrows at Raphtalia.
"Don't ruin our family moment." Raphtalia dryly replied.
"Yes ma'am." Naofumi's eyes sparkled mischievously again, causing Raphtalia to blush and focus her attention on rubbing Filo's hair again.
Naofumi wished that they could just stay in this moment together and let all the negative feelings just vanish under the light of this familial happiness and love. It did make it all seem worth it.
…
However, he was acutely aware of a certain hakuko standing at the edge of their group. He tried his best to hold himself back from butting in on the family moment, but it looked like he wanted to join in on it too.
"Oi, Dou-Lon, are you just going to stand there or are you going to join the family huddle?" Naofumi called over to him.
"Eh!? B-But Sir Naofumi! I'm just a party member- well, I guess I could say that I'm a friend at this point- but still, I shouldn't interrupt what's clearly a bonding family moment for you and-"
"Raphtalia, pull him in for me please." Naofumi rolled his eyes.
"Of course." Before Dou-Lon could react, Raphtalia grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him down to the family's level. Naofumi and Raphtalia's arms fell over him.
"Yayyyy! Filo's glad to have Tiger Brother join in now!" Filo declared happily while snuggling into the Hakuko's chest.
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan hopped onto Dou-Lon's head and let out a victory cry.
"Hmmm, I don't know. Dou-Lon is older than us by quite a few years." Naofumi rubbed a hand to his chin in thought. "I'd find it strange if I had to start considering him my son."
"Maybe we can label him as the quirky uncle instead?" Raphtalia suggested.
"Nah, you and I both know that Motoyasu is already fulfilling that role." Naofumi joked.
Raphtalia laughed in response while Dou-Lon still looked to be in a state of shock.
Was this real?! THIS WASN'T A DREAM, RIGHT?!
BECAUSE IF HE WOKE UP RIGHT NOW HE WAS GOING TO SCREAM IN DESPAIR AND THROW HIMSELF OUT A WINDOW AND-
"Oi, so are you in or not?" Naofumi asked again with visible annoyance.
"Yes, I gladly accept! Thank you so much, Sir Naofumi!" Dou-Lon was in tears as he accepted his new position as a part of the Shield Hero's family.
THIS WAS HEAVEN! THIS WAS PARADISE! NO OTHER GIFT COULD EVER HOPE TO COMPARE! ALL HIS HARD WORK AND TRAINING HAD FINALLY PAID OFF! DOU-LON WAS GOING TO TREASURE THIS MOMENT FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE!
HE COULDN'T WAIT TO GET BACK HOME AND TELL CHEN ALL ABOUT THIS AND-
"Just keep in mind that this means you'll be referring to me by just Naofumi from now on. No more of that Sir or Lord crap." Naofumi added on with a devious smirk.
"URK!" Dou-Lon looked like he'd just been sucker-punched. "Come on! Can't I still do that?! I've referred to you by Sir for so long now Sir Naofumi! I can't just stop overnight!"
"Too bad. I find my family members calling me sir super annoying." Naofumi smirked, causing Dou-Lon's face to drain of color.
"Better get used to casually referring to your god. I'm going to have you doing that plenty when I visit Siltvelt in the future."
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! WHY WAS LORD NAOFUMI SUDDENLY BEING SO CRUEL OUT OF NOWHERE!?
Oh well, it was definitely in line with who the Shield Hero was. Dou-Lon was going to have to do his best to fix his tongue down the road.
But man, Chen was going to be so jealous when he got back! He was not only a trusted friend of the Shield Hero, but family to boot! Everyone in Siltvelt would be envious of his new elevation in influence! And…
And…
Oh… Oh Gods… DID THIS MEAN THAT HE'D HAVE TO HELP SCRUB SIR NAOFUMI'S BACK WHENEVER THEY WENT TO THE HOT SPRINGS TOGETHER SINCE HE WAS CONSIDERED FAMILY NOW!?
"What the hell are you thinking about now?" Naofumi asked in exasperation.
"Ack! Nothing! I swear that it's nothing, Sir Naofumi!" Dou-Lon yelled.
Naofumi groaned as Dou-Lon's thought process continued frantically jumping around inside his head.
IT WASN'T LIKE DOU-LON WOULD SAY NO TO SUCH A REQUEST! BUT THAT SEEMED LIKE SOMETHING LORD SHIELD SHOULD ASK HIS COMPANION TO DO! NOT JUST ANY MEMBER OF HIS FAMILY!
AND BESIDES, IF THERE WAS ANY BACK HE'D LIKE TO SCRUB, HE'D PREFER IT BE THE BACK OF THAT MUSCLE-BRAINED AND EXTREMELY HOT LOOKING ROSE-HAIRED BEAUTY BACK HOME NAMED ECLAIR SEAET-
…
…
…
"Dou-Lon?" Naofumi asked in confusion. Why was the hakuko's face becoming bright red now?
Raph-Chan realized what it was, long before her parents did. So she jumped off Dou-Lon's head onto Raphtalia's shoulder right before Dou-Lon finally reacted to the thought process he'd been having.
PBBBBTHHHHHHHHHHHH!
The hakuko male fell back to the ground. Blood sprayed from his nose, and sparks came out of his hair as if his brain had just overloaded. "Whoa!" Naofumi jerked forward, ready to cast a healing spell on instinct.
However, after a quick examination, he found that the hakuko male was simply unconscious. Still, what the hell had he been thinking about to react like this?
"Is Tiger Brother going to be ok?" Filo asked unsurely.
"Maybe it'd be best to just not pick at his thoughts right now," Raphtalia suggested.
...
"Uh... sorry to butt in." Maya suddenly raised her voice, making the Shield Hero's family, sans the hakuko, look in her direction with several annoyed looks.
"Hey, don't give me that! There's no way in hell that someone here didn't notice that crimson fountain." The raccoon girl puffed her cheeks in response. "Or the sickeningly lovey-dovey atmosphere around you-"
"Maya." Aksel knelt down and gently whispered into his girlfriend's ear.
"Ahhh, yea, right, akhem. What I was going to say is that you should just name Dou-Lon your bloodkin, sir Naofumi." The self-made kunoichi coughed into her hand to cover her embarrassment.
"My what?" The shield hero narrowed his eyes while Filo cocked her head to the side cutely while making a 'hmm' noise. Only Raphtalia seemed to perk in recognition, as she recalled something familiar about the term.
"It's an old tradition from Siltvelt used to accept a member of another clan into one's household on a semi-official basis." Maya elaborated further. "It requires you and the other person to have spilled your blood together on the field of battle, but that part has long since been covered."
"... Yeah, that sounds fine to me." Naofumi shrugged. "Sounds better than anything else I could come up with." Like retainer, or right-hand man, or his personal favorite:
Tiger Guy #1.
Raphtalia sighed. Her Hero husband did astound her with his thoughts at times.
"Boo! But Filo wants to refer to Tiger Brother as Tiger Brother!" Filo pouted.
"That's fine, Filo. Mommy and Daddy are just going to view him differently is all." Raphtalia responded calmly.
Yeah, Naofumi agreed. They'd just leave the man be until he finally woke up again.
And besides, looking up at the Otherworlders, they seemed to have cheered up a bit too.
Hell, Kizuna was smiling more genuinely than she had before she arrived earlier. She had some great friends to help to improve her mood.
"A'ight. Bunny!"
Which was about to improve even more.
"Wha- oh come on Kizuna! Do I really have to do that right now?!" Ethnobalt asked in disbelief.
"Yes. I'm very sad, in case you forgot. And you know your bunny form helps me to not feel sad." Kizuna said with a happy smile, before staring seriously at the Boat Hero. An aura of darkness surrounded her form.
"Bunny."
"... G-Guys?" Ethnobalt looked in fright at his friends, but each one of them smiled and shook their heads, indicating how they weren't going to even try and bail him out this time.
"Aksel, Maya?" Ethnobalt tried next.
However, the two had their arms crossed. Mischievous grins covered their faces.
"N-Naofumi?" Ethnobalt tried last, looking in the Shield Hero's direction.
…
Naofumi's smile said it all. He gave Ethnobalt two thumbs up for good luck before covering his ears.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" POOF! Ethnobalt screamed as he gave into the overwhelming peer pressure and turned into his Big Cuddly bunny form for Kizuna's sake.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Kizuna's high-pitched screech of delight caused several dogs in the city to start barking maniacally while trying to escape their owners.
Meanwhile, the Hunting Tools Hero had tackled Ethnobalt's fuzzy wuzzy form and began to delightfully rub her face into every part of his fur that was possible for her to reach. "Thanks, Ethnobalt! You're the best!"
"Yes, yes, I know. Just please finish this quickly before more people arrive to witness this." Ethnobalt sighed, smiling softly as he did so.
The otherworld Heroes all chuckled and laughed at the sight after uncovering their ears. It appeared that even after all these years, they remembered how Kizuna reacted to Ethnobalt's monster form.
Akane and Daitan were still rubbing at their sore ears since they weren't used to it, but Hoshi was furiously drawing something on a piece of napkin in his hands. It was as if he was putting the scene he'd just witnessed to paper.
Actually, taking a peak over his shoulder, Naofumi found that was 'exactly' what the Ofuda Hero was doing. Wow, it looked even better than a portrait. He wasn't even using any colors, how could he make black and white look so lifelike? And he was drawing all this on a napkin too! He had true talent as a manga artist.
Things were looking better, but then…
"Ethnobalt."
Yomogi walked up to the rabbit man, suddenly interrupting Kizuna's bunny time. "You look like you have something on your mind, Yomogi. What is it?" Ethnobalt asked seriously, changing back to his normal form.
Kizuna landed beside him, pouting and crossing her arms over her chest at first because her cuddly time was cut short. But then, she seemed to catch on to the air around Yomogi and dropped her arms to her sides as she focused on her.
The teal-haired girl choked on her words at first. She seemed conflicted for a short moment… but afterward, she looked Ethnobalt in the eyes again. "Could you please make a shikigami for me and Kyo?" She finally asked.
…
…
…
The others in the room stared at her in surprise. Except for Raph-chan, who nodded to herself with determination and hopped off Raphtalia's shoulder before running up to Kyo's former retainer.
"Yomogi, I'd love to, but-" Ethnobalt began to reply, however, he cut himself off at the look of immense sadness that crossed over the pseudo-hero's face.
"Please, I… I know it's supposed to be impossible to make one if the other person is dead, and I have no right to demand anything from you after what happened and what I've done, besides…" Yomogi looked like she was on the verge of crying again, but she steeled herself. "But I… I want to have something... a memory... or an echo of him to hold on to at least. I know how stupid I sound right now, but... please, please, can you try it anyway?
"It would mean more than anything in the world if you did that."
…
Ethnobalt still looked uncertain. But then, Raph-Chan perked up and began to tug on Yomogi's hands that were firmly crossed over her chest while holding something.
"Rafu! Rafu!" She cried out happily.
"Huh?" Naofumi cocked his head in confusion. "What is she doing?"
"I'm… not certain," Ethnobalt said, looking confused as well.
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan continued to pull on Yomogi's hands and the girl let out a shaky sigh. "I know, I know, I was going to let go soon."
Slowly and tenderly, Yomogi weakened her grip and showed what she was holding to everyone.
It was an old pair of black glasses. The frame looked pretty worn out, but the lenses held in it shone with pristine clarity, a sign of continuous and diligent care.
Wait, those were the glasses Kyo had been wearing before the fight! Had that been what Raph-Chan looted from the stone statue yesterday?!
"Thank you for giving them to me and suggesting this again." Yomogi bowed gratefully to the shikigami before looking at Ethnobalt with determination again. "The ritual requires something with a close connection between the two individuals, right? These glasses are something that I gifted Kyo years ago on one of his birthdays.
"I am pretty sure that this was the first gift that I ever gave him that he genuinely loved. He wore them for years and only switched to a different pair when he left to explore other worlds. It should work as a suitable medium!"
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan nodded her head in agreement.
…
Ethnobalt still looked uncertain. "I… I'm still not sure if it'd work or not."
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan jumped and bumped noses with the rabbitman, surprising him. "Rafu Raf Raf Rafu!"
"Heh, it looks to me like Raph-Chan is determined to try anyway." Naofumi shook his head from side to side. "We might as well. I doubt that girl will stop nagging you about it until you do."
"Naofumi." Raphtalia sighed next to him.
"What, I'm right, aren't I?" Naofumi asked Yomogi.
The boarish girl frowned, but after thinking about it, she eventually nodded. Yomogi then looked back at Ethnobalt with a hopeful expression on her face.
…
The rabbitman sighed wistfully. "Very well. Let's try and see what happens, but I won't make any promises, alright?"
"... thank you." Yomogi sniffled as she wiped a tear from under her eye.
Ethnobalt nodded his head.
They left the Throne Room and went out of the castle down to the Dragon Hourglass.
Ethnobalt chanted under his breath and tapped his staff against the ground.
As he did so, a circle of runes began to appear on the floor. "Please, stand inside here." The Boat Hero gestured with his staff to Yomogi.
The girl moved into the circle. She already held a knife in her hand, waiting for when her blood was needed.
Ethnobalt narrowed his eyes just like before when he did the ritual with Naofumi, watching the room for a moment. Then, after seeing no obvious flaws with the ritual so far, he hit the bottom of his staff against the floor again.
A dome of energy immediately appeared over Yomogi and around the runes on the ground. Naofumi stood to the side with the others, watching as the ritual unfolded. It felt quite different to witness it from the outside, but in a good way.
The Boat Hero began to chant again, and the runes glowed brightly around him.
"Rafu! Rafu! Rafu! Rafu!" Raph-Chan danced around the inside of the glowing circle. Chanting in her cute little voice as she did so.
Magic power was starting to come off her too. Joining in with the ritual, much to Ethnobalt's surprise.
As the Boat Hero's second chant ended, he looked at Yomogi to ask her for her blood. But she'd already opened a cut in her finger.
A small trickle of blood fell through the air, entering the ball of light and mixing with the glasses she'd gifted to Kyo long ago.
The boat underneath Ethnobalt began to glow faintly, and he reached forward with his right hand. Small lights began to appear in the dome as the various rune circles began to glow brighter and brighter.
"We petition for one who'll protect - who will serve.
"A vassal formed from a part of herself. A servant is born."
"Rafu! Rafu! Rafu!" Raph-Chan continued to chant, and this time, it looked like she was throwing something into the ball of light while still dancing.
Whatever it was caused the rune circles around the ball of light to brighten in intensity.
As the pair continued to chant, the ball of light twirled and grew. The balls of light surrounding Yomogi began to converge on the offerings in the middle while the rune circles were absorbed into what was being created.
As Ethnobalt finished speaking, the lights began to rotate faster and faster. But not as fast as it had with Naofumi.
Naofumi found himself holding his breath once again. He stared at the ball of light that grew brighter and brighter.
"Rafu! Raf!" Raph-Chan stopped chanting at last and smiled happily in satisfaction while crossing her arms. She then ran out from the magic circle.
"I… I don't believe it… I think it's working!" Ethnobalt said in shock. "And so smoothly too! Where did Raph-Chan learn to assist in a ritual like this?!"
"What can I say?" Naofumi shrugged with a smile. "She's just that amazing."
"RAFU!" Raph-Chan raised her arms above her head and nodded in agreement as she stopped in front of Naofumi.
Awwwwww, come here, you! Naofumi picked the shikigami up and began to rub her belly like a crazy drug addict.
PET! PET! PET! PET! PET! PET! PET!
The ball of light in the center of the ritual grew brighter and brighter for a minute. Everyone, including Yomogi, patiently watched as the ritual continued as normal. And Raphtalia tried not to pout next to her husband-friend as a new shikigami was being born amid that ball of light.
Then, finally…
Poof!
With a final sound, the light of the ritual dispersed. Revealing the shikigami that'd been made for Yomogi.
"Kao?" The creature tilted its head to the side in confusion.
The shikigami was an owl creature. It was covered in white feathers and had long yellow-clawed feet as well as a yellow beak. Its wings, when held close to its body, looked like an elaborate cloak.
The creature retained some of Kyo's… questionable fashion sense. It had a belt around one of its legs, and several more were wrapped around its chest and head, having room for vials. But its most striking feature was its blue eyes, as well as the glasses it was wearing.
It was a shikigami for Yomogi and Kyo.
"..." Yomogi fell to her knees, softly crying to herself.
"I-Is something wrong?" Ethnobalt asked in surprise.
"Kao." The owl creature began to look around the room. The confusion in its eyes was fading, revealing a strange tint of intelligence and life to them. Its voice sounded oddly like Kyo's, though a bit higher pitched, much like how Raph-Chan's voice sounded like Raphtalia's when she was a child.
Perhaps this was how Kyo had sounded like as a kid.
"No… Kyo is still gone… but, but I at least have this shikigami child to raise now." Yomogi muttered softly as she took the creature into a gentle hug.
"Kao?!" The owl creature looked surprised and tried to resist the hug at first by pushing at Yomogi's arms with its wings.
But Yomogi didn't let him escape, and eventually, the creature almost seemed to sigh before accepting it. "Kao…"
"Hmmm, now all you have to do is name it," Kizuna said with a small smile. "What would be best for it though?"
"Why not Kaoru? Since it seems to only say, Kao." Naofumi suggested sarcastically.
…
"That… that was a name I had picked out for a son, in case Kyo and I ever…" Yomogi began to sob even harder, much to the Shield Hero's surprise.
The smile that appeared on her face afterward though was real. "Kaoru… I like it. You shall be named, Kaoru." She looked down at her shikigami.
"Kao?" Kaoru tilted his head in confusion again.
Who was this girl, and why did she seem intent on hugging him so much? This felt weird. Where was he at again? Was it normal to have so many questions after just being born?
"Wow, that was surprisingly thoughtful of you, Naofumi," Raphtalia said with pride next to her boyfriend. Raph-Chan had darted over onto her shoulders. "Well done."
…
"Yeah, sure," Naofumi said, looking away while trying to hide the fear in his voice.
He'd suggested it to make fun of the owl creature. He didn't think that Yomogi would actually take it, or had even thought of using that name before.
Crap, he really hoped Raphtalia never read his mind and learned about this! He didn't want to go back to the couch already!
"What are you thinking about now?" Raphtalia asked in confusion. It was rare to see Naofumi attempting to make a poker face lately. But he seemed to be trying his utmost best to do so right now.
"N-Nothing! Come on, Filo, Raph-Chan! We've got dinner to prepare!"
"Yayyyyy~!" "Rafu!" Filo and Raph-Chan bounded after Naofumi as he raced out of the Hourglass room back towards the castle.
"Naofumi Iwatani! You come back here this instant and explain yourself!" Raphtalia yelled as she gave chase.
Oh boy, she must have been really mad or annoyed. It wasn't often that she used his full name while yelling at him.
The otherworlders in the room laughed. But they stayed there, smiling as Yomogi showed love and affection for her new shikigami.
Kaoru was going to have to get used to this from his mother. He wasn't trying to escape her grasp anymore, though, that was probably because he'd realized that resistance was futile.
"Hey, Aksel! Maya!" Kizuna suddenly shouted.
The two party members of the Bow Hero flinched at being addressed so suddenly. After witnessing the shikigami ritual for themselves, they'd been wondering whether they should also get one for themselves or not.
"Yeah, what's up?" Aksel asked.
"Just out of curiosity, you and Rishia are supposed to be Heroes too now, right?" Kizuna asked. "If so, congrats on that! I wanted to say that earlier when I saw Rishia, but well… anyway!" Kizuna clapped her hands together. "I was wondering what's up with your weapons looking… you know, transparent?"
"Huh- oh, yeah, I guess it is kind of weird." Aksel raised his ethereal axe in front of him and pulled up his HUD. "To be honest, I'm not sure. I haven't really had a chance to look through everything yet. Do you know why my weapon is like this?" Aksel then asked Ethnobalt.
The rabbitman approached the large man. He reached out and felt along the length of Aksel's weapon form. "To be honest… I've never really seen anything like this before." The rabbitman's nose scrunched up. "This is clearly the Seven Star Axe of your world. And yet its physical manifestation is missing."
"Physical what now? Then what the hell am I holding in my hands?" Aksel asked confusedly.
"Currently, you are holding the Spirit of the Axe," Ethnobalt answered. "As for why you don't have its physical form, that I do not know, I'm afraid."
"Huh…" Aksel seemed to look through something on his HUD after a moment. "Now that I'm looking, I think I'm missing some info on this thing's help guide as well. The things about the Waves are still there, but I don't have the Axe's power-up method for some reason. It looks like I have access to the other Hero's methods though. At least, the ones I remember Itsuki telling me and the others about. OH! And I guess I really was made a Hero because my Hero Service Crest disappeared just like Raphtalia's when she became the Katana Hero."
"Interesting… would you mind coming with me? I'd be interested in learning more about this phenomenon." Ethnobalt suddenly asked.
"Oh, well um, me and Maya were planning to go to a Hot Spring to celebrate our victory and all that, so um-"
"That's fine!" Maya suddenly pushed her boyfriend in Ethnobalt's direction. She was giving him a wide grin as he looked back at her in surprise. "I'm a patient girl. I can wait till tonight."
"Oh?- Oh! Um, y-you're sure?" Aksel asked confusedly. It was odd for her to want to leave him alone.
However, she got on her tippy toes and pecked her favorite knight on the cheek, silencing him with her sincere smile. "I've hogged all of your attention in this world for long enough, Aksel. Go ahead and spend some time learning what you can about your new weapon with Ethnobalt. Who knows when we'll have the chance to learn something about it again?
"Just know that when we see each other again tonight..." She moved to whisper into his ear. "I'm going to rock your world."
"... y… yeah." Aksel gradually began to slightly blush, but he smiled as he pecked Maya on the cheek before turning to Ethnobalt. "Lead the way, friend!"
Ethnobalt gave the Axe Hero a knowing smile as he floated towards the exit of the room. However, a slight tick appeared over the Librarian Rabbit's right eyebrow as he recalled the knight's dumb joke on the way to Kyo's mansion and how it was subsequently brought to life in Luvar's new fleet.
Ethnobalt did his best to pin that wad of frustration down. So long as none of his other stupid jokes came to life like that one had, Ethnobalt would hopefully be fine.
Aksel continued to smile as he proudly marched after the Boat Hero, briefly turning around to give Maya and the others one final salute on his way out.
Maya's giggle at the adorable action turned into a full-on laugh as the large knight walked backward right into the doorframe. Causing him to stumble and cuss before he quickly turned around to catch up to Ethnobalt. Damn it, and he thought he'd finally stopped being the brunt of every joke!
"Hehehehehe… Even as a Hero, he'll never change."
Maya continued to smile and giggle to herself as she walked out soon after. Humming happily to herself as she went to check up on Rishia and Itsuki.
Now, it was just the Otherworlders remaining in the room. L'Arc still looked incredibly happy and was laughing at Aksel's mess up.
Kizuna was looking a lot better. Yomogi was now kissing the top of Kaoru's head as if he were her son, causing the owl to screech in protest. And best of all, the redhead could still clearly recall the feeling of resting on Therese's thighs from the day before.
That one act alone had made almost dying worth it. The Scythe Hero just hoped that he could do so again soon enough and preferably without almost dying. It would also be nice if he could stay conscious for long enough to maybe try getting handsy with his favorite person in all the world, and-
"Hey, L'Arc. A thought just occurred to me." Therese suddenly spoke out beside him. "Why weren't we summoned alongside everyone else when the Wave happened?"
"Eh? Why bring that up now?" L'Arc asked as he finally stopped laughing.
"I just remembered it. Master Craftsman told me before about how he and his fellow Heroes were summoned to the site of a Wave even though they were already there. Yet, that didn't happen to you or me, even though we're registered to Luvar's Hourglass as well." Therese said, looking at her King suspiciously.
…
"Oh, well, er…" L'Arc suddenly looked nervous. "You see, I… well, I definitely wasn't expecting Kyo to summon a Wave there or anything like that, but…"
Therese tapped her foot against the floor impatiently. L'Arc realized that he'd fallen onto thin ice somehow. He found himself wording his next response very carefully.
"I thought the campaign against Luvar would take longer than it had, so I might have… um… you know, to avoid causing any problems in our offensive…
"Deregistered myself from fighting in any of the Waves happening around the world." L'Arc eventually confessed.
…
…
The top of Therese's face became hidden in shadow.
L'Arc audibly gulped. "But hey, um, had I been teleported, then you and the whole army would have been teleported as well. So in a way, it's a good thing that I wasn't registered, since it would have made things even more chaotic when Kyo pulled out that Wave out of nowhere and-"
SMACK!
The palm of Therese's hand crashed into the back of L'Arc's head.
The poor King was promptly left buried in the floor up to his neck.
"YOU &^%$*&^ IDIOT!" Therese screeched. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH YOU MADE ME WORRY AFTER YOUR SHIP WENT DOWN!?"
"Ow… whyyyyyy…" L'Arc groaned on the floor.
"Not so funny now is it!" Daitan cried out from the side victoriously, only to shrivel back at the withering glare Akane gave him.
"I COULD HAVE AVOIDED THAT WHOLE MESS AND FOUND YOU A LOT SOONER OR EVEN WORRIED ABOUT YOU A LOT LESS THAN I HAD IF YOU'D JUST TOLD ME WHAT YOU DID YOU- YOU- UGH!" Therese screeched as she pulled at her hair.
"Hey, um," Kizuna and Glass moved between the pair awkwardly. "I'm sure he had his reasons for it." Kizuna supplied.
"Yes, even I can agree that while it did cause issues in locating him, his foresight kept everyone on our side from being pulled out of their positions and fortifications." Glass hastily added while wincing in sympathy.
While it could have saved some people who were in danger, it would have ultimately lost them the battle, as the enemy would have been able to take advantage of everyone being teleported out of the fortifications they had set up in front of the fleet of Acclamators. And even if they had still ended up winning, the casualty count would have been much, much higher.
"Oh, I get that." Therese still pointed an accusatory finger at the redhead. "And that's the only reason why I am not skinning and tanning his hide right now!"
"… whyyyyyyy…" L'Arc moaned in agony again. At least it wasn't a nutshot this time.
Hadn't his lovely angel allowed him to sleep on her thighs only yesterday? Why was she being so mean now?
"Hmph!" Therese crossed her arms and faced away with a pout.
…
Guess this was his lot in life.
Oh well, he still loved her anyway, and it'd take a lot more than this for him to change his heart.
"I'm sorry, Therese." L'Arc got on his hands and knees after dizzily digging himself out of the floor and bowing in front of her. "I swear I'll make up to you for this."
Therese's scowl softened a little at the redhead's sincerity. However, she was not going to let it go that easily.
After all, it was something else she could tease him with for a while. Her scowl turned into an evil smirk.
Kizuna and Glass both groaned. And here they'd thought the two would finally be getting together after how rough that battle was. Seriously, Therese?! Were you that afraid of commitment or something?!
Meanwhile, Yomogi and Kaoru both shivered in place as the look on Therese's face steadily became more and more menacing. "I… think it'd be better to not try and intervene here." The girl commented to herself.
"Kao." Kaoru nodded his head in agreement. He still wasn't sure what was going on or who all these oddly familiar-looking people were. But either way, he got the feeling that trying to intervene would be a very bad idea.
His mother carried him out of the room, and he didn't even try to fight her on it.
…
…
…
Kizuna took in a deep breath. "Alright, I think that's everything else out of the way now, no better time than the present."
She approached the Three Otherworld Cardinal Heroes, who stood at attention when they realized the focus was finally back on them again.
"Guys, besides the journal, Naofumi also gave me the page Kyo left behind specifically meant for me. In it, along with some other information, was the Vassal Book's Power-Up Method."
"..." The three remained silent. Watching her while shuffling in place.
"I'm glad you three managed to survive that whole ordeal. I really am. Hell, I'm glad you learned from my style of fighting and managed to contribute to defeating Kyo at the end. I'm proud of how far you three have come compared to when we first met.
"But if we're to move forward and save our world together, then we have to share our methods. We can't afford to remain as weak as we are."
…
"Kizuna…" Daitan was the one to speak up this time. "It's not like we don't want to believe you…
"But how do you share methods with other Heroes?" Hoshi finished the sentence.
Akane remained silent. But there was a hopeful spark in her blue eyes as she stared at the Hunting Tools Hero.
"How do you share them?" Kizuna tilted her head to the side in confusion. "You just tell them to each other."
…
…
The Otherworlders faces all fell. "We… well, we tried to do that in the past already," Hoshi admitted. "I can't remember if Daitan and Akane shared any of theirs or not. But I remember trying to tell them about [Growth Revision], and it never appeared for them."
"Yeah, it didn't work even when Ken-sensei tried to tell us his, during our training." Daitan shrugged. "I don't think it's going to work, sorry."
Hoshi smiled sadly while he shrugged as well. Akane remained silent nearby.
"Huh?... Am I missing something here, Glass?" Kizuna asked in confusion.
"I… believe I might understand the problem." Glass walked forward then. Stopping in front of the Heroes of her world. "Back then, when Kenshiro tried to teach you about this function, you'd only been in the world for a few weeks. You had as of yet to really bond and trust one another, correct?"
"I, well… … yes," Daitan admitted. "Ken-sensei was amazing, but at the end of the day, the three of us were strangers who didn't know anything about one another besides the fact that we were summoned to save this world together."
"Indeed. Yet how do you feel about each other now?" Glass pressed on.
"... now, I would do anything for my friends." Daitan smiled. "Even if it means stripping myself naked so I can aggro the enemy's attention off of them."
"Yeah, can we just forget that ever happened?" Akane sighed audibly.
"I thought we agreed to never bring that up again," Hoshi said in a dry voice.
"Come on, you have to admit that I pulled off the nude bod really… well, anyway." Daitan cut himself off, forcing down a flush of embarrassment at how the Heroes glared at him while Glass and the others looked confused. "I'd say I trust not only them but you guys too."
"Then trust me when I say this…" Glass paused for emphasis. "You do not just tell each other what your strengthening methods are. You have to believe that what is being shared is real and that it is something you can use."
"The Heroes of the world have to rely on one another to survive. The power-up methods work similarly. You have to believe that what works for one Hero works for you as well. Doing so will deepen your bonds with your fellow Heroes.
"And I do believe that what you said applies to your compatriots as well. After everything the three of you have gone through, you trust each other on the same level that me and L'Arc and Ethnobalt did when we first shared our methods with Kizuna.
"So do not be afraid. Try it and see for yourselves."
…
…
Akane gripped her dress tightly, but as the Heroes looked at one another, she stepped forward into the group first. "Guys, my, my…"
"..."
"..."
The girl hung her head in shame. "My core method is [Sharing]. The more power-up methods are shared between Heroes, the stronger those methods become." She finally admitted.
…
…
…
The girl looked like she was going to burn a hole into the ground from embarrassment and die on the spot. She knew she had no right to be standing there anymore. Not when she'd known that whole time what her main method was. And she hadn't even mentioned her second method yet!
They both relied on others to become stronger. So the fact that she hadn't at least mentioned them before was downright atrocious.
Seriously, she wouldn't be surprised if the others laughed at her in disbelief, or otherwise scorned her for making things so unnecessarily hard for them, and-
"Oh, nice! That's super cool Akane! It appeared on my HUD just now!" Daitan said excitedly.
"Mine too!" Hoshi also sounded excited. It was a strange emotion to see on the normally Monochrome Hero's face.
Akane was brought out of her trainwreck of self-depreciation at her friends' words. "H-Huh?!" She said in shock.
"Yeah, I have a new tab in my weapon's help guide." Daitan pointed out something only he could see on his HUD. "[Sharing] appeared being listed under your weapon, and my stats have already seen an increase because of it!"
"This is super cool!" Hoshi said, his gray eyes gleaming. "My stats have all gone up! This is amazing! Itsuki and the others were telling us the truth about how they became stronger all along!"
The two male Heroes started to look even happier than before. Meanwhile, their heroine friend looked more and more shocked at what the two were saying.
"W-W-WHA-?! Didn't you two hear me though?!" Akane nearly shrieked. "My method relies on sharing with others, and-"
"And it's understandable why you didn't share it with us before." Daitan then cut her off, much to her surprise.
There was a look of seriousness on the manlet's face that she'd never seen before. "I remember what you told me about your experiences in your world. Hell, I'm not surprised you couldn't share this till now, since you had every reason not to trust anyone around you. Especially with the way I acted in the past. There was no logical way you or anyone else would have been able to trust someone as stupid as me.
"So, you know, I'm not mad in the slightest. Just know that I'm super happy that I'm able to trust you more than I did back then. And that you trust me more too!"
"Heh. Good choice of words, Daitan." Hoshi smiled next to him. "I couldn't have said it any better myself."
…
Tears began to slowly gather in the Jewel Heroine's blue eyes. Her tall form shook and she crossed her arms over her chest as she listened to Daitan saying one of the kindest things she'd ever heard in her entire life. Was this seriously the guy who'd stripped himself naked to fight the big bad just yesterday?!
"Come on, don't break down on us now. We still got a lot more to share with each other, right?" Daitan wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
"C-C-Can you stop being an idiot for just one minute and let me appreciate what's happening right now?!" Akane yelled at him.
"Sure thing, come here." Daitan held his arms out wide.
Surprisingly, Akane threw herself into his hug, breaking down and sobbing onto his shoulder as she did so.
Daitan began to gently rub her back, and Hoshi joined in right after as well. The three of them all had tears leaking down their faces as they cried together.
"We'll move forward together to save this world with Kizuna and the others, right?" Daitan asked hopefully.
"Y-Yes." Akane cried out. "Absolutely! Without a doubt!"
"For Kuro-Chan, and Ken-sensei, and everyone else we care about as well," Hoshi added.
…
Outside their small crying bubble, Kizuna smiled as she held Chris in her arms. "Now this is a sweet sight to behold."
"Please, do not do something to ruin it for them," Glass said next to her in a deadpan.
"Aw, come on! I can't even try making one Earth Hole to shatter the moment?" Kizuna teased.
"I'd rather we not waste any more tax payer's money on fixing another hole in the floor," L'Arc commented behind them. He was still rubbing his sore face while glancing at the indent that it had left on the ground nearby.
"Hmph!" And Therese was still pouting angrily. The poor man.
"Party pooper." Kizuna pouted back at her older brother, who smirked back at his tiny sister. L'Arc then rubbed a hand through Kizuna's hair, causing her to shriek. "Stop noogieing me! I'm too old for this!"
"Too bad! It's been a while since I was able to feel like your older brother! Ahahahahaha!"
Glass chuckled at the two's antics quickly devolving into chaos within the span of a few seconds. Therese found it almost impossible to keep pouting at such an adorable sight. Yet one would be remiss if they didn't notice the one important addition Daitan and Hoshi had acknowledged earlier had also been made a part of all the Hero's help guides there.
Holy Jewel:
Core Method: [Sharing]
Second Method: Unknown
Third Method: Unknown
Fourth Method: Unknown
Yes, the methods of the Three Cardinal Heroes could also be shared with Kizuna and the other Heroes from her world.
So that meant…
The tearful group hug continued for another moment. Then, all three Heroes nodded their heads as one. "Alright, Hoshi, I think it's time you tried telling us about that [Growth Revision] method of yours again," Daitan suggested.
"Of course." Hoshi smiled softly in response.
"Mind if we join in, Kiddos?" L'Arc moved forward, still grinning while hugging Kizuna to his side. "We've got quite a few methods to share between us too."
"Not at all!" Akane stated excitedly.
Slowly, the Heroes went through all of their known methods one at a time.
As the methods appeared on their help guides, Kizuna, then Glass, then L'Arc began sharing their methods in return. Kizuna added in Kyo's Book Method [Revised Edition] while Glass supplied Ethnobalt's Boat method [Item Boost].
[Revised Edition] essentially made a copied weapon form stronger the closer to the original it was. It'd be like copying the first Iron Spear a blacksmith had ever made instead of the fifth version based on the original design made by the blacksmith's apprentice. It was mainly useful for books, as a first edition would be far superior to a tenth edition while also being a lot easier to find compared to other weapon forms, but regardless, it still worked with other weapons.
And even after you copied a weapon form, if you found a more original version of it, the method would copy that over the original form it'd copied, making it stronger as a result. So you didn't have to worry about being locked out of better copies of weapon forms if you copied a worse edition of it first.
As for [Item Boost], it gave bonuses based on the items stored in the weapon's inventory. This included drop items from monsters, as well as herbs, ores, tools, weapons, etc. There were also lists of items one could collect that'd unlock additional bonuses once the list was completed.
To put it in other terms, it was like a collector's wet dream. The more of a hoarder you were, the better.
The Otherworlders watched their stats all go up and up with each method that was shared amongst them. The strongest boost came from [Sharing], as it boosted the power of all power-up methods the more they were shared.
The stats of the Heroes all went up higher and higher than any of them, even Glass and L'Arc, had thought possible!
Glass in particular looked stunned. She was on the verge of collapsing to her knees and sobbing again.
With this kind of strength… she could finally protect her world! She'd always be able to stand at her best friend's side! Her hard work after all these years had finally received a huge payoff with the vast increase in stats and power her weapon forms all saw across the board!
"Guys, with this, we'll be able to save our world!" Daitan said happily.
"Y-Yeah…" Hoshi was starting to cry again, but it was for a good reason this time. "We really can."
It was all well and good… though, with all the methods shared, one that Daitan shared made Akane ask an important question. "So if [Skill Rank] allows you to make your skills more powerful, why the hell haven't you been using it before now?"
"Oh, uh…" Daitan went silent, his face paling just a bit.
Even Kizuna and the others were looking at him in confusion. You see, [Skill Rank], unlike other power-up methods, did have a visible impact on one's attacks that others could see. As one used it to upgrade their skills like 'Air Strike Shield' to 'Air Strike Shield II' or 'Air Strike Shield III' up to V or X depending on the skill.
In other words, it was not only a power-up method that could have come in handy. It was also one that would have given a clear indication of what one of Dai-tan's power-up methods was way earlier on. This would have allowed Kizuna to ask him about it, learn it for herself, and use it to prove to the Otherworld Heroes that methods could be shared so they had this discussion much sooner.
This would have made everything beforehand SO MUCH EASIER and could have drastically changed the way things had gone down, including the prevention of Daitan having to pull off that stunt of his that would never be mentioned ever again…
…
"To be honest… I kind of forgot about it, heheh." Daitan chuckled nervously. "I didn't understand how to get the points needed to upgrade skills when I was first summoned, and then it just… fell on the backburner forever."
…
Yep. That was why it'd never come up before now.
He really was an idiot. Through and through.
"YOU BAKA!" Akane slammed Daitan into the tiled floor of the Hourglass room.
She not only broke through the floor but at least another dozen feet into the ground.
The whole city shook, and seismographs over in Lapis sounded the alarm as they caught large tremor readings from the other side of the world, indicative of a large earthquake beginning to make an appearance.
Only, seconds later, the readings vanished entirely. And the scientists were left scratching their heads in befuzzlement once again.
It would become a great mystery that would continue to bedazzle the minds of Lapis's scientists for many decades.
"Hahahahaha!" Meanwhile, Daitan was laughing at the bottom of the pit his body had made. "This is amazing! You're so strong now Akane! I'm surprised this didn't hurt even a bit!"
"IF YOU THINK THAT FLATTERY IS GOING TO MAKE ME FORGIVE YOU, THEN FORGET IT! GODS, YOU'RE SUCH AN IDIOT DAITAN! WHY DO I EVEN PUT UP WITH YOU?!" Akane screeched back while the Blunt Hero easily climbed out of the massive crater that his body had left.
"Because I'm just that awesome." Daitan wiggled his eyebrows flirtatiously.
"AS IF!" Akane screeched as she turned her back to the shorter man. However, one would have been blind to not notice the blush that appeared on her cheeks.
She seriously hadn't had that kind of thought about Daitan of all people, had she?!
"Urgh, now I'm going to have to pay to get that fixed too," L'Arc grumbled as he stared at the extent of the damage.
"Don't worry, you're the King so we all know you have plenty of money to cover this mess." Kizuna winked at her older brother.
Everyone in the room started laughing. And Akane couldn't help it as she joined in too. L'Arc's pout deepened, and Therese began rubbing his back in sympathy, even though she was laughing herself.
Oh well. What mattered now was that they did trust and believe in one another. It was even reflected in Akane's second method: [Trust].
It not only raised the stats of those you had trust in. But you also received an increase in stats the more people you had that trusted you.
After spending so much of her life being unable to trust no one except her parents and her grandparents… after having to face the traumas she'd acquired as a teenager head-on…
Akane Haori had finally come out on top…
She had friends that she could trust in once again.
Nothing could have made her happier.
The leader of Lapis sat in a chair in L'Arc's castle, staring blankly ahead of him.
He could not recall much of the previous day. He knew that Ryoma and Cole had escorted him away from the battlefield. At some point, he'd returned to Sickle via an Hourglass along with a good portion of his army. What remained of the coalition fleet was en route, being protected by the majority of the fleet Hinoka had brought along with her.
The losses they'd suffered were innumerable. So many men, women, and gems had lost their lives… yet the death of his eldest brother had hurt Corrin the most out of them all since it had been cut short by his own hands.
He'd always looked up to him when he was younger. Even after Xander left Lapis on bad terms, Corrin had dreamed of one day being able to reunite with him. To welcome him back. To be able to work with him to make their country a better place. And…
…
Even if he had come back, it wouldn't have made up for the fact that they were still several siblings short.
Corrin stared down at the carpeted floor. His eyes were misty with emotion.
He wished… he wished that he could take it all back. That he could have had just one chance to try and talk things through with Xander. To learn why his eldest brother had left and become his enemy. Why…
Just so many whys… whys he would never obtain the answers to, since the person that the Emperor wanted the answers from was now dead and would soon be buried by Luvar forces at their capital.
He just… he just couldn't face this grief and pain right now… just why…?
…
"Excuse me, Your Majesty, is it alright if I intrude for a moment?"
A voice spoke up at the door of the room. Corrin lifted his eyes to glance up at first, then lifted his head as he recognized the individual who had walked in.
The tall person had blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail that hung over their shoulder. The androgynous figure was dressed like a merchant with plain but high-quality clothes.
Corrin recognized them as Altorese, one of Kizuna's oldest friends. Alto had a fairly hard-to-pin appearance which confused most newcomers about what gender he/she was. However, thanks to Alto's assistance alongside Kizuna in putting him on the throne of Lapis, Corrin knew firsthand that Altorese was a woman. A woman who loved making a profit more than anyone else in their world and thus didn't obsess over her appearance.
So long as she could make some money, she was happy the way she was.
"Is there an important reason for why you wish to see me right now?" Corrin finally spoke. "I wish to be left alone."
"Yes, your brother and advisor did seem very persistent about that. But I managed to squeeze by them with the help of your wife. She listened when I said I had an important message to deliver to you."
"..." Corrin continued to lifelessly stare at the merchant sourly. Yet Alto simply smiled at the Emperor with her business-like smile.
"I promise it'll be worth your time. I'm not charging anything for it either, since it was already paid by the sender." Alto promised as she took a letter out of a pocket from her shirt.
"And who paid to have this letter delivered to me?" Corrin asked sarcastically.
"Xander."
…
…
…
…
…
A long silence stretched out as Corrin stared at Alto, first in surprise, and then in disbelief. This was followed by shock as she handed the letter to him to check, and he realized that it was addressed to him in Xander's familiar handwriting.
Tears pricked at the corners of the young Emperor's eyes, but he didn't say anything as he wiped them away. He finally tore open the seal on the letter, and two pieces of paper fell out from it.
He unfolded the larger one and then began to read the message addressed to him.
Brother,
If you're reading this, this means I died on the field of battle. I probably died to one of the Heroes, either that or I died facing you. I do hope it was the latter. I wouldn't like it very much if I died to some knave wielding a hero weapon. Especially since I had something important to tell you to your face.
I don't know if you know this. It happened sometime after I renounced my vow to Lapis and was exiled, after all. But I held our sister Elise in my arms the day she died.
The last thing she said to me, when I held her bleeding and broken body in my arms?
Lapis needs more from you. Not just your strength. What we need is caring... a warm hand… and tears.
I didn't take her words to heart. I failed to do so. Yet you did somehow, without even being there to hear them.
You've done well, Corrin...
"N-no... I'm still so weak. I'm still no match for you... Why did you let me win, Xander? TELL ME! WHY?!" Corrin yelled out loud.
The man began to sob.
"You still... pushed me in the end... just like when we trained together… I tried so hard to become strong enough to lead our nation… but it still wasn't enough… I was never enough to help everyone out… I wasn't able to help you out…"
He came upon the next part of the letter. And it was as if Xander was speaking to him at that moment.
Dry those eyes, Little Prince. This was my choice in the end, not yours. If indeed, you were the one to kill me, then I won't let you hang my death over your head. In the end, it was my choice to make. And I chose to die hoping to get things through to you.
Do you know what my favorite memory is, even after spending so long in exile?
Sharing a laugh with you, Elise, Hinoka, Leo, Ryoma, Azura, and the others around the dinner table.
I think Leo had his boots on the wrong feet that day. Takumi was griping about not being allowed to go practice with his Bow, Azura was working on her latest song… and Camilla was trying so hard to make you laugh but utterly failing to do so. In the end, we all ended up laughing at her antics, and it was seeing all of us laugh that made you laugh with us.
In my heart I have so many memories of us siblings having fun together... even amid all our studies, even while we were trained to assume our positions of leadership of Lapis's government and nobility, those were the happiest days of my life.
You might wonder… why did I leave, why did I choose to fight you, against my home country?
At first, it was foolishness, a bruised ego, and spite.
But then, my self-imposed exile allowed me to witness the world at large in all of its unsightly glory. And once I had done so, I could no longer look upon Lazuli's glorious walls without bitterness and hatred tainting my heart, even after my anger at losing the throne to you had faded and got replaced with shame.
"Xander…"
I'd like to think that things could have turned out differently in another world. We could have fought side by side together. But here, it would have been impossible. Not after learning the terrible truths that the Demon Lord had shown to me.
I am hoping that I was able to get across what I wanted to say to you on the field of battle, but just in case, I will put it on paper here as well. Because of my travels, I was able to discern why Lapis had remained in seclusion for so many generations. Why it'd been centuries since royalty or any of the high nobility had decided to have any kids of their own.
Our seclusion did keep us safe. I cannot deny that. But it also made our people stagnate and slowly grow weaker over time. The knowledge handed down by our ancestors was slowly destroying us just like our enemies would have wanted. Yet I did not have an answer back then for how to lead Lapis out of the rut it had placed itself in.
It was after you were chosen by the people to lead us when our parents died, that I finally saw the direction Lapis should have gone all along.
You, Corrin… you took the first steps in ending our country's isolation. You opened up our country to the world. You began trading more freely with other nations, exchanging technology and other things that made the world overall a better place. Better yet, you married Hinoka, and became the first royal couple who bore their own child themselves, rather than picking an heir from the earth of the palace's garden.
I regret that I'll never see the face of my niece for myself. I can only imagine how cute she must be.
You put our country on the right path, Corrin. I won't deny that. However, there are some things I cannot allow you to remain ignorant about going forward. Not anymore.
I hope to impress that upon your mind on the field of battle. If I haven't, or I was unable to, please refer to the second page. Contained in it is a summary of what I have learned about our family and country's history over the years. As well as what the late queen and our mother had shared with me in private while training me to assume the mantle of emperor.
I won't reveal all of it, as some of what the Gem People thought we knew before was proven false by my experiences with the Demon Lord. However, there is still some truth to be found in our ancestor's words passed down by the Jewel Hero. I hope they will help aid you as you lead Lapis down the road.
…
Corrin looked at the second sheet of paper that'd fallen out when he opened the letter. He almost felt tempted to read it then and there to find out what Xander was talking about.
However, his eyes caught the next lines of the first page, and he kept on reading it to the end instead.
I… I'm sorry… I let you slip away from me, brother. As the crown prince... I only wanted what was best for our family. I decided not to tell you any of what Mother shared with me before out of fear that it'd lead Lapis back to seclusion once again. I only wanted to protect you all and see Lapis finally step onto the world stage for the good of our world…
But in the end… Azura died, and so did Elise, and Camilla, and Takumi, and many others besides them to those whom Mother warned me about.
Those tyrants living in other parts of our world. The government officials of the Musical Instrument's country who gave the order for Azura to be assassinated during our campaign against the Demon Dragon. The delegates from the Harpoon's nation alongside their hero who kidnapped Camilla, raped her, and left her body to rot in the plains outside Lazuli. The generals of Mikikage who fell upon Leo and Takumi during a multinational military training exercise, killing them both in a fit of anger and claiming that it was an 'accident'. Sakura, sweet innocent Sakura, who set up a volunteer hospital in Mikikage to help out the commoners struggling there, only to disappear without a trace.
The individuals who tailed Elise to that village when I let my guard down… who ambushed her, fatally injuring her and pinning her death on the local monsters that'd remained in the area, while I held her dying body in my arms.
I did what I always told you not to do. I let my feelings overrule my duty. In the end, it was my undoing. Is that… is that justice?
…
What?
No… that couldn't have been true. The reports Corrin had been given… what he'd found from observing the scenes where his siblings had died…
Corrin continued reading. There was not much of his brother's words left.
No matter. If you are reading this, then you have already prevailed, little prince. I couldn't lead this world or Lapis into peace. But you, you can. And you will. You can do the things I couldn't.
I know it will likely come down to a clash of ideals. If… when, you win, I want you to do one thing.
I don't want you to change your ideals. But I want you to learn from mine. To take the truth that is in them and add them to your rule. I do not wish for Lapis to go back into seclusion, but neither do I wish for it to ignorantly destroy itself while facing the enemy that wants to extinguish our world.
I do not wish for our family to lose any more siblings than it already has.
That's how you'll surpass me in the end. That is how you'll help to save our world. And, hopefully, with this drive, you will be able to bring me and our lost siblings to justice.
I'm counting on you, Corrin… the youngest of my brothers, but the greatest of us all.
Yours truly,
Xander Onyxite
…
…
Corrin slowly put the letter down. An unreadable expression was on his face.
"Did you finish reading it, Your Majesty?" Alto asked curiously. "Is there anything you wish to verify with me?"
"... … … what he said about my siblings' deaths… is it true?" The Emperor asked.
Alto frowned but answered. "As it's been several years since some of their deaths, I couldn't exactly verify 100% for all of them. Sakura, in particular, I haven't managed to find anything... but from what I was able to gather for the others, yes, I can reasonably say that their deaths were likely not an 'accident'. Camilla, in particular, was definitely murdered by the Harpoon Hero and his entourage. That information was suppressed at the time, for the sake of preventing an international incident. I only know of this since I spoke with your brother at length about their deaths and many more things when he requested me to deliver this message to you in the event of his passing."
Corrin breathed in sharply. Before he could ask, Alto continued. "Among the things that were disclosed to me by the general, was that there was a living witness to at least one of these murders. One of Lady Camilla's former retainers, Selena.
"Princess Camilla and her were both kidnapped under the guise of being future bargaining chips against Lapis. Except, when Camilla learned that the Harpoon Hero kidnapped the two of them so he could turn them into his own personal sex slaves, she rose up and wounded him, buying time for her retainer to escape with her life.
"Selena didn't see the moment when the Harpoon Hero killed your eldest sister. But she knows that whatever had happened, he is ultimately responsible for the state she was found in."
…
…
Corrin remained silent. Still staring at Alto in disbelief. "How… where is she?"
"She changed her identity and is living in a small village, far away from Lazuli. She chose to cut all ties with her old family and friends in fear of them facing retaliation if the knowledge of her survival became public." Alto answered. "That is why she never tried to contact you either. After learning how the Harpoon Hero and the other delegates from different countries had been given diplomatic immunity inside of Lapis, she feared returning to the Capital and getting discovered."
…
Corrin fell back into his chair. His eyes stared out ahead of him again. "Are… were all the incidents with my siblings linked as Xander claimed in the letter?"
Alto simply shrugged. "I'm not sure exactly about the link Xander made between them… but he also had information given to him by Kyo. Perhaps there is more info regarding that in the second half of the letter. But even if there isn't, you don't need to worry about it. If I'm to assume correctly, based on what I heard and saw in the Throne Room before I delivered this to you, Kizuna might have gotten an even more damning collection of information from Kyo before his death."
"I'd suggest talking to her after this, Your Majesty. If you're feeling up for it, that is."
"..." Corrin didn't answer, and Alto stood up to leave the room.
"Was there any particular reason why you were working with Xander and Kyo for the last while?" Corrin asked before she left.
"Oh, what makes you assume that?" Alto asked curiously.
"Xander paid you to personally deliver that letter to me. That meant you had to be in the area." Corrin said, suspicion in his tone.
"Eh, I can admit that they were old friends, and they also paid well too!" Alto said happily. "You know how I have a weak spot for money. And Luvar needed a loooot of resources for the construction of its fleet."
…
Corrin continued to glare at her though. And eventually, the merchant sighed.
"In my defense, all of this was going on for years, long before the Book Hero had returned and pressured the Parliament into giving him emergency power to carry out that crazy world-spanning military conquest of his. As soon as I learned that Kizuna was back and saw the writing on the wall about what was about to happen, I wanted to make a quick exit, but I was strongly urged to remain where I was and continue to overlook the economic development of Luvar. I was not involved in any of its military affairs.
"Call that treason if you want. It is what it is.
"If you are still not convinced about my loyalties, the only reason why I was able to leave the country and have the surveillance around me pulled off was because Xander permitted it a few days before the battle, so I could deliver this message to you in its aftermath." She said, her tone finally turning serious. "Kind of a bummer that it had no additional compensation attached to it, but whatever. I'll call it a freebie since your brother was a good business partner."
…
Corrin hung his head. "I'm… I'm sorry. This letter is worth more than every kinhan in my nation's treasury."
"Hmph." Alto began to smile again. "It's fine to be suspicious of me. Like I said, I have a weakness for money. But at the end of the day, I am Kizuna's friend, and anyone who is a friend of Kizuna's is a friend of mine. I would sooner choose to fall on a blade, rather than willingly betray her and the ideals she carries. Even if I was offered all the fortunes in the world and beyond for it.
"Speaking of which, I should go say hi to her and explain where I was and what I've been up to these last few years before that information becomes public and I get a lynch mob chasing me. I'm getting the feeling that she is going to require my expertise and connections very soon. And I sense a lot of money coming out of such a venture for myself!"
With a wide grin on her face, Alto marched straight out the door. Leaving Corrin inside all alone.
…
The Emperor of Lapis reflected on his brother's letter for a long while. As well as their duel.
He felt a large ache in his heart. He'd lost another sibling. And yet, that same sibling had seen to it to arrange for his final words to still reach him.
Corrin should have realized it. Xander had probably wanted to ensure they had a duel face-to-face together, whether in the air or on the ground. That was probably why he hadn't just tried to obliterate his brother en route to Luvar, or why, at the start of the duel, Xander had thrown away the Replica Spear.
More tears pricked at the edges of his eyes, and the Emperor's body trembled as he clutched the piece of paper to his chest.
Maybe he could have taken off both of Xander's hands. Maybe he could have stabbed him in the legs instead. Maybe he could have done or said something to convince his brother to settle for peace.
…
That was the issue though. Xander hadn't wanted peace. The fact that he'd written that letter for him before going off to battle spoke volumes of how prepared Xander had been to die by Corrin's hand.
Corrin finally allowed the tears to fall from the corners of his eyes. There had been no other path. Xander had wanted to face him on the field of battle, and…
He'd died, with such a peaceful smile on his face…
…
Corrin wiped the tears from his eyes.
"Xander… brother, I'm so sorry that I didn't listen to your advice before," Corrin spoke aloud.
The man had thought the lesson he was imparting to his younger brother to be so important that he'd stake his own life on the line to teach it to him instead of entrusting it to anyone else. He'd been who he'd always been, cold and ruthless, just to make sure the message got through.
He could see now why Xander wouldn't have made a good ruler. He knew the flaws his eldest brother had all too well… but that didn't take away the fact that he was right.
As Lapis's ruler, he had to do more than be kind and appease others. He had to be the voice of reason for the nations. And beyond that, he had to stand against those whose goal was to overthrow his beloved world.
He looked at the second folded piece of paper. He thought more about what Xander had said and then knew that whatever his mother's words contained, he could not allow Lapis to go back to what it'd been before. An isolated nation with little to no contact with the outside world.
That'd help nobody.
He couldn't just act for the sake of his country or his family anymore. He had to act for the sake of the whole world. That was far more important than anything else.
…
"I really have been a complete idiot." Corrin shook his head, chuckling as more tears fell from his eyes.
"That much is true." A woman's voice spoke from the doorway.
This time, Corrin looked up to find Hinoka standing there, their daughter sucking on her thumb while her mom held her in her arms. "Then again, you're my idiot." The Empress said while smiling happily. "So I don't particularly mind."
"H-Hinoka!" Corrin leaped across the room, throwing the two pieces of paper to the sides as he embraced his wife and child.
Hinoka hugged him back with one arm. "I'm sorry I told you to stay behind!" The Emperor immediately began to apologize. "I should have never told you to stay out of the conflict!"
"I understand. You wanted to keep me out of danger." The Queen said calmly. "You also wanted me to make sure that nothing would happen to our country or to our daughter… I understand why you made that decision, Corrin.
"But dear, if you ever decide to go off on your own, while leaving the majority of our army behind to defend something that has plenty of other things to defend it, I will beat the everliving crap out of you. And then I'll heal you up so I can do it again."
…
"I-I understand, I'll keep it in mind." Corrin sweatdropped. Then, as he let go of his wife, he remembered that she was still holding their child.
And then, he realized something else. Something he'd noticed during the battle but had been unable to think about back then.
"Wait a second, I JUST REMEMBERED, YOU BROUGHT KANA TO A BATTLEFIELD!?" Corrin shrieked at his wife.
"Yeah, what of it?" The Warrior Queen responded with a raised eyebrow.
"Gah!" Kana chose that moment to take her thumb out of her mouth and raise her little arm happily to her Daddy.
"Gotta raise her to be tough, otherwise, she'll become as soft and squishy as her daddy. Isn't that right Kana?" Hinoka spoke in a high pitch while making a funny face for her daughter. Little Kana began to giggle at Mommy's antics.
…
Corrin groaned as he rubbed his hand across his face. "I don't even have the words to describe how wrong that is."
"Tough, I say that I'm right, so you're outvoted." Hinoka stuck her tongue out at her husband.
"Hey, I'm the one who's the Emperor of Lapis here!" Corrin complained.
"And I'm the Empress and this little bundle of joy in my hands is our heir. Since she seems to agree with me, I say we outrank you. So your complaint is overruled." Hinoka smirked before looking down at their daughter. "Right, Kana."
"Mama!" Kana yelled happily.
"... urgh… outvoted by my own kid…" Corrin pretended to shrivel up on the inside. The happiness radiating off of him in that moment though helped the gloom from before to fade away. And he decided on something in his mind.
"Alright, I promise that I'll do better from now on... I do hope you'll forgive me if I mess up again though."
"Don't worry, I'll make sure to have some forgiveness stored away for when you inevitably try to take everything on your shoulders again." Hinoka jabbed.
"Ouch. That little faith in me, huh." Corrin grimaced.
"I just know you that well." Hinoka leaned forward and planted a peck on his cheek. "But I still love you regardless. And will be there to share your burden, whether you want me to or not."
"That's what I promised you when we exchanged our wedding vows, after all."
"... heh, alright." Corrin rested his arm over Hinoka's shoulders. Joining her in looking down lovingly at their red-haired daughter. "I will try to do better. I promise."
"You already are." Hinoka smiled as she raised Kana enough so Corrin could touch noses with his child. "We'll both do better from now on. And we'll see to it that our fallen family members are avenged so that Kana and her future siblings will be able to grow up in peace."
"... future siblings?" Corrin suddenly asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"You didn't think I'd want to stop at just one, did you?" Hinoka teased. "I want at least two more. Three if you're up for it."
The imperfect rulers of Lapis both began to laugh. Eventually, after grabbing both the messages Xander had given to him off the ground, the royal couple left the room together with their daughter falling asleep in her father's arms.
There was still a lot for them to work through… there was still much to be done.
But Corrin and Hinoka had ultimately come out of this experience the better because of it.
It was time for the duo to lead their nation into the future.
Because this is out a week earlier than normal, Hinoka's art-log isn't finished yet. The image for her is done though. Will update it and possibly add another art-log later once Lyron is done with it.
Hero Clips!
Just Naofumi: Part Three
"Just keep in mind that this means you'll be referring to me by just Naofumi from now on. No more of that Sir or Lord crap." Naofumi added on with a devious smirk.
"URK!" Dou-Lon looked like he'd just been sucker-punched. "A-Are you really sure you want me to do that, Sir Naofumi? I could have sworn you got really annoyed by people calling you that in the past."
Naofumi's eyebrow arched up in confusion. "Of course I'm sure. I wouldn't be asking you to drop the titles otherwise."
"I mean… are you really sure you want me to call you by Just Naofumi from now on?" Dou-Lon pressed for clarification.
Naofumi, being too dense at the moment because he wanted to go back to daydreaming about his wife friend and him at the altar, shrugged his shoulders in response. "Absolutely."
Dou-Lon sighed. "Alright, whatever you say then, Just Naofumi." The hakuko muttered defeatedly.
Ha, there we go. Now Naofumi would never have to deal with Naofumi calling him by Sir or Lord in front of others ever again-
…
…
His brain finally caught up to what he'd just unleashed at that moment. "Oh no…" He uttered in terror.
"With that out of the way, am I allowed to get back to training now, Just Naofumi?" Dou-Lon asked curiously.
"No… No… NO! NOT AGAIN!" Naofumi screamed.
"Eh, what's going on?" Kizuna asked curiously where she was separating from her friends.
"I don't really know. But I think my husband here just gave everyone permission to refer to him by Just Naofumi again." Raphtalia answered.
"You're kidding! Just Naofumi, is that true?!" Kizuna put her hands on her hips with a pout. "You didn't even allow me to do that when we first got to know each other in the Infinite Labyrinth!"
"It has been a while since he allowed us to refer to him as Just Naofumi," Glass said, pondering to herself in thought.
"Yo, Just Naofumi, how's it taste being the most bullied one in the room now!" L'Arc cackled like a maniac to himself.
"SHUT UP, BOY! I'M IN NO MOOD FOR YOUR SHENANIGANS!" Naofumi screamed at him.
"Too bad, Just Naofumi, Just Naofumi, Just Naofumi, Just-" L'Arc started screaming in a singsong tone.
Naofumi proceeded to equip the Shield of Diligence and bring out the Shield of Wrath III on his Float Shield skill before throwing himself at the cackling young king with a vengeance.
"YOUR ASHES WILL BE ASHES BY THE TIME I'M DONE WITH YOU, BOY!" Naofumi promised.
"Whoa! Careful there, Just Naofumi! You might pop a vein in your head at this rate!" L'Arc continued to cackle before singing 'Just Naofumi' in his horrid singsong tone again.
"REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Daitan and the other Heroes stood confusedly next to Aksel and Maya, who were watching the show with matching smiles on their faces. "Again, I have to ask. Is this normal?" Hoshi asked the tall knight.
"As normal as it ever gets around here," Aksel replied with a shrug. "Heh, I've always been a fan of the Just Naofumi joke though. Glad to see it make a comeback again after all this time."
"Me too. Oooh, you think we can get the chance to call him Just Naofumi too?" Maya teased next to her favorite knight.
"REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Naofumi darted past, his flaming Shield trying to impact against L'Arc's body, but the redhead avoided each one of his strikes, laughing to himself while all the while still goading the Shield Hero on with his musical rendition of 'Just Naofumi' that he was coming up with on the spot.
"You're gonna need to try harder than that, Just Naofumi. I'm milking this scenario for all its worth."
Naofumi continued to scream as the Throne Room was steadily destroyed by their antics. But he never did manage to land a hit on the redhead thanks to how much higher his stats had become.
"Didn't that happen later in the chapter though?" Hoshi asked confusedly.
"Shhhhhhh." A tall hooded figure rested his hand on the Ofuda Hero's shoulder. "Just allow the crack to happen."
Hoshi looked over his shoulder in shock, but much like the random man who'd tried to speak sense in a previous omake, the hooded figure was nowhere in sight.
Eventually, the entire throne room and several of the surrounding rooms were completely destroyed, and L'Arc laughed over an exhausted Naofumi who'd run out of time for the day to use his Diligence-Wrath combo.
Oh well, Naofumi got the last laugh in the end, as the repair bill was handed to L'Arc by a very unhappy-looking Minister Stone.
Not even one doumon was taken from taxpayer money to fix the damage the Scythe and Shield Heroes had caused to the castle.
Till Next Time
Allen
Notes:
Don't worry, I won't say too much here after what I unloaded up top. All I can say is, I'm going to look forward to posting these next two chapters. You all will understand why soon enough.
Chapter 22: Turning Point
Notes:
To answer Bookworm Guest on fanfiction.net since he asked; yes, some of those companion weapon forms are canon to the Series. Some of them are already in use, while others have very specific conditions for unlocking so they don't appear till later on.
As for why I decided to still use the Slave User Series under the title of Hero Service Crests despite other weapon forms being an option; it's for the same reason Ukrainian soldiers still use Soviet-Era weapons/tech alongside the Western Weapons/Technology they've received to fight off Russian aggression; and no, it isn't just because what Ukraine has been given isn't even close to enough to being able to replace their old arsenals.
It's because it's better to use everything you have at your disposal to survive than to die over the ethics of using something that's considered evil for something that'd be considered good. Besides that, those trust/comrade/friendship series require the individual to be close to the Hero for them to work while the Slave User Series can be used on anyone, regardless of their proximity to the Hero, to become levels of strength stronger than they could ever hope to achieve without it.
In short, while those series have severe limitations on who they can be used on, the Slave User Series can be used on anyone to raise multiple armies to fight off the Waves. That is my answer.
For anyone else who wants to ask me off-topic questions like this, contact me on Discord using @allenblaster to find me on my Fan Discord Server. I much prefer answering in real-time than doing this.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Alright, I can guess what you're thinking about now.
Naofumi and co did all they needed to do in Kizuna's world.
They'd gone over. They'd leveled up. They'd acquired new power and gear and friends and memories. Most important of all, they'd beaten Kyo and taken back the stolen soul energy of the Spirit Tortoise to make the barrier that'd protect their world from the Waves and the Phoenix's Awakening for a time.
For all intents and purposes, they had completed their task and should have been sent back to their world as soon as possible. Under normal circumstances, the Shield and Bow might have teleported their wielders and friends back as soon as the next day, as time was a precious commodity that Naofumi's world did not have.
…
However, that did not happen.
Naofumi and his friends were eager to return home as well and would have asked the Boat Hero to use his Vassal Weapon to safely deliver them there if the Bow or Shield could not do it for whatever reason. But they didn't do so either. The date of the return trip was unanimously agreed on to be pushed back by everyone in the group.
The reasoning for it came down to what Kizuna had discussed with the Shield Hero at length one night, shortly after their return to Sickle.
And once the topic of that discussion was passed down to everyone else too, no one could say no to the Hunting Tool Hero's truly ambitious and undeniably insane request.
So Naofumi and his friends ended up staying for another week. While they waited for the time to enact Kizuna's ruthless ploy, the heroes of Naofumi's world worked hard for the good of both of their worlds. Whether it was by solidifying relationships with other nations or setting up trade agreements with Lapis for supplying magic crystals from their world at a later date, once Ethnobalt made more progress in his translation work. Everyone operated both together and privately, laying the foundations for their future endeavors.
Naofumi, in particular, was greatly occupied with deciphering the boon that the Book Hero had left him with. The magical page, which turned into a textbook Kyo had written, held secrets of the rogue Hero's alchemical prowess within it. Whether it was Kyo's personal recipes, a list of materials from both worlds that could be absorbed to unlock new weapon forms that had a chance of improving one's compounding abilities, or even detailed instructions on how to manually prepare certain types of ingredients or how to construct superior tools that would allow one to achieve near-perfect purity and quality in one's concoctions.
The book held all of those secrets and more.
The amount of info inside it was so staggering that parts of it were straight-up incomprehensible to the Shield Hero, due to his lack of mastery on the subject. He considered himself pretty skilled at alchemy before, but seeing Kyo's collection of knowledge put into perspective just how much of an amateur he still was.
Yet after studying what Kyo had left for him for only a few days, Naofumi managed to recreate the Book Hero's signature Green Buff Potion.
It was far from perfect. Due to the complexity surrounding its brewing process, the Shield Hero only managed to get an average-quality sample in his first batch. But even that inferior version provided a temporary 33% multiplier to every one of the recipient's stats. And it could be applied to a whole crowd at once since it didn't require being orally ingested. Simply standing inside the vapors that it generated upon contact with air was enough.
It was for all intents and purposes, a lesser version of Naofumi's own Aura spell. But one that didn't require magic power or an incantation to use. Anyone could use it at any time, and the best part of it was that it could stack with all other forms of stat boosts, including the aforementioned Aura spell.
And with how scaling in their worlds worked, if Naofumi could improve his skills to raise the potion's quality to great or even higher, the boost could theoretically go up to effectively double the recipient's stats, like what happened to the Guardian Familiars within the Spirit Tortoise when they fought Kyo there for the first time
Naofumi also discovered a second interesting recipe for something that he would normally be hesitant to utilize. But once Kizuna, then L'Arc, and the other three cardinal heroes caught wind of what it was, they insisted on having a batch of it prepared as well, so he did so.
The Shield Hero would have loved to continue with his experimentations, but there was something very important that he and the others needed to help with. Something that Kyo had pointed out in his journal. And that thing was…
Dealing with the group of individuals who were actively opposing the Heroes in Glass's world.
And Naofumi learning how to brew Kyo's secret concoctions had come just in time, as the day of the next international meeting in Lazuli had finally arrived.
The Lazuli Palace's meeting hall was abuzz with activity and noise, as it slowly got filled up with various country's representatives for the second time this year.
The general atmosphere was one of annoyance and displeasure, but it was understandable why this was necessary. With Luvar's loss and the death of its upstart 'demon lord', it was now time to decide the country's fate. For reparations to be assigned, for the territory to be annexed, and for its rich lands to be spread out among those who were more deserving of it.
"Ugh, when are we going to start already? Where is that pathetic excuse for an emperor?"
"Beats me. I have my harem waiting for me back home too."
"What the hell? Why did that stupid guy have to invite all of us back so soon after Kyo's failed attempt to become the Demon King? Couldn't he allow us to gloat over that idiot's death for a few more weeks?"
"Hmph. Let's hope this boring crap won't take as long as last time. At least we'll be getting something out of it today. Since that #$%^$% Kyo killed a bunch of our officials with his #$%%^& 'mimics', we are entitled to a part of the loot."
"'A part of' the loot. What are we, dogs asking for scraps? What a load of bull %^&*. We should be getting all of it. As if Lapis needs even more freaking riches when its streets are already paved with literal diamonds."
"Ugh, I can't wait till we're strong enough to deal with this place."
Curiously, the meeting hall seemed to house a large number of… 'colorful' individuals today. At least, compared to last time.
The majority of them were humans, with several who were elves or dwarves. There were a couple hundred of them, all in all, much less than what the full capacity of the grand room was designed for.
None of them were Gem People. But almost everyone there was in a leadership position of some kind in their nation, whether in their nation's government, a guild, or nobility. All of them seemed to share similar personality traits. They espoused themselves to be geniuses, but if one were to perform even a lazy background check, it became apparent that every single one of them was a horrible person.
Almost all of them had harems of women (or in the rare case of the genius being female, a harem of men) that weren't with them right now. Many of the people here either owned or were heavily involved in trafficking slaves. And just as many openly partook in other criminal activities. Such as the production, sale, and distribution of dangerous and illegal drugs; or the formation and ownership of unlicensed mercenary companies, who would offer their 'protection services' to the local populace to shield them from the waves.
These same mercenary groups were also frequently used to perform hostile takeovers on successful businesses, which would usually be followed by their immediate dismantlement.
There were even cases of these men and women using their official titles to perform something as mundane as theft and laundering of their country's treasuries under questionable reasons with little to no oversight or paper trails.
But despite their great and numerous sins being an open secret, the people present today in the Lazuli Palace's assembly hall were beyond reproach for various reasons. Either because of the noble titles that they held, the political, military, or economic power that they wielded, or simply because of the connections that they had made; because of all this and more, they could not be touched by anyone.
The worst part was that they knew that such was the case. They revered in their apparent invincibility while living above consequences and the law. Mocking all those who would call them out and trampling over the ones who dared to try and do something about it.
But beyond everything mentioned above and more, all of these individuals shared one more important trait among them.
"Wait...what the hell is that loser, Seya, doing here? What gives?" The Harpoon Hero asked skeptically while sipping on some wine from a tall crystal glass. It was customary, provided for all the country representatives while they waited for the meeting to start.
"Hohoho! Surprised?" The individual known as Seya turned around to address the Harpoon Hero from a line of desks further down the assembly hall. He wore a greasy and stained gray apron with a matching chef's hat. "I'll have you know that the Emperor of Lapis has finally recognized my achievements in the culinary arts. I have been granted the title of his personal cook, and as such, I am now entitled to a position of great power in his court and can attend this meeting in full!"
"...Is that how it works?" The Harpoon Hero quirked his eyebrow and glanced at the person sitting next to him.
"Beats me." Miyaji, the Musical Instruments Hero, shrugged. "The royal court here has some really weird traditions, so I wouldn't be surprised. Good for that loser, I guess. Maybe he'll actually achieve something now, besides running a crappy roadside diner."
"Oh, a loser, am I?" Seya sneered as he got up from his seat. "You want to come over here and tell that to my face, you smug snake?"
"Keep barking, mutt." Miyaji sneered back. "We both know that you're even lower on the totem pole than Kazuki was."
"Oh, now that does it!" The cook's expression turned apoplectic and he flipped his desk to the side before starting to make his way up the stairs to the line of desks where the duo of heroes were sitting.
"Oi." The loud sound of a weapon being drawn made Seya stop in his tracks and look down. A bead of sweat ran down his temple as he realized that a sword was now held to his throat.
"Keep it down, will you?" The stranger said calmly in the cook's ear.
The two bastards up top were still in their seats, looking down at Seya with smug pity. So who was-
"Okay, fine, this dog here is the royal chef now or something, whatever." Miyaji drawled while examining the newcomer with obvious disdain. "But why are you here?"
"Special S rank mission from the adventurer's guild." The black-haired young man replied before pulling his sword away and forcibly shoving Seya back into his seat. "I am here to provide additional security for the proceedings. Guess the emperor doesn't want to take any chances, after the #$% show that happened last time."
"Oof!" Seya grunted as he was thrown back down on his chair. He then looked up and finally managed to get a good look at his assailant. "Ohhhh, it's you." The cook's face twisted in disgust. "The Supreme Adventurer." He added in a mocking tone.
"Like you have any ground to stand on when it comes to mocking other people's titles, 'roadside cook'." Miyaji snorted dismissively. "Still, I guess even a dirty mutt's barking can hold a grain of truth to it once in a blue moon."
The Musical Instrument Hero's eyes then shifted toward the lean figure wearing a black coat again. "How is it going, by the way, Rem? Still working on your true pacifist run? How's that working out for ya? It's been… what? A decade now?"
"You are like, one of the oldest players here, yet you still have no hero weapon. Hell, you don't have anything. No royal title, no notable properties, no army, or any other real assets.
"I mean, #$%^, dude. Are you even trying? You could have at least become the head of the adventurer's guild by now, but instead, you just run around doing random fetch quests for peasants in exchange for pennies or fight in the waves, pretending to be an actual hero. And you don't even operate outside of whatever backwater hicksville of a country you were born in. I mean, I get the concept of long cons, grinding levels, and doing advanced prep work, but come on. Seriously, what's your endgame supposed to be?"
Rem patiently listened to the Musical Hero's rant and simply shrugged in response. "My endgame? I dunno. I haven't thought about it. I just play for fun. I do the secret book destruction dailies that the devs give out like I'm supposed to. I even participate in special personal events like hunting down VIPs when I'm given one. But beyond that, we can do whatever we want, right?
"Sure, this might technically be a battle royale where only one of us gets to win at the end. But I don't give a crap about rank or anything like that. I just play to relax, man. If you and the other guys wanna sweat and try hard all the time, be my guest. But I'd much rather partake in the life simulation and PVE content."
"You're wasting your skills, Rem." Miyaji grimaced at the expected response from the laidback man. "I'm telling you if you join me and the Harpoon Hero, the three of us would be able to easily speedrun through all the remaining content. You capped your level years ago. What's even the point of killing the same trash mobs every day, if you're not getting any exp for it?"
"It's fun." Rem shrugged again. "Just because my stats are capped doesn't mean that I can't find other ways to improve. I sometimes like to try to kill certain monsters as quickly as possible, just to see how fast I can do it, and then try to beat my record afterward. Or I take my time to learn their weak points and behavioral patterns to then exploit them. Or I switch to using weapons that I am not proficient with. Both as a handicap and to have an opportunity to learn how to use them.
But my favorite part has to be how the PVE and lifesim aspects can be combined. One of my waifus back home has a high cooking skill and can turn whatever interesting ingredients the monsters drop into tasty dishes. Another one is an alchemist and supplies me with free potions the same way. So even though I can't raise my level anymore, I can indirectly grind their skills by providing them with resources and that's fun too. I've been thinking of finding a blacksmith waifu too, so I can get free gear as well, but haven't had any luck yet. So yeah, even if I am not getting any exp anymore, it's still worth hunting high-level monsters."
...
"Listen, If I ever happen to run into a Hero and there are no witnesses around, then I'll steal their weapon and think about branching out a little more. But until then, please stop bugging me about joining your clan. My answer is still no. As for you..." The lean man turned back towards the cook again.
"Don't go causing trouble again, loser. I wanna get a max score on this quest." Rem pointed his index and middle fingers at his own eyes and then at Seya, in a gesture showing that he was watching him before returning to his seat on a different row of desks.
"Tch, we'll see who the loser is soon, you F-Rank Adventurer." Seya sneered. "With my cheat powers, I'm going to-"
"Shut up, you moron!" The Harpoon Hero, who was staying silent until now, cut the cook off. "Don't you know where we are?"
"Pfft. Who cares? It's just us players here today." Seya snorted and fixed his desk back in place before sitting down again and flipping the duo off without looking back.
"What do you mean, there are other-" Miyaji began to protest but then stopped, as his eyes studied his surroundings more closely. "Wait a second. He's right. What's up with that? Last I checked, our collective influence wasn't that great yet."
The Harpoon hero didn't respond, as he was no longer paying attention. Instead, he was once again fuming at getting reminded of what had happened.
"Urgh." He gripped his fist on his weapon tightly. He was still pissed off about how that whole Luvar fiasco went down! His and the Musical Country's combined fleet had been in the perfect position to annihilate Luvar, Sickle, and part of Lapis's military in one fell swoop during that wave!
But then the Warrior Queen just had to bring the rest of Lapis's army to bear and ruin any chance he might have had if he'd joined the battle!
He'd considered her to be attractive and wanted to bed her at one point. But now, he'd give anything for the chance to wring her neck and to throw her infant to the dogs after the stunt she pulled off.
The Harpoon Hero swore that when his nation became powerful enough, he'd burn Lapis to the ground. Hell, he still couldn't believe that he had to ally himself with the Musical Country and put up with these stupid theatrics, just so he could get Lapis to drop their guard enough for him to invade! And Lapis made things worse with their new state-of-the-art security system for their Dragon Hourglass, which he got to see after teleporting here earlier!
He couldn't even use the idea of warping an army into the center of the Capital anymore with the help of Kazuki's invention!
That guy was beyond useless! The Harpoon Hero wished that Label's wannabe Katana Hero was still alive, just so he could have the chance to kill him personally, and-
The double doors at the back of the grand hall suddenly opened with a loud Bang!
Everyone in the room turned around in surprise at the lone figure that walked through the doors.
"Oh, great! It looks like everyone is here already. Perfect! That means we can finally start." Kizuna said in a cheery tone as she walked down the steps, past numerous lines of desks into the assembly room.
The doors slowly closed with a dull Thud! behind her as she practically skipped to the secretary's desk in the center.
That should have been the first sign that something was wrong. But the group currently present was not known for its vast intelligence or caution.
"What- oh, it's just the Hunting Hero."
"What is it you want now, you stupid chibi bitch?!"
"Do you have any idea what I was going to do today?! I can't believe I left something so important for this!"
"Where's the Emperor?! He's the one who is supposed to be hosting this meeting!"
"Ah, patience, patience, Kizuna giggled while pulling out a stack of papers from her weapon's gem and carefully setting it down on the desk before her. "Geez, Kyo was right when he said that patience was a virtue. You all could use more of it in your lives!
"Now, I can tell how disappointed you all are. But don't you worry!" Kizuna put her hands up placatively while giving everyone there a trustworthy wink. "I wanted to gather you all here for something very important. In fact, it's extremely important. It is something that none of you will want to miss!"
"Oh, and what would that be?" The Harpoon Hero snidely asked.
"Why, your executions, of course!" Kizuna answered cheerily, her voice full of excitement.
…
…
…
A deep, deafening silence began to fill the room.
Kizuna's cheery demeanor didn't fade in the slightest. It only seemed to grow as she picked up the topmost page from the stack of paper that she set on the desk earlier. "Now, let's see here. According to the intel that I received from Kyo, the following individuals here hold the title of 'reincarnators', also known as 'harbingers', who are tasked with destroying my world.
"Orokana, the Harpoon Hero. Cheat power: Unknown.
"Hidemasa Miyaji, the Musical Instruments Hero. Cheat power: Unknown.
"Rem Akami, the Supreme Adventurer. Cheat power: [Appraisal]. Grants the user the ability to see the stats of all living things, including humans. Oooh! Interesting one there! I can see how that'd be useful for adventuring!
"Burick, the General. Cheat Power: [Barrier]. Grants the user the ability to create barriers out of thin air. Kind of a boring one, but hey, I can see the practicality in it."
"Katakuri, The Lord of the Sea. Cheat power: [Water Breathing]. Self-explanatory- Wait, really?! That seems so mundane. How did you get so high on the list?! Oh well, we'll find out why soon enough."
Kizuna continued to read more and more names out loud. The page that Kyo had left her did not only reveal the Vassal Book's strengthening method, but it also held the names of all the other reincarnators in the world that the Book Hero had managed to identify. As well as what some of their cheat powers were.
Some had strange utility powers like the [Search Engine] that Kyo claimed to have possessed in his journal. Others had cheat powers that were more practical for combat, like Trash's chantless casting, or the ability to progress very quickly in all sorts of magic or combat styles. One could even teleport himself and other objects around, with seemingly no limitation in the distance it covered or how frequently it could be used.
The list had been unfinished, as there were hundreds of people in the room right now. But Kyo had been right in that identifying who the other reincarnators in their world were was surprisingly easy. Barely an inconvenience.
The reincarnators looked different, but at their core, they were all like cardboard cutouts of each other personality-wise. It was almost laughable how easy it was to find and gather these espoused geniuses from all corners of the world, even on such short notice. It wouldn't be surprising if there was only one or two missing from the group at most.
It brought to Kizuna's attention just how different Kyo had been from the rest of them. But anyway, she was getting sidetracked thinking about all this.
"Next we have Seya, the 5-Star Cook. Written with a number specifically. Cheat Power: [PED Generation]. Grants the user a pocket dimension to store stuff in, just like the Hero's Inventory. It has a nearly limitless supply of enhancement drugs stored in it that can be used to lace food to hide its taste and make the people who eat it stronger at the cost of their life force slowly withering and becoming physically addicted to it. Ew, glad I never ate at your place. I wondered how people could love your instant noodles so much."
Kizuna finally stopped reading from the list of names and tossed the stack of paper high into the air above her. The pages spread out and floated around the room for a while before gently settling on the floor or the desks of the various dumbfounded reincarnators.
"Of course, I could go on and on, since there is a lot of you #$#$%^& here, but we don't have all day now, do we? Apologies to whoever I didn't bother to name out loud. Kyo mainly listed you in order of how dangerous you would be in direct combat, followed by how much influence you hold in our world.
"So, if I didn't get to read your name out loud, then it means that you are trash that's not even worth mentioning! Sorry!" Kizuna stuck her tongue out while smiling apologetically and rubbing the back of her head.
"Wh-What is this supposed to be?! What are you playing at, you little whore?!" Orokana, the boy finally identified as the Harpoon Hero, was the first one to snap out of his stupor and respond heatedly.
"Oh, didn't you hear me earlier?" Kizuna tilted her head to the side with amusement. "This is the place where you all will be executed for ruining the peace in our world, and the rest of your countless crimes."
"Crimes, what crimes are you talking about?! In case you forgot, we have diplomatic immunity here, so-" Miyaji began to shout next.
"First off, I know that Orokana there murdered the previous Harpoon Wielder and stole the vassal weapon for himself during the final battle against the Demon Dragon," Kizuna said, pointing a finger at the false Hero.
For the first time, some of her cheeriness disappeared, her tone clear as she leveled the accusation on the Harpoon wielder. "He is also responsible for the kidnapping and death of the Emperor's oldest sister: Camilla Malachite. A credible eyewitness has already given her testimony on the event.
"Diplomatic immunity or not, the murder of both a Hero and a Royal alone is punishable around our world by death."
"Second, I looked into some of your dealings in the background. My, you all have done a lot of shady business. Drug dealings in a restaurant. Women being made into widows only to then join your harems at home. The former officials holding your current positions dying under mysterious circumstances. Former officials I knew and got along with quite well, mind you.
"There is a lot of &^%$ that you cockroaches are all responsible for. So much so that I am still struggling to wrap my head around it.
"Then again, what else would one expect from a group of people tasked with acquiring all the power for themselves in our world?" Kizuna finished on an exceptionally sharp note.
…
…
"Heh. Heh."
The Harpoon Hero slowly chuckled as he clapped his hands. "Do you seriously expect us to take all this at face value? Especially when this information 'supposedly' comes from the mouth of a Demon Lord?" Orokana's face twisted into a cruel smile.
"Oh, but there is a precedent," Kizuna replied. "Kenshiro's nephew also could steal hero weapons, since he was a reincarnator. He was classified as a genius for being able to use magic without incantations. Kyo lists these as well as some other common features as perks that all reincarnators share."
"Although, I was honestly surprised to find Miyaji listed by Kyo as well. He seemed pretty adamant about reincarnators being born into the world, but I guess you bastards must have figured out a way to get summoned too, under certain circumstances. I'm honestly surprised he wasn't responsible for Azura's death.
"No matter, he fits the title of an arrogant prick to a T."
"HEY-" Miyaji started to scream, but Orokana held his arm out in front of him before speaking out again.
"Psh, whatever. It was never verified if that piece of trash could steal a weapon or not. He died, after all. And our lives are all the better for that.
"Besides, none of us here even know what you are talking about. 'Reincarnators'? 'Harbingers'? What the $%^& are you saying, kid?
"Are you high?
"You're just blowing hot air out of your tiny #$ and wasting our time with your theatrics."
Orokana smirked as he stood up and began to slowly and demonstratively walk down the lines of desks holding the various country representatives. He finally moved short of Kizuna and pointed at the double doors up top with his thumb. "Now, if that's all you have for us, then I'll just be taking my leave and filing a complaint to Corrin about this and taking full advantage of the diplomatic immunity that the Emperor bestowed on us here and-"
"Dumb Fishman," Kizuna smirked.
…
…
Orokana paused. "What did you just say to me?" He asked with a twitch in his right eye.
"Dumb Fishman." Kizuna shrugged as she smiled. "Orokana Ryoshi. Or as your name would translate from Japanese, Dumb Fishman."
"I'm surprised that after you became the ruler of the Harpoon Country, you changed your name to your old Japanese name. Then again, it seems like a lot of you did that after growing up in this world and venturing out to make a name for yourselves.
"You must have thought it'd make you sound cool and regal to everyone around you. But you forget, I'm also Japanese. I know the actual meaning behind your names. And you live up to yours quite well, Dumb Fishman." Kizuna continued to smile sweetly.
"Executing you and the others is going to be so much fun."
…
…
The Harpoon Hero reached the limit of his patience in an instant. Especially since he finally realized that Kizuna was being serious and was threatening him.
The audacity! Did this chibi bitch actually think he'd allow her to get away with saying such words to him?!
"Air Strike Lance!" He threw the skill through the air at the Hunting Tools Hero.
Before it could land though, a figure appeared from the air in front of her. "PEN!"
With his mighty flipper, Chris's flipper punched the skill into pieces mid-air.
The others in the room rose from their desks in surprise at the shikigami's appearance. Kizuna, however, stayed smiling as she knelt and patted the familiar on the head. "Great job, Chris. Though, I think Naofumi would have been just fine protecting me there."
"Nah, I didn't realize that this idiot would be dumb enough to try attacking you after pretending to be so cool and collected earlier," Naofumi spoke as he appeared out of thin air behind Kizuna.
"Wait, really?" The girl turned her head and asked him in surprise.
"Yeah, guess that's what I get for underestimating his stupidity." In a surprising show of gratitude, the Shield Hero bent over and patted the shikigami on the head as well. "Good job. You really proved yourself there, Chris."
"Pen!" Chris should have been proud, but his cry was one of complaint. He'd been proving himself ever since being reunited with Kizuna! Naofumi seriously needed to give him more credit!
Naofumi, however, stood back up and frowned at everyone else in the room. "So this is all of the world's trash gathered in one place, huh? After all the trouble with Kyo, I expected something more.
"I actually feel bad about such a gross and rampant display of littering in Corrin's palace. These guys have turned this place into a literal dump through their mere presence.
"Oh well, I hope I don't have to give out too many nicknames after this. I'm seeing at least a Ren II and Motoyasu II and III amongst this lot. And maybe at least ten other Trashes as well. That'd be hard to keep track of, not gonna lie."
"Naofumi, is now really the time for this?" Raphtalia sighed under her illusion.
"It's always the time when you're surrounded by idiots," Naofumi responded with a teasing smirk on his face.
"Th-THAT'S A HERO FROM ANOTHER WORLD!" Miyaji finally screamed. Orokana backpedaled away from the two Heroes.
"And not just him." Glass appeared at Kizuna's other side with her fans at the ready.
In front of the exit doors, Therese and L'Arc also appeared together with Yomogi. The King was dressed in his repaired lamellar armor, looking ready for battle. Therese also had her own Adamantium Armor equipped once again. Yomogi held both her Replica Swords out, ready to fight to the death.
By the windows, Rishia and Aksel appeared alongside Raphtalia, Dou-Lon, and Maya.
Raph-Chan cooed as Naofumi summoned her from her ofuda. And he pet her on the head as Yomogi summoned Kaoru from her own summon ofuda as well.
The owl looked extremely annoyed as he landed on his mother's shoulder. However, when his eyes looked over everyone there, a feral glint appeared in them. And then, he looked all too ready to fight.
Finally, Daitan, Akane, and Hoshi walked up from behind Kizuna, joining her, Glass, and Naofumi in the center of the room.
Daitan's armor had been repaired after the last battle, but beyond that, the trio all looked the same as before.
Except now, the three stood with confidence. Waves of power came off their forms just like with Kizuna.
The Blunt Weapons Hero cracked his neck and knuckles with an excited look on his face. "Oh, this is going to be a day to remember. I can already tell."
"Just make sure they don't get a chance to touch your weapon," Akane spoke next to him seriously.
"Sure, sure. I doubt that any of them will get to live long enough to try anyway." Daitan grinned with mad glee. His mace burst into flames as he changed it to a fiery weapon form that he'd acquired from the Red Vermillion Guardian Beast materials.
He'd finally reached the level requirement for equipping it yesterday after spending the last week grinding monsters nonstop. That requirement being Level 110.
It was a useful and powerful weapon form. He couldn't wait to test this baby out here!
As for the current levels of the Cardinal Heroes of Kizuna's world…
Kizuna: Level 125
Daitan: Level 112
Akane: Level 104
Hoshi: Level 101
Yeah, in less than a week, the other three Heroes had gone up by quite a few levels, almost catching up to Kizuna. They'd also made good use of all of their shared power-up methods. Kizuna's core method in dealing double damage to monsters, in particular, had made their grinding a hell of a lot easier.
It was a huge improvement over where they'd been before. They were probably strong enough to destroy mountains with ease now if they wanted.
"W-WHAT IS THIS?!" Orokana screamed.
"Wow, you're really gonna make me repeat myself for the third time, huh?" Kizuna shrugged, smiling as she pepped up again.
"All of you are parasites and invaders. You've been gathered here today to be executed for all the crimes you've committed, and for those which you're yet to commit in the name of acquiring complete control over everyone's lives." Kizuna said while raising her rod over her head and then pointing it forward. "And since you attacked us first, your diplomatic immunity is henceforth nullified.
"From here on out, we will be acting in self-defense as your judge, jury, and executioners on behalf of all those you've robbed, killed, raped, or worse during your stay in this world."
"THAT ISN'T HOW THIS WORKS! YOU CAN'T HAND WAVE OUR DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY AWAY LIKE-"
"I can. Now please die." Kizuna interrupted with a smile.
"&^%$ THAT! AS IF WE'LL JUST LET YOU STOMP ALL OVER US! COME ON!" Orokana roared as he waved his weapon in front of him.
Most of the other reincarnators in the room surged forward, throwing their desks over and following Orokana's lead. They attacked all the Heroes and their allies en masse while screaming battle cries that might have sounded cool in the games that they played but only sounded cringe and embarrassing when applied to actual combat.
Only a single one of them, Rem, the guy who bore a surprising resemblance to an older version of Ren, didn't charge forward with the rest of the crowd.
Rather, he stood in place, his expression frozen with terror behind Orokana while the Harpoon Hero moved ahead. The Vassal Harpoon slammed into the center of Naofumi's Blessed Shield while the wielder glared furiously at the Shield Hero.
Even then, the Supreme Adventurer continued to simply stare at the other Heroes in the room in abject horror. He was no coward and no stranger to frequently fighting monsters that were stronger than him. Such fights even made life interesting from time to time.
But not when said gap in power was three digits wide.
Rem's cheat ability, [Appraisal], allowed him to not just see the levels of other people, but also how high their stats were along with everything else that was normally hidden within their personal HUD like spell and skill names along with their descriptions. Even such stats like fertility and intelligence, which couldn't be seen on one's HUD, were visible to his eyes.
He normally used this cheat so he could play around with members of his harem on days when he had no chance of getting them pregnant.
But at this moment, he was THE ONLY ONE because of [Appraisal] who could see just how truly and completely outmatched they were.
His fellow players would only find that out for themselves as the Heroes all lashed out in turn.
"Reverse Four Seasons IV!" Glass slashed forward again and again. Despite not doing the dance that strengthened said skill, the slashes coming out were larger and thicker, splitting the very air and creating mini shockwaves with their mere presence.
"What the hell?! How are her attacks breaking through my barriers?!" A guy dressed in fancy armor yelled in shock. Burick's cheat gave him the ability to make barriers out of thin air, and he had a pretty high level too. Yet the Spirit Woman's toned-down version of her favorite attack was shattering them faster than he could make them!
"Don't talk! Just keep those up so I can get a good hit in on her!" Another reincarnator in front of him, who called himself Zeus, was using chantless magic, just like the cheat that Trash had, to launch a series of lightning bolts and other attacks at the Fan Hero.
However, they were uselessly bouncing off her, and then one of her attacks hit home, slashing into Zeus's gut and dropping him to one knee. His level had been in the high nineties, yet he almost died from that one hit!
"What the f-" As Burick tried to speak, three slashes hit him in the leg, gut, and head.
His body fell to the ground in pieces afterward.
"Oof. Another one bites the-" Glass's fan went through Zeus's skull, killing him before he could say more.
On the other side of the room, Therese flew through the air thanks to her gem armor propelling her. "Bejeweled Ruby Blaze!"
"Flying Circle VI! Combo Skill: Burning Flying Circle!" L'Arc laughed maniacally as Therese's gem spell combined with his much larger skill before he launched it at another group of reincarnators in the room.
"Such a long windup! Too bad, I'll be able to instantly dodge that-" The reincarnator up front, called Sasuke, started to gloat while activating his cheat skill that let him dodge physical attacks as fluidly as a ninja.
KA-BOOM!
However, Burning Flying Circle was turned into an AoE magic skill and not a physical attack, thanks to Therese's great mastery over Gem Magic. With Flying Circle itself being strengthened thanks to [Skill Rank], Sasuke didn't even have a chance to yell as he and his comrades behind him were covered in flames and burned to ashes in an instant.
"Wow!" Dou-Lon taunted as he weaved and parried strikes from three different swordsmen simultaneously. "Is this your first time fighting someone who can fight back, or what? A lady I know back home would be screaming obscenities while kicking your butts over how poor your forms are. You can't even hold your weapons up straight."
"Oh &^%$ off, you stupid tiger! We've got you outnumbered three to one, there's no way you'll win!" One of the reincarnators yelled. These ones had adopted unusual aliases too, but naming all of them would be a waste of time, knowing what would happen to them soon.
"Taste my blade, rah!" Another reincarnator yelled while bringing his arm way back and swinging down with all his might. His cheat drastically increased his attack power. Any target that didn't die outright was guaranteed to be crippled after being hit by him.
Yet Dou-Lon not only sidestepped past that guy, he also effortlessly beheaded him at the same time.
The reincarnator's furious scream of anger was cut short at that moment.
"H-How is a nobody like you not dying already?!" The second guy screamed as he swung again. A slash that was imbued with flames, since the wielder's cheat allowed him to incorporate elemental attacks into his sword, flew at Dou-Lon's face.
Again, Dou-Lon not only easily ducked under the swing, but he also cut his opponent's arm off at the wrist. The burning sword landed on the floor with a clatter with the severed hand still gripping it tightly.
"AAAAAAAHHHH! IT HUUUURTS! IT HUUURTS!"
The reincarnator's suffering was cut short soon after when his head landed next to his weapon.
"I'm not a nobody! I'M A BLOODKIN OF THE GREAT SHIELD HERO!" Dou-Lon roared in bloodlust as he faced his remaining opponent, who was visibly sweating now, whether out of fear or confusion at what the hakuko had just said.
His cheat power was a utility skill that let him make high-quality food and drinks for himself out of thin air, much like how the weapons were able to auto-craft meals for their wielders.
Needless to say, it was useless in a fight against Dou-Lon and as a result, he fell to the Hakuko's blade soon after, just like his comrades.
Had one looked closely at the hakuko and the other nonheroes in the room, they would have seen a faint green glow coming off their skin. Courtesy of the Green Buff Potion Naofumi had thrown on the ground outside the room before entering with Kizuna. They were also being buffed by Zweite Aura, on top of whatever additional bonuses they were indirectly getting from the otherworld Hero's strengthening methods that affected other individuals like [Trust].
That was part of the reason why figures like Dou-Lon were doing so well. Though the other reason…
"Take this, you mongrel!" An angry voice cried out and Maya was suddenly stabbed through by a rain of blades a reincarnator summoned from the air around him.
The cheat skill was supposed to be called [Gate of Babylon], though Kizuna had cheekily dubbed it [Unlimited Blade Works] since the guy, whose name was Gil, only seemed to like summoning swords from the blasted thing.
And not masterwork-level ones, like the cheat's original namesake, either. Naofumi caught sight of some of the swords and his HUD helpfully informed him that they were all classified as [Pig Iron sword] Quality: Low. Which indicated that they were likely crafted cheaply in bulk to arm literal low-level grunts and recruits.
And to think that this Gil guy was supposedly near the top of the list too, being just below that one water-breathing guy.
Oh well, Gil was still laughing in delight at his kill until the raccoon-girl's illusion melted away, and the real Maya slit the invader's throat from behind with both of her kunai.
"Yeesh. These guys are completely clueless. Do they have any combat experience at all?" Maya mouthed as her opponent fell to his knees, holding his hands over his bleeding throat in shock while choking on his blood.
Yeah, the other reason why the nonheroes were doing so well was that their opponents were a bunch of idiots who fell for the simplest of traps. The overreliance on their cheats sealed many of their fates within moments. Maya finished Gil off by stabbing him in the eye before racing towards her next opponent.
Nearby, Yomogi was dueling more nameless sword-wielding reincarnators on her own.
"Air Strike Bash!" The teal-haired girl launched two enemies into the walls of the assembly hall with a skill, and then turned and blocked a strike from a third.
"Such a pretty girl! Too bad that Book idiots probably ran you raw by now. It would have been so much fun to- AAAAAAHHHHHH!"
"KAO!" The reincarnator's taunting remark was cut short when the owl familiar dived at him from above with a high-pitched screech and drove his beak into one of the man's eyes.
In a split second, the owl tore it out of the invader's skull along with a length of optic nerve still attached to it.
"GAH! I CAN'T SEE! I CAN'T-"
Yomogi slashed diagonally with both of her blades at the same time, cutting the man into pieces. When the deed was done, she smiled as she sheathed one of her swords so she could pet Kaoru's head. "Well done. That nasty guy deserved that."
"Kao!" Kaoru still looked confused about the affection but smiled. Though the blood dripping from his beak made it into a rather morbid sight.
At a different part of the meeting hall, Kizuna was engaging a different group of reincarnators. Sidestepping their sloppy attacks at her while occasionally tapping one or another with the lure of her rod.
"Lure Needle!" A shame that she couldn't use [Skill Rank] to strengthen that skill of hers. It would have been amazing to apply a x3 or even a x4 damage multiplier to her enemies all on her own.
"Earth Hole X!"
Though, she was able to use it to upgrade the rest of her toolkit. And instead of making a hole around knee height, Earth Hole now made a hole that was close to ten feet deep.
Enemies that dropped into them were made super easy pickings for her allies up top, especially those who had damage multipliers applied to them beforehand.
"What the &^%$ is this stupid penguin supposed to do to me? Haha-"
"PEN!" Chris jumped up, headbutting the guy right in the groin.
"AWOOO!" The man crumbled to his knees, holding to the area of his family jewels.
"No, no, Chris! You are doing it wrong!" Glass appeared at Chris's side after drop-kicking another reincarnator out of the way. "You are supposed to aim a little lower, like this!" She then swung her foot directly under the penguin's former target.
CRACK!
Naofumi grimaced nearby where blades clattered against his body uselessly. Every reincarnator who was present felt a chill go down their collective spines.
Even though they were all essentially cardboard cutouts of each other, they still felt a trace of sympathy for their fellow villain of the week at what could only be described as the permanent loss of his chances of ever having any kids, regardless of whether he respawned or not.
Glass's kick had not only crushed the man's testicles but went past them and shattered his pelvic bone and spine into pieces, killing him instantly.
"Man, Chris, you're soooo lucky. Whenever Filo does that, Mommy yells at Filo instead of praising Filo…" The girl complained from up above, where she was singing to buff her allies.
One of the female reincarnators in the room that'd formerly been alive had a cheat that allowed her to charm men with her singing. But it was unable to stand in the face of Filo's sheer raw talent, and Hoshi managed to kill the wicked woman without any issues whatsoever.
But in continuation of what Filo said before: "Um… heheh, Raphtalia, I swear that Glass didn't learn that from me." Naofumi chuckled nervously as he felt his wife friend glaring holes into the side of his head.
She was still glaring at him as her katana slashed to the side, slashing apart a reincarnator who had a cheat ability that allowed him to go invisible. Too bad that he'd tried using it against the worst possible opponent he could have picked. "You're a really bad influence on all of our friends, you know that, Naofumi?"
"I know, I'm sorry. But hey, at least you're a good influence on me." Naofumi winked at her, blocking a strike from another reincarnator with his shield.
"Hmmm… that's true, I guess." Raphtalia smiled.
Her foot kicked backward into another reincarnator who tried attacking her from behind. It was a perfect solid hit to the man's groin that dropped him to the floor in agony. "Just like how you're a good influence on me." She said with an all too sweet smile as she stabbed her Katana through the reincarnator's heart, again, without looking away from her beloved, and put her opponent out of his misery.
… man, Naofumi couldn't wait till they were back in their world.
He literally could not marry the half-tanuki Hero soon enough.
She'd been made a lot stronger after the methods of the other Cardinal Heroes of this world had been shared with her. She was only a Vassal Hero, but with how strong she was now, she could easily stand alongside the Cardinal Heroes of Naofumi's world in terms of sheer power and raw stats, thanks to her knowing more methods than them.
"Take this! Hydro Cannon!" In another part of the room, a reincarnator opened his mouth, spraying out a burst of water in Kizuna's direction.
"Whoa!" Kizuna barely ducked under the surprise attack in time and watched as the hyper-pressurized blast of water bisected several reincarnators behind her. She then looked at the source of it again in confusion.
It was, however, quickly replaced by realization. "Ooooooh, 'water breathing', now I get it!" Kizuna started to laugh. "Self-explanatory, my butt! Damn it, Kyo! Couldn't you have at least been a little more specific about this idiot's cheat making him similar to a Pokemon!?"
"I'm not anything like the creatures from that pissbaby game! I'm far superior! Hydro Cannon!" The man released a burst of water from his mouth at Kizuna again.
This time, however, Chris was ready to protect his mommy.
"Pen!" The water coming out of Katakuri's mouth froze in an instant.
The guy's eyes widened in surprise, and then terror, before turning empty and lifeless.
He crumpled on his knees and then fell over, the water breath attack he'd conjured having been frozen down to his lungs. Spikes of ice impaled outward from all around his chest, thanks to the effectiveness of Chris's ice magic.
"Hehe! Looks like he tried to learn Ice Beam but failed to do so!" Kizuna laughed to herself before smiling at her shikigami and giving him a thumbs up.
"Pen!" Chris smiled happily.
"Rafu!" Nearby, Raph-Chan cooed as she jumped off the mangled body of another reincarnator.
"Good job Raph-Chan! You're getting even more pets after we're done here!" Naofumi called out to the familiar.
"RAFU!" Raph-Chan's sparkled, and she cheered as she charged another pair of reincarnators, murder now written in her eyes.
Kaoru dived down from the air to assist the shikigami in keeping up her kill streak.
"What the-"
"Why are these tiny things so scary!?"
"MOMMY!"
Man, all the shikigamis there were going to be raised to become violent menaces to society, weren't they?
Fights continued happening all around. But it was clear that the reincarnators were nowhere near powerful enough to take on Kizuna's allies. Despite there being hundreds of them with all sorts of cheat powers helping them out at the start, they were falling like flies.
Even those without Hero Weapons like Maya and Dou-Lon were able to go toe to toe with the harbingers, with only Orokana and Miyaji being able to stand against the Heroes themselves without dying immediately.
Though the Musical Instruments Hero was struggling a whole lot more than his partner, due to Filo straight up canceling every single one of his skills with her voice.
Filo had not only practiced her Performance Magic in the last week. From a short page that was more like a note Kyo had left for the little girl, she had learned how to perform something called Musical Dissonance.
Naofumi hadn't understood the details of how it worked, due to the way Filo explained it. Kyo hadn't left much of an explanation for it either. But it was basically anti-magic meant specifically for Performance Magic.
It also worked on the Musical Instruments Hero and his skills as well, as the young man had come to find out.
"Damn it, stop interrupting my playing you stupid bird!" Miyaji yelled up at the glass dome that formed the ceiling above the assembly hall. "Hero's Melody!"
"No!" Filo continued to sing, spiting the man as she not only canceled out his next skill which would have drastically raised his stats as well as the stats of all those around him, but then also used wind magic to launch him back into a pair of upturned desks in an explosion of splinters and sawdust.
Once the number of their enemies began to visibly recede, Kizuna took a step back and began to just calmly watch everything that was unfolding before her with grim satisfaction.
She continued to summon the occasional Earth Hole X on the floor to trap more enemies. Or she hit the ones who proved to be more sturdy than the rest with a Lure Needle, so her allies could attack them and deal twice the damage.
One guy she hit with Lure Needle was also hit by Naofumi's Attack Support. The man's cheat turned his skin into metal, and because he was level 100, he was able to change his skin into the hardest metal in Kizuna's world, Adamantium.
However, the next attack, which came from Rishia and Aksel hitting the dude in the same spot at the same time, caused the harbinger to explode into a cloud of gore thanks to the x4 damage multiplier. He never even stood a chance.
Nobody was currently around to guard Kizuna. And so far, none of the reincarnators seemed to be keen about attacking her again.
"You! Your weapon! Give it to me!"
Then, a reincarnator rushed out of the crowd right at the Hunting Tools Hero. One of his arms was missing, as it'd been cut off by one of Hoshi's ofudas. Kizuna gave the rabid-looking harbinger a cheerful smile and then proceeded to sidestep his charge while holding her weapon out to him.
She recognized who he was on the list, so she knew what cheat power he had before doing all this.
The reincarnator's sole remaining hand grasped the Legendary Hunting Tool, and as soon as it did, Kizuna felt her weapon get yanked out of her grasp. Her job class also changed, meaning that she was no longer the Hunting Tools Hero.
Perfect, this had been the last piece of evidence against these &^%$&^%$ that she'd needed. It was about time for the true show to begin.
"Yes! Ahahaha! Now, I'll be able to use this weapon's Return Transcript to get out of this mess and-... and…
"Wait, WHY THE &^%$ IS THIS NOT WORKING!? FIRST MY PERSONAL PORTAL SKILL AND NOW, NOT EVEN A HERO WEAPON!? WHAT KIND OF CHEATING IS THIS?!"
"Well, duh." Kizuna smiled happily. "I made sure to instruct Corrin to lock the Hourglass before coming down here, you know? No one's able to portal anywhere in the city right now." As it turned out, activating an Hourglass's anti-portal measures over an area prevented even those with cheat abilities from being able to portal themselves around at will.
What Kizuna didn't read out loud earlier were Kyo's suggestions on how to tackle his various colleagues and the cheats that they employed. And this particular tidbit of knowledge regarding teleportation-based cheats would surely come in handy down the road.
"You… YOU… YOU CHIBI PIECE OF-" The man, armed with the Hunting Tools Weapon, changed it to one of Kizuna's strongest tuna knife forms and brought it down on the small girl's head. "BLOOD FLOWER STRIKE III!"
Huh, strange. Kizuna thought she'd upgraded that skill to X level. She remembered Kyo also noting in his page to her that illegitimate wielders of Hero Weapons were unable to bring out the full power of the power-up methods without the help of an accessory, but she didn't realize it was to this extent.
If this was any indication, reincarnators could only bring out 30% of a Hero weapon's power, if that. And here she'd thought it'd be around 50% or even 70% at the most.
Oh well, it wasn't like that fact actually mattered right now, especially since…
KA-CLANGGGGGGG!
The loud sound of the guy's attack dealing absolutely no damage whatsoever echoed throughout the whole room.
…
…
"Oh? Is something wrong?" Kizuna asked while a smug, cat-lipped smile formed on her face at the look of shock that appeared on the reincarnator's features. "Was that supposed to do something? I'm not sure I-
"Oh, wait, hold on, I get it now! You must have completely forgotten that my weapon is incapable of harming people in any way! Like, at all!
"Man, talk about bad luck! Out of everyone here, you had to steal the weapon of the most useless Hero! I feel so sorry for you right now! You should see what you look like in a mirror, because the face you're making looks just like mine did when I first learned about my weapon's limitation, back when me and the others got ambushed by a random group of bandits!"
"Y-You think this changes anything?!" The invader screamed crazily. "I don't care what restriction this thing supposedly has or not! I'll just make it submit to my will and then force it to hurt you and-"
"Hey, do you know why I'm always focusing on unlocking weapon forms that increase my agility and dexterity?" Kizuna suddenly interrupted the idiotic rant.
"... what?" The harbinger asked in confusion.
"You know, the stats that increase my speed and reflexes and all that wordy stuff for dodging in combat? Well, anyway, that's also combat-related since, whenever I face other people in combat, those are the only stats I have that won't be treated as if they're zero since they allow me to flee combat encounters or otherwise dodge multiple attacks if fleeing isn't possible."
"What the &^%$ are you going on about? WHAT DOES ANY OF THAT HAVE TO DO WITH-" The man started screaming again.
"You know what, you're right! Why explain it, when I can give you a demonstration instead?!" Kizuna suddenly said, looking excited. "Just keep on standing right there and try to think of something else to scream about again! That should make this perfect for everyone who is watching us right now!"
"What- I don't-" The man tried to respond again, looking even more confused.
And then, Kizuna's fist appeared in front of his face. Looking far more massive than what it should have been.
One could have seen the kanji symbols for DEATH flying right alongside her fist, had they looked at the air close enough.
To explain what was about to happen, the reincarnator had stolen Kizuna's weapon. And with it, he'd stolen all of Kizuna's skills, as well as her weapon's stat build and the like. Kizuna was, at this moment, being treated as if she wasn't the Hunting Tools Hero and was instead an ordinary person with the job class of Adventurer.
However, even with that, Kizuna was still level 125. While her weapon and its powers had been stolen, her levels and the stats she got from those levels had not. On top of that, she was no longer restricted by the inability to harm human opponents.
Meanwhile, the reincarnator was being treated as if he were the Hunting Tools Hero. He had access to all of the power-up methods Kizuna had, though he only had access to about 30% of their power since he wasn't the legitimate wielder of the weapon. He also had access to the weapon forms she'd acquired and upgraded, as well as her skills.
However, he was still at the same level as before. On top of that, in taking the weapon, he had also been saddled with its weapon restriction, that being that he would be treated as less than level one when facing off against human opponents and would thus be unable to harm them or protect himself with anything besides the Cursed Series.
On top of all this, Kizuna had finally revealed one little-known detail about her Weapon Limitation, which was the sole reason why she never engaged human opponents in direct combat.
In combat situations, only her agility and dexterity stats weren't treated as zero against human opponents. This meant both Kizuna's attack stat and her defense stat were utterly nerfed whenever she had to fight against another human.
So in short, when Kizuna's level 100+ fist punched the one-armed Hunting Tools reincarnator directly in the face…
BOOM!
The man's body exploded, showering everyone around Kizuna with blood and visceral gore.
…
All fighting in the room paused nearly instantaneously as blood began to rain down. Heads turned to try and find out what the &^%$ had just happened.
Kizuna, who'd been at the epicenter of it, was now drenched in the dripping crimson fluid from the top of her head and down to the soles of her boots. Her cheerful demeanor from before had completely vanished, having been replaced with a chilling and threatening pressure that was now emanating from her figure in waves.
"What… what did you just…?" Orokana gaped while taking a step back.
Kizuna didn't speak. Instead, she casually pulled a summon ofuda out of her pocket before unceremoniously dropping it in front of her, where the reincarnator's body had formerly been.
A small Soul Eater popped out of the slip of paper and lunged forward. Its teeth sunk into the incorporeal target in front of it, instantly making it visible to everyone. The soul did not match with the body, but that didn't matter.
"AH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The formerly alive man let out a series of horrified, unearthly screams of agony as the monster quickly tore his soul apart piece by piece, swallowing chunks of it whole while letting out a few satisfied growls in the process.
Seconds later, the screams ended, and the layer of red around the room covering everyone rapidly lost its color as the late reincarnator's blood turned to ash, signifying the complete destruction of his existence.
The soul eater, with its feast now concluded, faded away as well.
…
…
…
This scared the reincarnators FAR MORE than anything that the heroes had thrown at them before.
Kizuna's weapon reappeared in her hands in a flash of light. Her job class then changed back to Hunting Tools Hero on her HUD. It was the last bit of proof that the reincarnator who'd stolen her weapon was completely dead in both body and soul.
"Huh. So that's what killing a person feels like? I'm a bit disappointed, honestly." The Hunting Tools Hero remarked. She gave a dead stare at her weapon, before raising her free hand to pat her shoulders and get some dust off of her clothes. "I thought I'd feel more guilty about it, but I guess you fools are no different than monsters on the inside, are you?
"You know, that was one other thing Kyo noted about all of you. How none of you would treat your deaths here seriously, since you can just 'respawn' later, as strong as ever. As if this was all just a game where you're the main character.
"Too bad for you. Your bodies might be immortal, but your souls sure as hell aren't."
Kizuna glared as she raised her weapon and pointed it at Orokana again. "When I said that all of you were going to be executed here, I meant it."
…
Naofumi slowly blinked where he was standing.
Okay, this was possibly raising some red flags. He made a mental note to chat with the Hunting Tools Hero after this was over.
Still, despite how oppressive and suffocating the atmosphere around her had become, he couldn't sense any cursed series presence on the girl. What that meant exactly, he wasn't sure. Even so, the vindictive part of the Shield Hero internally cheered at what he was witnessing.
Kizuna reached for her pocket again, and the reincarnators who stood the closest to her leaped far back, putting as much distance between them and her as possible.
Fortunately for them, instead of another soul eater summoning ofuda, the Hunting Tools Hero pulled a fancy-looking communication ofuda out of her pocket instead. "Hey, Corrin. Did you get all that?"
"Indeed, I have." The emperor's voice spoke from the slip of paper. "In multiple sources from multiple angles. The rest of the representatives seem to be convinced too. Those scrying crystals that Kyo used to spy on us work far better than we could have ever expected." As if on cue, the previously locked armored double doors of the assembly hall were flung open and rows upon rows of gem golems began to march into the room.
Corrin, who was the last to enter, put his communication ofuda away and straightened out. His face was set in stone, just like Kizuna's. These were the individuals that Xander had wanted to take down so badly that he joined the rogue Book Hero to get a chance at it. The ones who were described in the late general's second letter.
The contents of that second letter matched up with what Kyo had written in his journal too. And when the rogue reincarnator's roundabout clues were combined with the forbidden knowledge kept by the empire, a rather grim and unsettling truth became apparent.
These so-called vanguards or harbingers were working for a group of unknown beings from another world referred to as 'them'. Their only goal was the subjugation or destruction of all worlds out there. It was clear that whoever 'they' were, it wasn't just one person pulling the strings behind the Waves in all worlds.
Another thing that the Heroes learned was how these vanguards were inserted into other worlds. And it made Corrin understand why it'd been so long since a high noble or royalty from Lapis had chosen to give birth, instead of adopting an heir.
These vanguards were placed in the mother's womb sometime during conception. Killing the original baby and replacing it with one of these monsters standing in the room right now, so they could be raised directly into positions of power or influence.
Thankfully, because Kana hadn't been killed by the gem golems after being born, it was proof that she wasn't a reincarnator. But this group that was currently polluting Corrin's palace with their continued existence would not share the same luxury.
It was time to ensure his brother's efforts hadn't been in vain.
"As the Emperor of Lapis, I hereby renounce the diplomatic immunity given to you, Orokana Ryoshi, as well as to the Musical Instruments wielder Hidemasa Miyaji, the Supreme Adventurer Rem Akami, and everyone else who has been identified as a reincarnator in this room.
"For your great crimes against not only our world and humanity but for the murders of my family members as well, there is only one punishment I see fit to bestow upon you all. Extermination!" Corrin looked around himself, gazing upon the loyal gem golems that'd helped to take care of, and secretly, protect Lapis since its founding by the first Jewel Hero.
"Caretakers, the time has come!
The ground below the palace shook ominously as a deep guttural noise heaved out from below.
The black onyxes bound within the stone constructs. The one type of gem that never seemed to shine when the golems operated before.
Flared to life.
The stone constructs began to shake and convulse, their limbs twitching and bending at weird and unnatural angles with the sound of grinding stone.
The golems who stood upright previously, descended on all fours, driving their limbs into the tiled marble floor and shattering it around them.
The light of other gems embedded in their bodies faded away as all color drained from them, turning them gray and lifeless. At the same time, the onyxes began to glow more intensely and flakes of purple cursed flames began to spill out from the cracks of their bodies.
The heads of the stone creations of the first Jewel hero twisted violently by one hundred and eighty degrees, turning upside down. And what seemed like just another crack running down the middle of their heads tore itself open as a cacophony of horrible bloodchilling and inhuman wails erupted from the golem's throats, revealing rows of crudely cut and glowing shards of obsidian glass shaped like teeth that ran throughout the whole length of their bodies on the inside.
"... right." Kizuna nodded with grim determination before looking over her friends. "Enough messing around. Let's finish this.
"No more holding back. Kill them… for real this time."
The golems lunged forward like rabid dogs that had just broken their chains. Their limbs tore into the stone floor underneath them, ripping it apart like it was soft soil as they charged toward their prey with manic and unrestrained glee.
As nightmarish as the scene before them was, the remaining reincarnators had to look away from it for a moment as a sharp sound of metal rending flesh reverberated throughout the room.
Rem Akami, the Supreme Adventurer known for both his experience and unusual preferences in gameplay among his peers, finally snapped out of his stupor and did the most sensible thing he could think of at that moment.
He drove his sword right through his heart, killing himself instantly.
His soul then dived into the floor, disappearing from view. Screw this, he was out of there!
After seeing Akami intentionally fall on his sword, several other reincarnators immediately followed suit as the Gem Golems charged into the first line of souls, devouring the screaming reincarnators in their gaping maws with the efficiency of a wood chipper.
A few of the souls that escaped the initial eating frenzy dived into the floor after Akami, but the other dead souls did not seem to understand the reasoning behind Rem's choice of escape route and instead tried to fly up, towards the ceiling or out the windows, in a desperate attempt to get away from the danger on the ground.
And when they did, the transparent dome above them exploded inwards, raining shards of glass and jewels down on everything as dozens of noblesse commandos holding soul nets and chained soul eaters descended upon the reincarnators like the wrath of god.
Lazuli's elites hovered in the air while their tamed monsters fell upon the reincarnator's souls before they had a chance to scream in terror.
Instead, they screamed in agony as the soul eaters tore their essences apart with their sharp teeth while the noblesse's nets prevented the rest of the reincarnators from escaping through the roof.
Outside the windows of the room, Ethnobalt's ship shimmered into existence as his newly acquired stealth skill deactivated.
"Alright boys, you know what time it is!" A noblesse named Hevy hefted a Gem Lightning Gatling Gun in front of him as he stood up on the deck of Ethnobalt's ship. He had blue accents on his armor, as did the other four noblesses with him.
"Yep, it's time to watch the Dominoes fall." A noblesse named Echo responded, his eyes gleaming behind his helmet.
"Hahaha! They're so screwed." Fives laughed to himself. "EAT LASERS!"
Phoom! Phoom! Phoom! Phoom! Phoom!
The souls that tried to escape through the windows were met by Lazuli's special force Dominos Squad, who were usually in charge of the city's security but had been moved to the palace today due to the special occasion. Their weapons were modified with onyx gems, instead of the usual amethysts that regular troops were used to. This gave the weapons a dark affinity and allowed them to target ghosts and other incorporeal entities.
The fates of these reincarnators were the same as those who tried to escape through the ceiling. They disintegrated under an onslaught of black lightning, bursting one after another. The Dominos Squad didn't let even a single one of them get away.
The floor of the assembly hall turned into chaos.
Besides the horde of golems rampaging through it, the commandos that had descended from the roof earlier were now wildly firing down at the reincarnators with their own modified onyx blasters. All the while, even more gem golems poured into the room through the double doors, ripping apart those who were too stupid to kill themselves and had tried to make a run for the only exit from the room.
Yet none of the Heroes or their allies who were still fighting were harmed by the golems. They were all designated as friendlies and did not even get bumped into by the hulking monstrosities.
The reason for this was all thanks to the past Jewel Hero who'd first created the stone constructs.
She had programmed the magic senses of these creatures with knowledge of how the enemies of their world were born. How they could be identified, and beyond that, eliminated.
Their magic sense didn't have them look at people on the surface, but rather at their souls. That was how Kyo's organic mimic constructs had gotten past them before, as they had no souls. But even with that one flaw, the true value of the gem golems was brought to light here.
This was why no reincarnators were ever born into Lapis. This was why, for centuries, reincarnators hadn't been able to get a foothold in the politics of the nation. It was only recently that they started to dare to show their faces here. After the knowledge that Kyo had disabled the soul scanning function of the golems towards adults became common in their circle.
Reincarnators still couldn't be born into the nation. But at least they could step foot there without the threat of being annihilated.
Too bad Corrin's command had just turned it back on. If they weren't screwed before, then they were absolutely &^%$#$ now!
"W-Wait! Please, I don't want to-" One reincarnator that was still standing dropped his weapon in terror as he tried to run away from the charging gem monstrosities.
Too bad that this just made him run right into Raphtalia's Soul Eater Katana.
"AH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The invader's screams were punctuated as Raphtalia thrust her blade through his chest, before cutting through his neck to ensure his soul was killed.
Yep, that's right; the reincarnators still had their original enemies to worry about on top of everything else.
"Circle Dance Cutting Formation:" Glass danced with her Soul Eater Fans equipped. Her body seemed to fade in and out as her steps quickened. "Instant X!"
A group of five reincarnators had been backing away out of terror and had turned around to run, but Glass appeared directly in front of them.
A slash of light went across all their necks, and their bodies exploded and decomposed instantly as their lives and their souls were cut short in an instant.
"Bane of the Reaper!" L'Arc's Soul Eater Scythe let out a dark black glow as he slammed the blade into the floor. "VIII!"
A wave of darkness expanded outward, enveloping the souls of more reincarnators fleeing before him. One, four, at least ten souls were permanently snuffed out by the attack.
"L-Lightning Harpoon!" Orokana's whole body shook with rage as he launched the skill into the gem golems that tried to leap at him. The skill overwhelmed them, destroying the group entirely.
But Glass followed right behind with a strike of her fans.
Boom!
Orokana barely dodged to the side in time as the fans impacted the ground where he'd been standing.
"YOU RIGHTEOUS SACKS OF $%^&! YOU THINK YOU'LL GET AWAY WITH THIS!? DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM!?" He yelled furiously as he tried to counterattack.
However, even though Glass had been more than capable of deflecting the attack herself, L'Arc still appeared in front of her, hitting Orokana'a Harpoon to the side before slashing at him with his own Soul Eater Scythe.
Orokana had to fall back as two very powerful Heroes focused their attention on him simultaneously.
"Have you finally realized that we're not even taking this fight seriously yet?" L'Arc asked, his tone angering the false hero even more. "None of you are even worthy of me pulling out my War Scythe skill, Bitch."
The situation was turning worse and worse by the second. Between Raphtalia slashing with her Soul Eater Katana or Hoshi summoning a pair of powerful Soul Eaters at his side with an ofuda skill, no one was surviving against the Heroes.
"Heh, heh, heh, heh…"
Amidst all this chaos and panic, a single reincarnator was hiding under one of the desks that had fallen over. Breathing in and out heavily while his pupils contracted wide in terror.
"Damn it, damn it, damn iiiit." Seya intoned in a quiet high-pitched whimper. Tears and snot were running down his face, marring his handsome features as he rocked back and forth with his whole body paralyzed with terror. The horrid sounds of the battle rang all around him, echoing in the hollow space he hid in.
What the hell was wrong with these heroes? Were they stupid? Insane? Did they seriously not realize the fallout that their actions would bring? The heavy consequences that they would have to bear for what they were doing right now? Did they think that the rest of the world would let them get away with this? Did they not care at all?!
Daaaaamn iiiit! What was up with this sudden absurd difficulty spike?! These idiots were supposed to be just mindless sheep constrained by their own stupid morality! This isn't how those moronic NPC's were supposed to act! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT!
"AHHHHHHH!" An agonized scream followed by the sound of flesh being torn and bone being broken sounded next to the desk.
A mangled arm landed in front of Seya with a wet splat, spraying him with blood.
"Hiiiiiiiiiii!"
The reincarnator let out of a terrified screech as he tried in vain to push himself further back against the desk that comprised his shelter. How could this happen to him? What did he do to deserve this!? Things were finally supposed to turn around for Seya. The cook reincarnator would have been able to use his new position as the royal chef to enslave the emperor by addicting him to his special drugs.
But now…! Now….?!
The cook's breathing became heavier as he began to hyperventilate. He shakily reached into his apron, pulling a kitchen knife out of its pocket.
No matter how hard Seya gripped it, even as his knuckles turned white and the sinew in his hand groaned from the strain, the blade still shook. Seya grimaced and stared at it with his eyes visibly bulging out, trying to psyche himself up for what he needed to do.
Damn it! How did that F-rank !^%&^%$ make it look so easy!?
Seya knew that this was his only way out. There was no way that he could fight these monstrosities and cheaters that didn't respect the rules of the game. So, he had to killbind and respawn. But…!
The cook shakily pulled the knife back a bit, let out a gasp, and tried to drive the knife into his heart.
"Hiiiiii! It hurts! It hurts! It huuuurts!"
The poke had barely managed to break through skin and draw a few droplets of blood. And the sight of it only made Seya feel even more terrified as he stared at the bloodied tip of the knife in a trance.
However, the sound of stone grinding followed by Seya suddenly finding himself being illuminated snapped him out of it real quick.
Looking up, a golem held the desk that the reincarnator was previously hiding under in its obsidian jaws. With a quick jerk of its head, the construct threw the desk away and it smashed into splinters against the wall of the assembly hall.
With the obstruction cleared, the golem lowered its head and leered at Seya. Gray dust spilled from in-between the guardian's jagged black teeth, forming a purple tinted dark cloud around it. And within the creature's gaping and seemingly bottomless throat, mangled and torn bits and pieces of souls could be seen getting rapidly dissolved.
"Ah- ….ah….AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Seya screamed from the top of his lungs, grasping the knife in his hands again before driving it in between his own ribs.
The sound of flesh being rend was quickly followed by a dull thud as the cook's body fell on the floor, dead. But only a few seconds later, a ghostly corpulent figure with a disproportionately small head and limbs crawled out of the carcass, screaming in triumph.
"AHAHA! I DID IT! I DID IT! I'M FREE!" The soul's beady little eyes shone as it squealed excitedly. "#$%^ YOU ALL! I'M FREEYYYYEEEEAAAAARRRFGHHHH!"
The plus sized soul's triumphant cry quickly devolved into one of pain, as the golem simply lunged forward and bit down on Seya's foot. The guardian violently shook its prey around and, in the process, tore one of the cook's legs off.
The soul continued to scream in agony as the rest of its body was launched away. Guided by panic and a strong desire to survive, Seya managed to crawl into the floor and vanished a split second before several more golems jumped at his previous position.
The constructs wailed angrily, their limbs digging into the floor to try to get at their prey, but when it became apparent that it was gone, the golems quickly shifted their attention to other targets.
Nearby, several reincarnators tried to steal Daitan's mace from him, since he hadn't switched it to a soul eater weapon form yet, but the moment they got close they died when they were incinerated by the fiery weapon, due to the massive difference in their stats. And then with a Onyx Lightning Rifle form equipped, Akane disposed of their souls for the Blunt Hero.
"E-everyone, wait! Please, wait!" Miyaji, the Musical Instrument Hero pleaded as he stumbled and fell backwards on his haunches. He hastily scooted back before running into a wall. "This is just a big misunderstanding! Didn't we get summoned together!? We're practically best friends!"
"Ehhhhh?" Daitan rested his mace on his shoulder and knelt down before the sweating Musical Hero. "Is that so? Then tell me this, 'friend'."
Daitain's eyes narrowed. "What's my name?"
"Ah-" Miyaji froze and his mind raced a million miles an hour. "B-blunt Hero S-s-sama-"
"Not my title. My name." Daitan repeated. Hoshi and Akane closed in too, their faces cast in shadow as they took positions on the Blunt Hero's left and right sides respectively. "I remember you disappearing on us shortly after our summoning, but you can at least remember my name, right?"
"Ah-...I-...It's... it's on the tip of my tongue, I swear!" Miyaji began to shake.
"... Okay, I'll give you another chance, since you are our 'friend'. Name one of my friend's names and you'll be free to go." Daitan hefted his mace from his shoulder and smashed it into the floor next to the Musical Hero, causing a cloud of dust to get kicked up.
"Y-your names, o-o-o-f course. They are...! They are...!" Miyaji gritted his teeth as his eyes bulged out from tension.
…
After a pregnant pause, Daitan stood up and straightened out. "Thought so. Well, if it makes you feel any better."
The Legendary Blunt Instrument burst into flames.
"We have no clue who the hell you are either."
"No! Help! SOMEBODY HELP ME! OROKANA! HELPPPP!" Miyaji screamed.
But no one could help any of them.
Out of the hundreds of reincarnators who'd been there at the start, at least 90% of them were already dead by this point. Only a small handful had managed to escape by diving into the floor before they could be killed.
There were only a few individuals besides Orokana that were still standing. But they were few and far between. It wouldn't take long for them to die as well.
It was a miracle Orokana hadn't died yet. All of his backup was gone now. Yet he still did not attempt to kill himself and try to escape.
Perhaps Orokana thought he could still somehow pull out a win? Or maybe he'd just been that desperate to not lose. To prove that he was the strongest of them all.
However, The Harpoon Hero's stubborn struggle soon came to an unexpected halt.
"What the-" His next attack, which would have slammed into Naofumi's Shield, suddenly stopped. "GAH!" The invader felt his legs grow weak all of a sudden.
His knees shook and then went slack, causing him to crumple down on the tiled marble floor. Orakana managed to drive the tip of his harpoon into the ground and use it for support, preventing him from falling flat on his face, but that didn't last either.
The sudden feeling of weakness spread to the Harpoon wielder's arms and hands next, as well as the rest of his body. Unable to hold himself upright any longer, Orokana fell forward, hitting his forehead against one of the shattered floor tiles. The impact caused his skin to split, drawing blood.
"What- what's going on? My body? Why can't I-" Orokana's eyes shot around frantically as he desperately tried to force himself to move to no avail.
"Finally." Kizuna cut him off and raised her hand. Seeing the signal, Corrin immediately cried out at the back of the room. "Everyone, stand down!"
Stand down? What the hell were they thinking now? Did they change their mind and…
Orokana's train of thought came to a halt as he took note of the ominous silence that'd set in. Even lying down on the floor in an awkward position as he was, the Harpoon Hero was able to look at his surroundings and realize the reason for the order.
It was over. There was no one else left except for him and-
"O-Orakana!"
The Harpoon hero's blood went still as he saw his comrade getting dragged before Kizuna in the corner of his vision. Miyaji's beautiful face was battered and bruised, his elegant clothes were torn and burnt. His broken limbs dangled limply on his body, bent at awkward angles.
A pack of four golems held the Musical Hero's body in their jaws while quietly awaiting further instructions from the Emperor.
Miyaji's eyes were wide with pain and terror while Daitan, Hoshi, and Akane stood proudly beside the gem golems.
"Oh yeaaa! We actually beat another Vassal Hero! We're so freaking awesome! Woohoo!" Daitan yelled happily while performing a little dance and a series of pelvic thrusts.
"Yeah, while fighting him three-on-one," Akane added scathingly, visibly taking some of the wind from Daitan's sails.
"He was pretty strong though; you've got to admit." Hoshi gave his own two cents while keeping a close eye on the incapacitated reincarnator, in case he tried to do anything.
"Okay, yea, I guess." Akane then added awkwardly, conceding the point. Miyaji was at least strong enough that he wasn't instantly incinerated by Daitan's weapon like the others.
However, that just meant that the Musical Hero's current state was all the more agonizing.
"Good job, you three! Way to go!" Kizuna gave the trio a thumbs up, with Daitan returning the gesture while Akane and Hoshi simply nodded in response.
"Orokana! What are you doing!? Get up! Why are you just laying there?" Miyaji desperately cried out while trying to struggle himself free for a moment before the obsidian teeth of the golems sunk deeper into his flesh, making him cry out in agony again.
"Oh, don't be mad at him, he's a bit busy at the moment." Kizuna shrugged and turned back to face the harpoon wielder again. Orokana was still lying helplessly on the floor. His face was red from exertion and trickles of sweat were running down its length.
He gasped and puffed, repeatedly trying to no avail to make his body move.
"You bitch! What did you do to me!? What sort of cheat is this?"
"Oh, it's not a cheat, Orokana." Kizuna crouched down and leaned over the Harpoon Wielder with a harrowing smile and an empty look in her eyes.
"It's just poison."
"Poison-wha-"
"Did you enjoy your complimentary wine by the way?" The Hunting Tools Hero interrupted him. "I'm not a fan of alcohol myself, so I had to ask my big brother L'Arc for advice on what to serve today. It's apparently a special reserve from his favorite vineyard in Lapis, which he is now coincidentally the new owner of, after having inherited it last week from the previous owner. Kyo had his fingers in a lot of pies, didn't he?
"But I digress."
Kizuna leaned forward even closer, her face now an inch away from Orokana's. "So, did you like it?"
"Y-you, bitch. H-how? My weapon should have-" The Harpoon Hero croaked out, suddenly finding it hard to raise his voice.
"Detected it, yea. It's a pretty useful feature, isn't it?" Kizuna nodded. "Unfortunately, that only covers poisons that do direct damage. Not long-acting paralytics with a delayed effect. It's a pretty impressive concoction, from what I was led to believe by the person who brewed this particular batch at my request. Thanks again, Naofumi!"
Kizuna briefly turned her head and waved at the Shield Hero in a friendly manner.
"Any time." The black-haired young man nodded grimly.
"So, yea, I made sure to poison everyone's wine and food here in advance, in case you bastards proved to be tougher than expected. But my other big bro here can't take all the credit here. After all…" Kizuna turned back to face Orokana again and put her index finger into his hair before starting to play with one of the stray locks. "This recipe was made by one of you pieces of $%^&. And it was then used to murder one of my friends.
"Be sure to give your courtesies to Kenshiro's nephew when you meet him again in hell or whatever empty endless void that you go to when your soul gets erased."
"W-what…. him….?" Orokana gasped repeatedly, finding himself short of breath now.
"Well, it's actually a modified recipe, if you want to get reaaaal technical." Kizuna continued to speak in a friendly manner and playfully poked Orokana's cheek. "You see, Kyo stole all of that bastard's notes after capturing him. And that friend of mine always had a knack for improving things that others made.
"So, do you know how Kyo improved the poison, Orokana?"
The Harpoon Hero tried to respond but only a labored wheeze came out from his rapidly and uselessly compressing windpipe.
"That's riiight~! It now paralyzes your lungs too. Isn't that fun?" Kizuna dusted the hem of her dress off and straightened out before taking a few steps back. "With that said, Orokana." The girl turned around and looked down at the reincarnator.
In his rapidly darkening and warping vision, he could only see the girl's dark silhouette and her empty eyes staring down into the depths of his black and wicked soul.
"Do me a favor. Take a nice big breath of fresh air. And make sure to savor it."
"Since it's going to be your last, you know?"
…
There was no sound at all coming in response from the harpoon wielder this time. His body was violently twitching and convulsing on the floor. He desperately yearned for air and yet, he could not take any in.
His vision turned black and red, with Kizuna's dark silhouette and empty eyes engraved forever in the middle of Orokana's psyche. His whole body burned with fire and unspeakable agony as his heartbeat echoed deafeningly in his head, the pauses between each heartbeat becoming longer and longer until…
His body finally went completely still.
…
…
…
…
Kizuna tapped her foot impatiently. "We know you're still here. So quit playing hide and seek. We're not done yet."
A pale ghostly figure slowly rose from the corpse of the Harpoon Hero. Its hand gripped the Vassal Weapon tightly and ripped it out of the floor.
Surprisingly, Orokana's true soul form had a herculean build, unlike many of his fellow reincarnators. A large and elaborate tattoo in the shape of a serpent stretched out from his forearm and to his shoulder and back, with the snake design circling his torso in the process.
The Harpoon Hero's long shaggy black hair covered his eyes briefly before he raised his head, revealing two red orbs overflowing with madness, hate, and rage.
"... YOU… YOU!
"YOU REALLY THINK THAT YOU'LL GET AWAY WITH THIS!? THAT THIS WILL CHANGE ANYTHING?!
'I'LL KILL YOU ALL, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER!
"NONE OF YOU WILL STOP ME FROM BEING ABLE TO RISE TO THE TOP OF THIS WORLD! EVERYTHING THIS WORLD HAS TO OFFER WILL BELONG TO ME! I SWEAR-"
"Hold that thought for a moment, would you?" Kizuna easily interrupted the furious vengeful soul's tirade. "There's a reason why I specifically had you two saved for last."
The girl then turned back to face the Musical Hero who was desperately trying to fade out of existence after seeing what happened to his fellow conspirator.
"I need a messenger, you see." Kizuna crouched by Miyaji.
"W-what? A messenger?" The man swallowed hard.
"Mhmm." Kizuna nodded with a smile. "I'm not exactly sure if they can see what's happening right now or not. My sources were a bit vague in that regard. So in case they can't, I need one of you to crawl back to them and tell them exactly what happened here down to every little nitty gritty detail. And since you two seem to be on the top of the figurative food chain among your peers, I figure one of you would be able to get an audience with them faster."
"T-them…?" Myaji's eyes widened as he felt a deep cold pit open in his stomach.
"Yea, 'them'." Kizuna emphasized. "Your bosses, masters, superiors, whatever the hell you want to call them. The people who really call the shots and put you down here. The people that have you seek out and destroy any information about 'them' left in the worlds. Who are responsible for the waves of destruction in my world and Naofumi's world and every other world out there."
"Them."
…
Even Orokana's vengeful expression faltered at Kizuna's words. The rage in his eyes was quickly replaced with shock.
"Actually…." Kizuna tapped her chin with her index finger. "Since you're here and all, why don't you just answer me in that regard." The girl then leaned over the Musical Instruments Hero.
"Are they watching us right now, Miyaji?"
…
"I-…I can't…I mean, I don't- I-" The reincarnator's body shook and his mouth went dry. And, much more worryingly, he felt something akin to a long strip of rough metal start crawling under his skin and slowly coil around his heart like a python constricting its prey.
"I REFUSE! I REFUSE TO ANSWEEER!" Miyaji finally screeched out in a fit of panic.
…
"Eh, it was worth a shot." Kizuna shrugged. "No worries. I know that you can't actually tell me anything about them.
"You know, that is the other sad thing Kyo noted in that journal of his." Kizuna crossed her arms behind her back and walked past Miyaji and the golems, the others staying back once more. "Most of you don't even realize how 'they' are using you to destroy our world instead of giving it to you."
"It seems like Kyo was one of the only ones who was self-aware in that regard. The rest of you were just too stupid compared to him. Though, you're at least smart enough to know what'd happen if you tried to reveal any information about 'them'."
Orokana had been trying to think of what he should do then, realizing that, as a soul, the chances of him dying permanently were now quite high. Being alone, sans Miyaji hanging from the jaws of the four gem golems, also played a factor in wondering if he should retreat for now or not.
But at Kizuna's words, his thoughts paused, anger coming onto his face as he stared back at her. "W-What did you just say?"
The heroine smiled, but there was no light in it. It was like staring into a cold, dark, empty void.
"In the end, you all weren't the reason I organized this whole parade. You lot are nothing but cannon fodder, meant to slowly whittle down and destroy our worlds through your own purely selfish actions. Even if I were to spend my whole life fighting your influence, after I die, they'll just put more of you &^%$&^$# in my world to ruin it for some future generation.
"I understand now why Kyo said that my accomplishments would result in a net gain of zero. Even if we killed all of you today, it still wouldn't prevent more reincarnators from being born into my world in the future. Even if me and my friends left an abundance of knowledge and descendants and had the threat you posed taught in all our schools, even if we made it absolutely impossible for you to be born anywhere in our world, 'they' would still find a way to work around any failsafes we'd try to implement like Miyaji being summoned alongside the Cardinal Heroes.
"Either that or some new mother out there would decide that she'd rather raise one of you &^%$# even knowing full well what you'd grow up to be since it'd be monstrous to expect all mothers to be okay with their newborns possibly being killed to prevent you guys from trying to take over our world again. And then, soon enough, we'd be back to the same dance as before.
"Maybe it'd take centuries. Maybe it'd take millennia. But it'd still happen.
"So, I am not going to do that. I am not going to play by your or their rules anymore. Instead, I decided that I was going to flip this board over and bash your collective skulls in with it.
"Consider this little event a message for the bosses standing behind you. The ones who are pulling the strings for this whole mess."
"Killing you all here was pretty cathartic, I admit. But it was just a side thing. What I wanted to do with this is to make sure that 'they' know what's coming for them after this."
…
Orokana stared, his eyes steadily refilling with fury again at the notion that he was just an afterthought, rather than the one in the spotlight.
"Ah, I like the look you're giving me right now." Kizuna's smile didn't falter in the slightest. "I've decided. You will be the one to pass my message along, Orokana.
"After all, I only need one person to deliver it for me. And our world could use one of its Hero Weapons back in the right hands."
…
Before the false Harpoon Hero could comprehend the meaning of her words, the Hunting Tools Hero finally gave a nod to the gem golems behind her, and their teeth shined with excitement.
"W-WAIT! I COULD STILL BE OF-" Miyaji tried to scream.
The golems teeth all began to rotate in their mouths like a buzzsaw, blending Miyaji's limbs in their mouths.
"AH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Miyaji screamed as his body and soul got torn up, shredded, and then finally mashed before Orakana's very eyes.
It was over in seconds. The remains of the false Musician Hero's torso flopped uselessly against the ground and then crumbled into dust.
The Vassal Musical Instruments weapon floated up into the air, shining in gratitude. The Vassal Mirror also appeared beside it, looking grateful as well.
Though the Vassal Mirror then flew down near Naofumi's Shield. The gemstone on it flashed over and over again in irritation.
The Shield's gemstone glowed a couple of times in response. And Naofumi could have sworn he heard a voice coming from it saying something along the lines of; "Lol, you should have grabbed him first then, loser."
That was probably the Shield Hero's imagination getting to him after everything he'd witnessed. Either way, the Vassal Mirror flew off right after that, looking furious as it vanished with the Vassal Musical Instruments into the sky.
What a strange interaction between Hero Weapons...
…
"... alright, let's wrap things up." Kizuna put the focus back on herself when she spoke.
"Orokana, I want you to listen to me real close now.
"I want you to remember everything that happened here today. And when I say 'remember', I mean that I want you to burn every single second of it into your soul. Every excruciating detail. Every. Breath."
Kizuna took a single step forward and the Harpoon Hero's soul instinctively took one back.
"From here on out, you will wake up every single night for the rest of your worthless life, screaming, pissing, and $%^&ing yourself in terror, as you relive this day over and over in your worst nightmares as if it was happening again for the first time."
Kizuna took another step forward. Orokana stumbled back and fell.
"And then, you will cry for the rest of the night, overwhelmed in relief that it was only a dream, but be too afraid to go back to sleep in fear of going back to this place, to today."
Orokana crawled back while clawing at his throat, feeling the horrible suffocating sensation again. His vision began to darken as Kizuna's figure seemingly pushed everything else out of the world around him. It was as if darkness was covering her very being.
"You will never rest or have a moment of peace again. Every lucid moment of your life will be spent wondering when I will come back to finish the job. And I assure you that I will. Maybe not tomorrow. Maybe not next week. But I will be back."
Orokana's soul shook, his eyes widening in terror as the predator bent forward, its hungry eyes staring into his own.
"So tell them aaaaaaalll about this. And then, tell them this:"
"We are coming for you next."
Kizuna's whole presence gave off the kanji symbols of death. "Make sure they get it.
"Alright?" Kizuna smiled playfully at the end.
...
"Hey, what's wrong, buddy? Why the long face." Kizuna took another step forward.
"S-stay away!" Orokana went on all fours and began to crab crawl back.
"Hey, come on. What are you so afraid of all of a sudden? Don't you know who I am?" The darkness in front of Orokana crawled closer, almost reaching his legs. "I'm the Hunting Tools Hero! I can't hurt you! Not even while you're just a soul!"
"NO! NO! GET BACK!"
Two eyes stared at Orokana from the dark suffocating void. His non-existent heart furiously beat in his ears like drums in an overpowering cacophony of noise and static.
"You still have your weapon, don't you? I'll tell you what. You can have one free shot at me!
"With how weak I am, you should still be able to kill me, so go for it!"
"STAY AWAY FROM MMMMMEEEEEEEEEEE!"
For the first time in his life, Orokana's rage from his former life had been overpowered by another emotion. One that he thought he'd never experience in this world, but which had filled his entire being from top to bottom.
Fear.
Orokana screamed as he dove through the floor, vanishing from sight.
But one could still hear his frightened screams as he dove further and further into the ground. Moving as fast as he could.
He escaped under the wall of Lapis before resurfacing, but he was still screeching in terror as he flew all the way to his home country.
A later highway between both countries would acquire the nickname "The Road of Terror" because of people's memories of a ghost flying overhead, screaming as it fled the Capital city of Lapis.
And good riddance to it too.
Hero Clips!
What was his Name Again?
"Well, if it makes you feel any better."
The Legendary Blunt Instrument burst into flames.
"We have no clue who the hell you are either."
Miyaji was about to scream when Akane suddenly grabbed Daitan's wrist, stopping him from attacking. "Weren't you listening to Kizuna earlier? I could have sworn his name came up on the list."
"Eh? You sure about that?" Daitan responded confusedly.
Other reincarnators were being murdered and quite literally butchered in body and soul in the background. Orokana was screaming like he was a main character in a shonen.
Fake M*ndalorian Blasters were firing. Heads were flying. Heroes were performing epic combos left and right.
But no, instead of all that pure cathartic awesomeness on these villain-of-the-week cardboard cutouts that were being dished out on them, we were about to focus on something completely ridiculous once again.
"Pretty sure. Hoshi, you were listening before, right?" Akane asked their fellow Hero.
"Hmmm…" Hoshi put a hand to his chin in thought. Staring at the guy who'd supposedly been summoned alongside them years ago. "... no, not a clue.
"I don't even recognize him. Are we sure that he was summoned with us?" Hoshi asked, looking at his friends in confusion.
Akane was about to answer but then closed her mouth.
Actually, now that she thought about it, she couldn't remember this guy either. Huh. Funny how that worked.
"A-Are you serious?! I was summoned alongside all of you! How could you possibly forget me?!" Miyaji screamed, looking angry and offended.
"I mean, if you were summoned with us, it's not like we interacted with anybody that day. Anybody who wasn't important, at least." Daitan shrugged.
Miyaji was about to scream all over again, but this time for an entirely different reason.
"Wait, Hoshi, didn't you draw our Hero Summoning?" Daitan then asked. "I thought you could remember everyone's names and faces because of that! Hell, you knew my name before I said it out loud!"
"True, I did know your names and faces." Hoshi pondered some more. "But now that I think about it, I can't remember drawing this guy in that picture at all."
"But I was summoned too! And I even talked to you idio- guys!" Miyaji screamed. "And you!" He pointed at Hoshi. "You have a photographic memory! HOW CAN YOU NOT EVEN REMEMBER ME OR MY NAME!?"
Hoshi tilted his head. "Yeah, I can remember scenes vividly. That doesn't mean I can remember everything that everyone says all the time though. Especially if I didn't think it was important enough to remember.
"As for why I can't remember you being there…" Hoshi shrugged. "I might have been too anxious to pay you any attention."
"Well… WELL THEN LISTEN UP! BECAUSE I'M ONLY GOING TO SAY THIS ONCE!" Miyaji straightened up. "I WAS SUMMONED ALONGSIDE YOU NUMBSKULLS! AND MY FULL NAME IS HI-"
"YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Miyaji's scream was interrupted by a Kabuki performance happening on the deck of Ethnobalt's ship behind the Dominos Squad. The sounds of their screams and drum-playing Performance Magic enhanced the stats of all the soldiers there, making them even more powerful than before.
Yeah, that was why they existed in this world. Not a coincidence that they were there to mess with this guy or anything.
"REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" The young fake Music Hero began screaming as he pulled at his hair.
"Geez, can we just deal with him already?" Daitan hefted his mace overhead.
"Wait, I found the paper Kizuna threw away earlier!" Akane lifted a torn sheet off the ground, having identified it since Orokana's name and info were at the top.
"Let's see, his name is… … … oh, Unknown. What do you know." Akane said.
Yeah, who was this screaming turd on the ground? Even the author had forgotten who he was by this point.
"*&^% YOU!" The idiot raised his middle finger to the sky. "ONE DAY, I SHALL MAKE EVERYONE FEAR THE NAME OF-"
Whoosh!
Breeze-Kun blew the guy into Daitan, activating his mace's special effect.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The fake Hero screamed as his body was covered by flames.
Whoosh!
Breeze-Kun then blew from another direction, sending the badly burned villain of the week across the room, before throwing him down the room's only garbage chute.
"That is one strange breeze, not gonna lie," Daitan said, a nervous sweatdrop appearing on his forehead.
"Yeah, how about we just move on to the rest of the battle." Akane agreed, looking just as perplexed as her fellow Heroes.
The three went back to the remaining battles.
Meanwhile, our fake Hero was still falling down the trash chute. His face was red from anger.
"HOW DESPICABLE! YOU CAN'T TREAT ME LIKE THAT FOOL KAZUKI! I AM FAR GREATER THAN THAT IDIOT COULD EVER HOPE TO-"
His words were cut off as he fell into the trash area down below.
Unfortunately, it wasn't a dumpster that was waiting for him. But rather, a group of Gem Golems hungry for reincarnator flesh.
"AH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Heh, thanks for taking out the trash again for me Breeze-kun.
Actually, now that I think about it, that guy's perfect for the nickname Trash II since that other Trash guy from before wasn't called Trash II like his canon counterpart.
We shall forever remember the fake Instruments Hero as Trash II.
A guy who wasn't even as important as the original Trash. Man, what a loser, lmao.
Notes:
I have nothing to say here. Keep on reading ahead, my friend, you're just about done with this arc!
Chapter 23: Until Next Time
Chapter Text
After a moment, the room was finally silent.
Not a single one of the Hero's allies had fallen. There were no casualties amongst the Gem Noblesse Commandos that'd participated either.
Only a handful of gem caretaker golems had been destroyed. Thankfully, none of their cores had been broken in the attacks, so they'd be able to be rebuilt by their comrades at a later time.
The remaining golems all trembled in their spots, looking around the area one more time for any stragglers. But when it became apparent that there weren't any left, they settled to the ground, and the transformations they'd undergone reversed.
Within moments, the golems returned to their normal, nondeadly, and roundish appearances.
The only ones who'd died in the room were the hundreds of reincarnators. Mounds of ash littered the floor of the assembly hall amidst destroyed desks, spilled drinks, and other debris. Some corpses and body parts poked out here and there to signify that their owners got away. But they were few and far between.
It'd take the caretakers some time before they finally had the area all cleaned up. But after that, it'd be as if the fight had never occurred in the first place. The world would move on as normal, with most of its people not knowing just how much their lives were about to improve because of this.
Seeing the gem golems become normal again, the scary aura around Kizuna finally vanished as well.
She turned around to face everyone, her face beaming with a genuine happy smile. "Whew! Glad that's all out of the way at last!
"Now, who wants to go fishing with me?!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..." Naofumi was frowning deeply. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something to Kizuna.
He knew she'd warned them about some of the things she wanted to try before this. But she'd clearly stepped over the line in some aspects. He didn't think that this experience had changed her permanently, but it didn't seem right for her to try and act like her usual self after… all that'd happened.
Before he could think of anything to say, however, Glass walked up to her best friend and set her hands on Kizuna's shoulders. "Are you really doing okay, Kizuna?" She asked.
Kizuna looked surprised by the serious expression on her face. "O-Of course I am! Do you have to ask?!"
…
…
Glass's serious look didn't lessen. Concern crawled onto her features, making it hard for Kizuna to look her in the eyes.
"I know you said otherwise before we came in here, but I can tell you aren't alright right now.
"You were fine at the start. But you stopped being fine after you killed someone yourself.
"While I know you did all this for the greater good of our world, and that you convinced yourself that this was a necessary thing for you to do. I do not think even you could turn your back on the pacificism you cherished so much before without regretting that."
…
"..." Kizuna's eyes fell, and she looked at her hands. "To be honest, I'd rather I never have to kill someone ever again. I…
"I feel terrible that the rest of you have had to do that for me before. The blood, I can… still feel…"
Glass hugged her best friend close, and Kizuna returned the embrace as tears fell from her eyes.
Naofumi breathed out, though this time in relief. He knew what Kizuna was experiencing now. It was the same guilt he'd felt after killing people in the Capital, and the same guilt he'd felt when he was forced to kill Ost.
You could talk all you wanted about evil people needing to pay with their lives for their crimes against humanity. But regardless of how deserving someone was of it or not, it was still hard to kill with your own hands. Even soldiers, trained to kill the enemy, sometimes hesitated the first time in combat when the target at the other end of their scope was another person instead of a sheet of metal.
Killing people after that first time didn't become more easy. It just became more bearable.
As bad as it sounded, in most cases, it was easy to dismiss the guilt of seeing a person die when it wasn't by your hand.
It wasn't easy at all though when you were the one who killed that person. Whether purposefully or in self-defense. You'd have to be a true psychopath to not be affected.
No wonder things like hanging, the guillotine, or the electric chair had become common forms of execution for death row criminals in the past. It wasn't just for entertainment value. Having an object do the killing for you was probably much easier than being part of a firing squad or holding the executioner's axe to do the deed yourself.
Anyway, side tangent aside, the fact that Kizuna did feel guilty after it was all said and done was a good thing. It meant she hadn't turned into a psychotic megalomaniac killer, and that she would most likely not kill again in the future unless she had no other choice. Just like Naofumi and Raphtalia and the others with them.
"Okay. Not to take away from the seriousness of what we just did. But you've got to tone the flexing down, Kizuna." Naofumi finally spoke out. Drawing the attention of the two Heroes in front of him.
"W-What do you mean?" Kizuna asked confusedly, wiping away a couple of remaining tears from her face.
"Come on, when you destroyed that guy with one punch, when you told everyone how you meant it when they'd die there. Or the way you just pounded on that Harpoon Idiot until he ran away screaming from all the trauma you inflicted on him.
"Couldn't you have just told that &^%$ to tell whoever 'they' are that they had $%^$ around and were about to find out so that some of us could at least laugh?!"
…
"Eh…" Kizuna was confused at Naofumi's attitude for a moment, but then, after realizing how this was probably the way of coping he'd developed for himself, she couldn't help but chuckle as a small grin came onto her face.
"But Big Bro, that'd be too boring!" Kizuna rolled her eyes as Glass released her, still looking confused at the shift in the room's tone. "And besides, that saying is sooooo outdated.
"Using it would have made me sound lame!"
"Oi! Is that supposed to mean my ideas are lame?!" Naofumi yelled, looking offended.
"That one's certainly one of your lamest!" Kizuna stuck her tongue out at him.
Naofumi's chuckling turned into full-on laughter as he began to noogie the girl, causing her to screech and laugh in protest as she tried to escape his grasp.
Most of the others still looked a bit unnerved, even the other Cardinal Heroes. Yet, they were slowly starting to smile as well.
Strange, had they all become so desensitized to violence that they could laugh this off just like that?
Maybe this was a sign that all of them needed therapy.
Thoughts for later, they supposed.
…
"My brother had been right in the end it seems." Corrin sighed but smiled to himself. It appeared the Hunting Tools Hero and her ideals had changed a bit, just like he had.
The non-compromised delegates from various countries began to get ushered into the room by the golems and Corrin's honor guard of armored noblesses, still looking shocked at what they'd witnessed over one of Kyo's spy balls from another room.
"I trust that what you saw today was decisively clear and left no room for doubt." The Emperor addressed the startled-looking delegates.
"The Waves are not some kind of cyclic form of natural disasters like we were led to believe. Nor are any of the calamities and misfortunes accompanying them a coincidence. A group of people somewhere, somehow, is actively seeking our collective destruction.
"We do not know their motivations or reasoning for attacking us yet. But it doesn't matter. They have struck us and drawn first blood. That is reason enough to bear our arms and strike back in return.
"The Waves can not be controlled or exploited. Any foolish notions of profiting off them are shortsighted and will only lead to ruin.
"I know that not all of you share my ideology. I can see those among you who do, who will not need any further convincing, so I will not try to appeal to the sense of morality of the rest of you.
"We are all different people, from different cultures and backgrounds. But what unites us, no matter who we are, is our sense of self-preservation and self-interest.
"What you saw today was not a threat or an attempt of a hostile takeover of your lands through intimidation. If, by the end of this, you still wish to simply go back home and forget everything that happened, it will be your choice.
"However, if you do, the heroes will no longer provide you any support during the waves or any other affairs, be they internal or external."
This proclamation caused a stir among the crowd but Corrin swiftly cut the protests off by grabbing a lightning gem rifle from one of his commandos and firing it into the air.
Phoom!
The sound of a lighting crackle instantly silenced all the voices and Corrin handed the rifle back to his soldier before continuing to speak. Standing tall while holding his hands behind his back.
"If you do not wish to help us fight together against a common foe who seeks to exterminate our world and people, then you are no longer entitled to any help from us either.
"It would not be an act of holding your country's wellbeing hostage.
"You would be the ones proclaiming your desire for complete independence and self-sufficiency by saying no to joining the alliance that will be formed today.
"And if that is the case, then I can only hope that your suicidal overconfidence in your abilities is well placed instead of being a mere shadow cast by the size of your hubris. Otherwise, may the gods help you and your people. Because we won't."
The Emperor of Lapis turned away from the crowd of representatives and slowly and deliberately approached the Hunting Tools Hero. Naofumi gave the girl a small nod and stepped away.
Corrin looked Kizuna directly in the eyes and then crouched down on one knee while still maintaining eye contact. He bowed his head low in a show of respect.
He then reached out to grab Kizuna's hand and kissed it.
"Hunting Hero-sama. Henceforth, I, Corrin Diamondite, the sole sovereign of the Lapis Empire, swear my fealty to you and your cause. I speak for my country and its people. Everything that Lapis has to offer is yours to use as you see fit.
"Until we are free of the shadow cast by the waves and the masterminds responsible for them, me and all of my people will live and die by your command. That is my declaration and binding oath to you, the other heroes, and this world."
"W-What-"
"The Emperor, he's-"
The crowd stared agape at the sheer sight before them that shattered every form of etiquette, common sense, or any previously established social rules when it came to higher echelons of society on a global scale. Not even the slaughter that came before this caused a reaction like that.
But the shouting stopped short before it could escalate when the next person walked in front of Kizuna and kneeled before her.
"With the emergency power vested in me, I, Yomogi Ethnina, the commander-in-chief of Luvar's army and the temporary Arbiter of Luvar's Parliament, swear my fealty to you, Hunting Tool Hero-sama. Luvar and its people are at your beck and call, whenever you should require it."
Kizuna wordlessly offered her hand to Yomogi and the girl reverently kissed it as well.
"Though I may hold the title of the prime minister officially, in practice, I am afraid that my power is not nearly as absolute."
Label's Prime Minister slowly walked up and was the third person to kneel before Kizuna. "I, Miyamoto Masamune, am simply the spokesperson of the numerous old clans that form Label's ruling caste. But for what it's worth, my blade and the blades of my clan are yours to command as well, Hunting Tools Hero-sama. I will ensure that the other clan heads will quickly fall in line and obey you as well. Though I can't imagine having too much trouble convincing them after all that happened both today and before." The old samurai kissed Kizuna's hand as well.
"I, L'Arc Berg, the sole sovereign of the kingdom of Sickle, have already offered my oath a long time ago." The Scythe Hero was the last person to kneel before Kizuna. There was not even a drop of mischief in his eyes at that moment. "But I shall repeat it and renew it, for it remains the same as it always has and always will be since the day my father first gave it to you.
"Hunting Tools hero-sama, my sister in all but blood. Both I and Sickle are at your disposal. Together to the end and beyond."
Despite needing to keep up a calm facade, Kizuna had to struggle hard to not show the overwhelming emotion on her face when her brother kissed her hand.
"Those among you..." The girl finally spoke out, addressing the crowd. "Those who want to help me to save, to protect and preserve our world. Step forward.
"And those who do not, leave at once.
"I have no time to deal with cowards."
...
Not a single person turned to leave. Slowly, one by one, the various representatives began to step forward. Pledging their fealty and that of their nations to the Hunting Tools Hero as well.
Others raised their hands nervously, raising the same concerns as Label's elder, due to either not holding absolute power in their domains or simply being ambassadors that could only relay the message of what had transpired today. None of them had left, however.
The message was clear to all, even to the most dimwitted among them who only got to their positions through inheriting it or networking.
Either you would join the alliance, or you would be left stranded to die at the hands of the mysterious all-powerful enemy that had been unveiled today before everyone.
In the face of an actual credible threat with a face, even an obscured one, the questions of morality, greed, personal vendettas, and everything else fell to the wayside. When it came to survival, there were no more arguments to be had.
Even the ones among them who still believed that they could take on the waves and the people in charge of them on their own... still faltered under the idea of potentially earning the wrath of the coalition that was already formed between Lapis, Label, Sickle and Luvar. Which was a far more credible and real threat that could not be simply dismissed.
Kizuna, though her smile still looked pained, rested her hand on Corrin's shoulder and addressed the assembly after the various questions died down. "You have my word. I will not stop fighting until this world is freed from the Waves and whoever is standing behind them.
"I'll avenge your family, as well as the families of all those who were targeted by 'them'. I swear it upon my title as the Hunting Tools Hero."
"Us too." Hoshi walked forward as well. Heading the three other Cardinal Heroes. "We will use all of our talents and abilities to suppress the Waves the world over. We will also join Kizuna's fight against 'them'.
"We won't run and cower like before. We will save this world and ensure the Waves will never threaten it again, no matter what."
The eyes of all the delegates there, even the less reputable ones, began to fill with hope.
Kizuna nodded to herself. Daitan simply smirked behind Hoshi's shoulder.
When had the Monochrome Hero gotten the confidence to step up like this? At this rate, Hoshi was going to become the head of their group of Three alongside Kizuna and-
Actually, you know what, Daitan didn't mind that one bit. He knew he wasn't meant to lead anyway. He'd rather leave that to those who were better at it so he could focus on what he was good at.
Getting stronger and beating up bad guys with a big stick.
Something he'd be much better at now, thanks to his newfound strength.
"Don't forget about me." Akane frowned beside him. "I'm going to get a lot stronger too."
"Of course." Daitan grinned at her. "It'd be too boring if I didn't have a rival now, wouldn't it?!"
Akane opened her mouth to respond, only to have to turn away as her cheeks blazed a fierce red once again.
Seriously, what the hell was up with this guy!?
"Now, with all that out of the way! I was serious when I said this earlier!" Kizuna pulled a fishing hat out of her weapon, resting it on her head.
"CELEBRATORY FISHING TRIP ON ME!"
…
Wow.
She really was cut from the same cloth as L'Arc.
Except fishing trips were her way of celebrating a victory.
Heh, oh well. Naofumi was all for it.
Okay, was a celebration as important to stay behind for now compared to the events from earlier?
No, not really, in all honesty.
Did that mean that Naofumi and the others didn't stay to enjoy it?
Hell no! This was like a breath of fresh air after everything they'd gone through! They were going back the next day anyway, so they deserved this chance to unwind!
"Wheeeee! Axie-Poo, I'm flying!" Maya giggled happily as her hero ran around in the sand, carrying his fiance above him with one hand.
Everyone on the beach was dressed in swimming trunks or a bikini, including Naofumi.
"Ahahaha! This is too great! I love how strong I am now!" Aksel laughed as well. "And you were so amazing earlier! My future wife will be a force to be feared, just like me!"
As the raccoon woman continued to giggle happily, sunlight fell upon the engagement rings the couple were now sporting.
Those two hadn't been able to wait till they got back to their world before Aksel proposed. Not that the Shield Hero minded.
It just gave Naofumi a peek at what he and Raphtalia would be doing soon enough.
"Wheeeeeeeee!"
"Filo! Not so high!"
Speaking of his wife friend, Raphtalia and their daughter were up in the sky. The half-tanuki was wearing a black bikini that gave Naofumi a nosebleed at the sight of her. And Filo didn't have a swimsuit, but was currently in her humming fairy form, flying with her Mommy on her back.
She'd pleaded and pleaded until Mommy caved. However, Mommy didn't seem to like the prospect of being so high up.
"Filooooooooooo!"
Naofumi laughed while resting on a towel on the sandy beach. When he was done laughing, he felt something drip onto his hand and licked the white creamy substance off of it. And then he licked the trail of it from the bottom of the cone he was holding to the top.
Yep, he couldn't believe it at first. But this beach had an ice cream machine on it. And the ice cream was surprisingly good!
Like, he didn't know if it was just because it'd been so long since he last had something this sweet or not, but it tasted exactly like vanilla ice cream from his world! And Yomogi claimed that Kyo had made the machine too!
The summer villa behind the beach, which doubled as Yomogi's current home, since Kyo's mansion had been destroyed, was pretty awesome too. It had air conditioning, sliding glass doors, a large freezer that made even Kizuna jealous of how much it could store inside, as well as a host of other modern marvels that made the place comfy to live in.
"Amazing, all this technology runs on Gem Power!" Romina screamed inside the home. "This is truly fantastic! I need to recreate all this as soon as possible!"
Heh, yep, Kizuna's blacksmith friend had joined the fun as well. And several others were inside the home as well. The other Cardinal Heroes, as well as Corrin and Hinoka, alongside other friends Kizuna was close with, but who Naofumi didn't know that well yet.
Not that he minded, since Romina was absolutely right in her assessment.
Kyo had done some good things in this world. It was unfortunate that he'd died. Maybe he could have eventually made a computer or even a phone that could handle gaming.
Hell, Naofumi could probably have asked him to make this world's first gacha game, and the two of them could have taken the world's market by storm by giving millions of people gacha addiction, and then they could have developed even more gacha games to further milk every one of their money, and…
Sigh, oh well. He'd just have to satisfy himself with ice cream at the moment. Not like Kyo seemed like the type to be interested in games in the first place. What with the life he'd lived and all that.
Though he had made a few game references himself whenever they fought. So maybe he did have some interest and played around a bit but just hadn't written about it in his journal?
Oh well.
"Urgh! Why does the brown function on this machine always malfunction whenever I want it?!" Yomogi asked angrily while glaring at the rectangular box before her.
"Just give it a good old-fashioned kick." Kizuna walked up, smiling happily. "It always worked for the machines in my world. Watch."
"Kizuna, wait-" Naofumi started to bolt up. But Kizuna had already brought her foot back.
Wham!
Surprisingly, her foot didn't even dent the bottom of it.
Even more surprisingly, the handle that'd dispense chocolate ice cream began working again for Yomogi. The girl smiled with bright-eyed happiness on her features. "Thanks! You're amazing, Kizuna!"
"Fufufu! I sure am." Kizuna crossed her arms, laughing as she soaked in the praise.
"Sure, when you're not acting like a child, that is," Naofumi grumbled while lying back on his towel.
"AND WHO ARE YOU TO CALL ME A KID?!" Just like that, Kizuna appeared towering over Naofumi's head. Glaring down at him.
"Me? I'm Naofumi Iwatani. And I know a child when I see one." Naofumi smirked.
It was already really apparent because of the dress she wore, but Kizuna's blue two-piece showcased just how small her chest was. Naofumi's assumption when he first met her had been correct.
Even Ren's new girlfriend had assets bigger than this girl.
"That's so mean!" Kizuna shrieked.
"Would you prefer I call you a lolibaba instead then?" Naofumi asked, bringing his ice cream to his face.
Mmmm. Tasty.
A dark aura surrounded the young Hero, but within seconds, it disappeared as she grinned widely. "Oh, it's so on!"
She disappeared, only to reappear a moment later to sit down next to Naofumi with two large cones of vanilla and chocolate ice cream in her hands. "The first one to finish gets to order the other around for a whole day!"
"What the- I never agreed to anything like that!" Naofumi yelled as he sat up indignantly. It didn't stop Kizuna from shoving the larger of the two ice cream cones into his hand though.
"You have to eat your original one as well! Anddddddd go!" Kizuna began licking and sucking at hers like a vacuum.
"Urghhh! You'll regret challenging me!" Naofumi began going to town on both of his cones too.
The shield at his side switched to one with an equip effect that drastically increased his cold tolerance. Without feeling the cold, Naofumi began to chomp and suck his ice cream down at an astonishing rate.
Within moments, his original cone was already done and he was hard at work on the one Kizuna had given him.
"What- that's cheating!" Kizuna pouted when she realized what Naofumi had done.
"Hope you're ready, lolibaba! I'll work you like a slave after I win!" Naofumi paused for only a second to grin.
"We'll see about that, big bro! I'll have you fishing alongside me all day by the time I'm finished!" Kizuna switched to a weapon form that gave her a higher cold tolerance as well.
The two kept going with gusto.
…
Nearby, Dou-Lon and Glass sat at the edge of a dock. They were dressed in their normal clothes, unlike the others, and had fishing poles in their hands. They were currently observing Kizuna and Naofumi as well as the rest of their friends on the beach.
"Is there a reason why we're doing this instead of improving on my form, Glass?" The hakuko man asked curiously.
Glass chuckled as she shook her head. "I figured Kizuna would want to fish as soon as she had the chance. Though, it appears I might have been mistaken this time."
"Hmmm… no, I think she'll be over here soon enough." Dou-Lon pointed out. "I'm guessing that she plans on winning to force Naofumi to fish alongside her."
The two were still going through their ice cream cones. Naofumi looked like he was taking the lead. But then as he bit down on the cone Kizuna had given him.
"Huh- What the- WHY IS THE INSIDE MADE OF STONE?!" He yelled in the distance.
"Ahahaha! Remember, you have to eat all of it before I do!" Kizuna laughed diabolically beside him.
No one made fun of her lack of boobs and got away with it.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! THAT'S CHEATING!"
Glass and Dou-Lon both began to laugh. Naofumi's high defense stat prevented his teeth from actually taking any damage from biting the rock. But that didn't exactly translate to him being able to eat it.
Kizuna was truly a cunning girl. They'd have two extras fishing with them soon enough.
"Still, I'm surprised. I would have thought you'd want me to practice the steps of Zero Stance Rondo more? Or maybe even Flame Stance Rondo or the others you've taught me and Raphtalia?" Dou-Lon asked curiously.
"And not take advantage of today's chance to sit back and relax?" Glass shrugged easily. "Remember, overtraining can hurt you far more than taking a day off now and then."
"I mean… yeah, I get it. I just want to make sure I'm in top shape when I return to my world." Dou-Lon chuckled to himself. "I know there'll be a crazy rose-haired swordswoman waiting back home for me to show off what I've learned. I'd like to make sure I can at least go toe to toe with her before I go."
"Hmmm…" Glass pondered to herself. As she did so, she pulled back on her line, pulling a fish the same size as her out of the water. It flew through the air at her with its teeth bared.
Glass's fans cut the head and tail of the fish clean off. Leaving the body to flounder in its death throes on the wood beside her. Unlike her best friend, she had never perfected the art of cleaning a fish midair. So she simply picked it up with one hand and tossed it into a comically large bucket behind them while she used one of her fans to throw the fish head and tail back into the water.
"The thing is, I do not believe I have anything left to teach you, Dou-Lon." Glass finally spoke.
Dou-Lon, who'd struggled with pulling his fish in at that point, looked at her in surprise. "Nothing to teach me? What do you mean?!"
Glass chuckled. She reached a hand over and helped the tiger man to reel in his large fish. Though, thankfully, it was a large salmon and not a large piranha-like monster like what she'd caught. "I mean I have nothing left to teach you. I feel like I have taught you everything you need to know to perfect your own use of the Zero Stance Rondo style of combat. As well as the other stances that I've taught you and Raphtalia."
"You know the steps, and more importantly, you have learned to feel the rhythm." Glass pressed the tip of one of her fans to Dou-Lon's chest, over his heart. She then looked out to the sea again. "All you need now is time and experience to help you hone your skills further. Something you will be able to do on your own without my help."
"... Oh…" Dou-Lon threw his catch into the bucket behind him.
The two rebaited their lines and cast them out again. There was silence between them for a minute.
…
…
"I… I thought it'd take longer for you to teach me everything you knew." Dou-Lon eventually spoke up.
"Indeed, some students take months or even years to learn any of the dance styles of combat. But you have done so in a short amount of time." Glass gave him a real smile. "You have quite the talent for it. Though I have no doubt your intense training regiment and prior battle experience played a part as well."
"Heh, heh… I just wanted to make sure I'd be able to spar on even footing with Eclair when I got back." Dou-Lon's eyes clouded over somewhat as he looked down at the water. "She told me to learn the combat styles of this world and show them to her when I returned… I do want to beat her, but I also didn't want to disappoint her…"
"Hmmm… clarify for me, this is the woman with the stick stuck up her butt, correct?" Glass asked with a playful smirk.
Dou-Lon nodded with a chuckle. Glass then looked at the sea again for a moment.
…
"Seeing how you fight now, I think you will not disappoint her in the slightest." She said after thinking it over to herself.
"You… you think so?" Dou-Lon asked in shock.
The spirit woman nodded. She smiled as she looked over at the beach to see Naofumi noogieing her best friend's head after his resounding defeat. The short girl was laughing while the taller young man was trying in vain to look pissed, but also couldn't help but laugh at Kizuna's antics.
"Whether you see it yourself or not, you have grown much stronger during your time with us Dou-Lon. You were already a capable warrior when I saw you in battle against the Spirit Tortoise, you just had some flaws in your overly aggressive combat style that needed to be beaten out of you.
"I think now that you have harnessed the rhythm of your body, you will no longer have trouble going toe to toe with this Eclair woman. Just make sure you do not slack in your training." Glass began reeling another fish in. "I might have nothing left to teach you, but that does not mean you can not further hone your skills in your world together with the woman who caught your heart."
"Of course, I shall endeavor to- wait, I'M NOT IN LOVE WITH THAT MUSCLEBRAIN!" Dou-Lon screamed.
"Not in love with who?" At that moment, Naofumi walked up, a grumpy look on his face while Kizuna skipped happily next to him.
Dou-Lon's guess turned out to be accurate. Kizuna had made Naofumi her fishing slave for the whole day.
"N-Nothing!" Dou-Lon stood up. "I'm going to do another kata! See you all- URK!"
The tiger man was stopped by Naofumi grabbing his ear. "I swear, if you don't relax, I'm going to throw you into the water headfirst!"
"Ack! Please, anything but that, Sir Naofumi- I mean, just Naofumi- I mean-"
Dou-Lon continued to stumble over his words while Naofumi groaned.
A day to celebrate at the beach, and here they were, fishing.
…
Well, that was Kizuna's definition of celebrating.
At least that ice cream had tasted good. Too bad he still felt the crunch of stone from his trying to eat the cone.
What? He hadn't wanted to lose. Though he could now verify that even with his high defense, he was unable to eat stone.
What a bummer.
Kaoru was perched on a palm tree that was overlooking the beach. He was watching everything going on from his perch. From the Shield Hero and Hunting Tools Hero fishing alongside the Fans Hero and a Tiger Man on the docks, to the Bow Hero standing at the corner of the beach, the Projectiles Hero building up the courage to approach him in her white bikini swimsuit.
The owl might have only been a week old, but there was a look in Kaoru's eyes that most new skikigamis didn't have.
A look that belied intelligence, of a soul having already begun to inhabit the familiar.
Yet the soul could remember little of his past life. It knew that it did have a past life thanks to being told about it by someone and that the figures on the beach and in the villa behind it felt somewhat familiar to him. But besides that, the only things that came to his mind were just vague imprints and shadows of the past.
The only thing he seemed to be sure of was that he should have been dead. Yet he was not.
…
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan bounded onto the leaning palm tree and sat down next to Kaoru. Somehow, the action didn't surprise the owl in the slightest. He turned his owly head to look at his fellow shikigami.
"Kao? (Greetings. Do you require something of me?)"
"Rafu! (Yea! Have you started remembering anything yet?)"
…
Kaoru tilted his head to the side, looking thoughtful. "Kao. (No, nothing. Or at least nothing concrete. Who are you anyway? You showed up when I was born and told me that my name was 'Kyo Ethnina', but everyone seems to refer to me as 'Kaoru'.)"
"Rafu… (Aww man... I guess it would be too much of a stretch to expect your memories to return so quickly. Oh well. As for who I am, I'm the amazing Raph-Chan! The daughter of the Shield and Katana heroes! Teehee!)" Rifana answered while winking cutely and forming a little peace sign with the claws on her right paw.
…
The two shikigamis continued to speak in Kaos and Rafus to one another. But while anyone watching might have thought it to be cute, the two familiars were, in reality, having a conversation between the two souls inhabiting them.
"(I see.)" The owl nodded. "(But what about my name being 'Kyo'? From what I gathered by paying attention to the conversations around me, it is the name of some bad person that the heroes had to put down recently. Am I related to him somehow?)"
"(Uhhhh... that's a complicated question.)" Raph-Chan pouted while kicking at the air with her hind legs. "(Let's see, hmm… wait, I know!)"
Raph-chan perked up and bounced in place on the palm tree, making it sway a little. She then began to wildly gesticulate with her paws.
"(Okay, imagine this. You've got a nice big fancy vase. Maybe it's a gift from someone you care about or some kind of family relic. So you cherish it a lot. But then! One day, it suddenly falls over and breaks! Wahhh! Such misfortune! So unlucky! And since the vase is so important, you don't have it in your heart to just throw the pieces away.)
"(So, you try to put it back together with some glue and a bit of elbow grease. You're not a master repairman though and you don't have any reference of the vase to use to put it back together, besides your hazy memory of what it looked like.)
"(Still, you do your best and do it anyway. But when you're done, it's pretty clear that the vase doesn't look anything like it used to anymore. Sure, it's made from the same stuff as the original vase, well aside from the glue binding the pieces together, I mean. But still, can you 'really' say that it's the same vase instead of something new?)" Raph-Chan leaned over the owl, putting her paws over the top of its head.
"(Uh... I'm not sure I understand where you are going with this metaphor.)" Kaoru blinked once while gently pushing the other shikigami away with one of its taloned feet.
"(Meta-what? Err, right, sorry, sorry, my bad. I should have probably started from the other end. Okay, this might sound like a bit of a doozy, but just hear me out, okay?)" Raph-chan nodded to herself and put her paws together.
"(Soooo, basically, you are a bunch of soul fragments that belonged to Kyo Ethnina that I managed to collect and put together inside of a Shikigami.)"
...
"(Oh. That makes sense.)" The owl blinked once again and nodded.
"(Wait, really?!)" Raph-Chan's eyes bulged out comically in surprise. "(That actually makes sense to you?!)"
"(Yes. Shikigamis are rather complex multi-purpose constructs. I've done a fair bit of research into them. Not quite to the extent that Ethnobalt had, but still, using a shikigami to trap a soul in it is a somewhat strange but feasible feat. Providing that the soul was whole of course. Wait-)" The owl did a double take. "(What do you mean by 'put together'? How can you put a shattered soul back together!?)"
"(Fufufufu!)" Raph-Chan crossed her arms over her chest and looked up smugly. "(Ancient weasel people 'ma-gick'!)"
...
"(Okay, I admit, Shield Sis kind of did the brunt of the work. I just repeated her instructions mostly.)" The raccoon rubbed the back of her head awkwardly.
"(Shield Sis?)" Kaoru cocked his head to the side.
"(Oh! The Shield Spirit, I mean! The Legendary Shield Spirit. That thing over there on my dad's arm. Really nice girl, doesn't really talk a lot like Auntie Ost does.)" Raph Chan pointed down at the beach. "(Anyway, it looks like you did remember something after all!)"
"(What are you… oh, I guess, I did.)" Kaoru settled back down on his perch. "(Strange, I couldn't recall that a moment ago.)"
"(What else can you remember now?)" Rifana asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"(I...)" The owl blinked and then narrowed its eyes. "(I don't know anymore. A lot of researching? But for what purpose? And the Boat Hero was there too? I think he was... helping me? No, no, wait, we were helping each other for sure. We were looking for ...something? I think?)"
"(For someone, actually.)"
A friendly boyish voice spoke up, making the two shikigami's look to the side and spot a penguin scooching up the palm tree's trunk.
"(Upsy daisy!)" Chris finished climbing and sat down next to Rifana. "(Hey Raph-chan. Hey Kaoru. You were looking for one of my moms to be specific. She was kidnapped at the time.)
"(Sorry for butting in by the way, but I noticed that Raph-Chan was fumbling hard with her explanations.)"
"(I wasn't fumbling!)" Raph-Chan bristled cutely. "(I was just... easing him into it, that's all!)" The tanuki then pouted cutely before crossing her forearms on her chest.
"(Of course. Of course.)" Chris nodded in a placatory way. "(However, didn't the Shield and the Book specifically ask us not to press on the matter and be patient?)"
"(Boo! That's dumb. Why wait, if he might remember things sooner?)" Raph-Chan countered. "(We'd be able to act sooner as well! And besides, my prodding did make him remember a little bit!)"
"(Um... excuse me, but can you provide some context of what you're talking about?)" The owl carefully tried to dip its toes into the conversation again.
"(If I am Kyo, as you say, then how am I alive? Wasn't his soul destroyed by the Katana hero?)" Kaoru asked.
"(Well... yea. It was. Sorta.)" Raph-Chan readily answered. "(But I had a part of your soul already from long ago, your right arm to be exact. I grabbed it when Sword Uncle cut it off you with his Blessed Series.)
"(Your arm was all wobbly~ wobbly~ after that, like putty or jelly. It was honestly a bit gross, and I wanted to throw it away at first, but Shield-Sis told me to to hold on to it instead.)"
"(...why though?)" The owl asked, sounding a bit mortified.
"(Ummm... I think Shield-Sis originally wanted to use it to track you, in case you decided to hide somewhere, but that didn't end up coming into play, since Yomogi just told us where you were.)" Raph-Chan replied with a shrug.
"(That's... surprisingly cunning. I can't imagine anyone being able to do anything to stop someone from tracking them by using something as outrageous as a shard of their own soul.)
"(It must be why that particular wound hurt so much and...)" The owl was nodding in understanding, before frowning as those memories quickly ebbed away again.
"(I also gathered some of your other soul pieces when you were killed before they disappeared.)" Rifana continued. "(The Book tried reaaaaaally hard to hold what was left of you in place when your soul shattered, so I'd be able to collect it. I still wasn't able to get all of it in the end, but I got most of it, I think.)
"(But let me tell you, that was nothing compared to actually putting you back together again and removing the Demon Dragon corruption from the pieces. It was so yucky! Like gross purple goo sticking to everything and burning your hands. Auntie Ost had to work all night to clean all the pieces. And when she did, they all ended up mismatched and wrong and-)"
"(What Raph-Chan is trying to say is;)" Chris put a flipper over the excited little girl's mouth. "(It's going to take a long time for what you have left to heal up properly.)"
"(I see. I take it that is also the reason why I find it hard to remember anything about my past life?)" Kaoru pressed on.
"(Yeah. It was a pretty traumatizing experience you went through.)" Chris continued to answer. "(Your memories should gradually recover overtime though as your soul heals.)"
"(I understand. But I still don't understand, why?)" Kaoru's head hung in front of him. "(Why go through so much trouble? I get the feeling that my soul was killed for a reason.)
"(Like... I didn't deserve to be saved.)"
...
"(Maybe not. Honestly, if it was up to me, I would have left you to rot.)" Raph-Chan frowned. "(But Shield-Sis is a big softie and said that you deserved a second chance.)"
"(... Hmph. You say that, yet somehow, it feels like I was given one long ago already. I can only infer that I squandered it though.)" Kaoru responded skeptically.
"(Perhaps, but it was not a real one.)" Chris spoke up again.
"(What do you mean?)" Kaoru responded with narrowed eyes.
"(Because that particular second chance involved a 'condition'. 'They' would have destroyed your soul had you treated your new lease on life as you wished.)" Chris added in a serious tone.
…
"(Who is 'they'?)" The owl asked hesitantly as it felt a strange sensation of coldness spreading over his body.
"(GODWORLD.)" Raph-Chan blurted out.
The owl nearly fell off the palm tree as it recoiled as if physically struck. Kaoru barely managed to remain upright by wildly flapping his wings to stabilize himself.
"(Told ya that prodding him would work.)" Raph-chan looked at Chris smugly while the penguin addressed Kaoru again.
"(Judging by your reaction just now, did you remember something else?)"
The owl familiar's eyes were glazed over as it passed one of its wings over his heart. "(Just that I should have imploded right now. That was one of the keywords. You shouldn't have spoken it out loud. They have the means to track its vocal usage. The last time it happened, they came down personally on the same day to deal with the individual who said it.)"
"(It's fine. We're not communicating verbally right now. It's a different kind of connection. One that is below their notice according to the Hunting Tools Spirit. They didn't hear us, so don't worry.)" The penguin reassured the startled-looking owl.
…
After a moment, Kaoru's head hung lower. "(So I never really had the chance to live in either of my lives?)"
"(No.)" Chris continued. "(Your soul had a contract tied to it that would have killed you had you ever directly disobeyed them.)"
"(But now, since your soul was destroyed, that contract is gone. It disappeared the moment my mother's sword cut your head off. Your soul death voided your contract to 'them'.)" Raph-Chan spoke again. "(And because of that, you don't have to obey 'them' any longer.)
"(You're allowed to be who you want to be. You have a true second chance at life now. A chance to help out the friends you cared about in this world.)" The penguin finished.
…
"(But again… why save me?)" Kaoru pressed. "(Don't tell me it was simply out of pity. I don't know what it is exactly, but I can tell you're not explaining everything!)"
Raph-Chan and Chris exchanged a look and nodded together. "(You are correct. There is another reason.)" Chris was the one to speak again. "(Now that the soul contract you had is gone, you should be able to give us answers to some important questions that you weren't able to write in your journal. When your memory fully recovers at least.)
"(For all the talk Kizuna gave to our enemies in Lapis, the wielders of the Cardinal and Vassal Weapons know almost nothing about who they're facing. The Weapon Spirits only know that their enemy lives in a place they call GODWORLD. That they are the ones causing the Waves between our worlds, and that the same individuals from GODWORLD have been in charge of the Waves for millennia. And yet, beyond that, they have never learned the names of these individuals. or why they seem so intent on capturing or destroying our worlds.)
"(We aren't able to tell our parents about GODWORLD either right now. If they learned about who 'they' are and if it happened while 'they' were watching when that happened, then we wouldn't be strong enough to face 'them' in a fair fight. Especially the Shield Hero and his companions. Their world still needs more time to gather the other Heroes as well as level up and make use of the power-up methods they have. And even then, it'd be better to reveal what we do know when we know that 'they' are unable to observe, so we can come up with a strategy on how to fight 'them'.)
"(Having said all that, you worked with 'them'. You have information on our enemy that no one else is capable of sharing. You could be the key to 'their' defeat. And now that your contract to 'them' is voided, we are hoping that once your memory recovers, you'll be able to share what you know with everyone in a place they can't see us so we can fight back against GODWORLD and end their threat to our worlds once and for all.)"
…
"(Though, having said that, the Shield really did choose to save you so you could have a genuine chance to become someone good. We didn't need to revive you to get the information that you possess.)" Rifana continued. "(Auntie Ost could have just eaten you to try getting it that way instead. But she didn't want to, despite everything that you'd put her through.)"
"(We can't promise that everything will work out. There are some parts of your soul that I was unable to save. So you could be missing some key memories regarding 'them'. Or you could be missing the parts of you that came about thanks to Kizuna's interference. The parts that allowed you to grow into a good person.)
"(But either way, what I was able to save should return eventually as your soul heals. And I believe that you'll make better choices moving forward because of it.)" Raph-Chan said.
"(Better choices, huh…)" Kyo chuckled dryly to himself before speaking pessimistically. "(For some reason, I feel like such a thing doesn't exist. Especially for someone like me.)
"(Better, worse… what does it matter when the choices come from a horrible person? Even with all your effort, I could still become a monster again.)"
"(... Perhaps so. But whatever you might think, and whatever preconceptions I held towards you before, your friends didn't think that you were a horrible person... and in the end, she didn't believe you were a horrible person either.)" Raph-Chan's tail pointed to a figure laughing on the beach.
L'Arc and Therese had come out of the villa and approached her, sharing a laugh at something they'd said to each other.
Yomogi…
Kaoru stared at the person who was his mother. He couldn't recall a single memory of her. Not a thing from his past life.
Yet… looking at her…
He felt a gnawing feeling of guilt in his chest. A deep sadness filled his eyes.
"(Is… is it truly possible for me to change?)" Kyo's question came from his beak.
"(Again, that is up to you. All of us did all we could to give you a fair chance. In a way, even if you somehow recover all memories of your past lives, you could say that your amnesia right now allows you the opportunity to grow without your past constricting you.)
"(You will be allowed to choose for yourself, instead of being ruled by the choices of those around you.)" Raph-Chan faced ahead again.
"(You will have to be the one who chooses to do the right thing this time, though. You can't expect me or anyone else to hold your hand for you.)" Chris added.
"(That isn't how life works. But from all the times I listened to you talking to Ethnobalt before, I think, deep down, you already understand that.)"
…
Raph-Chan bounded down below, with Chris waddling down behind her. Raphtalia and Filo had just landed nearby, and Raph-Chan wanted to snuggle up with her best friend. Meanwhile, Chris had spotted one of his mommies walking off from the dock and wanted to check up on her.
Kaoru, however, remained on the leaning palm tree's trunk. Staring down at everything… or rather, staring down at only Yomogi.
"(Hm… hmhmhmhm. A fair chance… does such a thing even exist in real life?)" Even with what he was feeling, he couldn't help but feel pessimistic.
He could not remember anything about Yomogi despite the guilt. Not the mansion he'd built for them. Or the ice cream machine he'd made as a reward for her.
He couldn't even remember the glasses he was wearing, which she'd given him as a birthday present. Or...
No, there was that one thing. One muddy memory that he could recall thanks to these glasses.
He couldn't forget. Even after the soul-shattering experience he'd gone through.
It'd likely been the last thing on his mind before he was killed by Raphtalia.
"I look stupid."
Yomogi's smile brightened further. "No way! I think they make you look really cool and smart!"
Kyo couldn't help but chuckle. "You'd be the first to think that."
"Huh?" Yomogi tilted her head to the side like a confused puppy.
"Don't worry, it's nothing." He looked at himself again. A small smile formed on his face below his two shining blue eyes.
Kaoru slowly raised his wings, taking his glasses off to look at them.
His eyes reflected off the lenses. Looking just like the eyes he'd seen in that mirror in his memory.
… and the look of happiness that'd been on Yomogi's face when he accepted them…
…
Kaoru hugged his glasses to himself.
For what felt like the first time in all of his life, the owl trembled as genuine tears of guilt and regret fell down the sides of his face. He was finally allowed to feel the full pain his past lives had carried on their shoulders but had been unable to express.
"Kao… Kao… Kao…!"
Kyo was still unsure why he was there, about why someone like him had ever been given a second chance…
Yet he felt… no, he knew that Yomogi's happiness was very important to him. That he had to do everything he could to make things right for her.
He would never be able to live with himself if he became the reason why she couldn't smile. She and the others deserved far more than just that.
…
Perhaps… even if he was a bad person… maybe a second chance was all that he needed to become someone good.
Perhaps he'd use it. Perhaps he wouldn't. Only time would tell what Kaoru would do after today.
But perhaps it'd prove that the Vassal Book had ultimately been right in the end to choose him as its wielder.
The same spirit, who had hidden itself nearby, observing its former wielder with a feeling of hope and waiting for the day when he would be worthy of being a hero again.
Naofumi was still frowning in his spot at the dock when Chris approached him, holding a piece of paper with one of his flippers.
"What? Did Kizuna get lost on her way to the bathroom or something?" The Shield Hero remarked, still looking peeved about his loss in their speed-fishing competition from earlier.
He'd even made himself a lure that had an enchantment that attracted fish to it like his skill Hate Reaction. He knew he gave Kizuna a similar lure too, but he thought his lure would at least make things fair.
"Pen." Chris pushed the note into the Shield Hero's hand, beckoning for him to read it.
Naofumi rolled his eyes, not sure what to expect since he'd been watching the others fish. Only, he found the note had two sentences on it, written in Japanese.
I'm at the cliffs. Can we chat away from the others, please?
…
After a moment, when Naofumi excused himself under the pretense of needing to use the restroom as well, he followed Chris away from the docks and up the beach to a series of cliffs overlooking the area.
It was honestly an amazing view. He could see Luvar's mountain range in the distance, as well as deep into the forest that sprung up behind Kyo's summer home. And besides that, there was the sea itself.
The Waves crashed against the rocks down below like a persistent, gentle melody that drowned out all the noise coming from the party. Strangely enough, there was a group of monsters Naofumi had never seen before amongst the crags of the cliff. But they weren't hostile.
Instead, they faced the lowering sun of the evening sky. Releasing bubbles from their mandibles that stayed floating in the air over the ocean. It… was honestly really freaking beautiful. The sight almost made the Shield Hero pause to stare at the scene in wonder.
…
Eventually, though, he managed to continue to the top. And it didn't take long before Naofumi found his little sister sitting alone on a large boulder. Looking down at the floating bubbles over the ocean before her.
Naofumi took a seat beside her. Staring at the sight as well.
He had an odd recollection of a similar scenario from before. When he'd sat next to her on the dock at her house shortly after she ran away to brood. Back when she'd learned about her adopted father's death.
That felt like a long time ago. The atmosphere felt similar here, yet different, somehow.
…
Only a little bit after he'd sat down, Kizuna opened her mouth and spoke.
"Naofumi, am I a monster?"
"Pen…" Chris waddled up and rested his head on his mommy's leg.
Kizuna's hand reached up and petted the shikigami on the head. But besides that, she remained perfectly still, staring down at the sea without looking back at the Shield Hero.
Naofumi didn't turn to look at her either. He seemed to have been ready for this to come up. Though he could admit he was surprised that Kizuna brought it up so soon.
Then again, since they were leaving tomorrow, she probably didn't think they'd have another chance like this. So what better time than the present to get this all out in the air?
"If you are, then so are the rest of us. We all agreed on it and did the deed together." Naofumi answered.
"...that doesn't make me feel any better. I don't want my friends to be monsters too." Kizuna responded quietly.
Naofumi shrugged in his place. "Even so, we're certainly nothing like those pieces of $%^& that we butchered earlier today. You can say what you want about what we did, but it comes nowhere close to the suffering they've inflicted on so many others in this world."
"I… I know that." Kizuna hesitated, frowning to herself as she considered her next words. "And yet, I can't help but wonder if there were other individuals like Kyo among them."
"... ah." Naofumi didn't say more. He had his own opinion on the matter, but he figured it'd be better for Kizuna to continue speaking.
"I… I know that they were actively working against our world. That their only purpose in being born was to cause problems for us and to destroy everything they could.
"Some of them… Orokana, Miyaji, and others that I fought against… they had no good in their souls. I could tell. They thoroughly enjoyed the power they held over other people. They didn't have an ounce of regret for their actions, even in the face of permanent death.
"They deserved what they got and a lot more… But… was that the case for all of them? For every last person that was present there?
"What if there were other individuals like Kyo among them that I glossed over? People who may have not been necessarily good now, but who could have become good, if they'd only been given the time and the opportunities to do so.
"I can't help but think that if I'd taken things slower, then we wouldn't have had to kill all of them. Maybe we could have found several other allies amongst them and, well…
"In the end, I just treated that gathering as an outlet for revenge and retribution over everything else."
"I disagree." Naofumi interrupted. "You were only doing the rational thing to defend your world.
"You saved the world and made a lot of good friends along the way once already in the past. And it was because of all the scum today in that room that all of your hard work from back then was ruined. It was because of them that many good people died. People like Kenshiro."
"Maybe so, but that doesn't change the fact that I did what I did to take my anger out on them instead of saving my world!" Kizuna loudly rebuffed. "I didn't have to be the one to kill that guy after I proved to the remaining leaders of our world who weren't in kahoots with 'them' that these people could steal hero weapons! I could have just had Glass or L'Arc or even Chris do it for me, since they've had plenty of experience with killing others!"
"Pen." Chris leaned more into Kizuna's touch, but the girl suddenly looked guilty at what she'd said to her son, and she pulled her hand away from him and hugged it to her chest.
"I didn't have to participate in the fighting. I didn't have to do more than speak when you all could have handled them without me. But I decided to be there anyway. I decided to be the one who embraced what Kyo had been before to make sure that anyone who escaped and survived would be too afraid to ever try to harm my world or my friends ever again."
Kizuna sniffled. She raised her hand to wipe away the tears falling from her eyes. "I could have done something different. But I decided to throw everything I loved and valued away. And I just…
"I can't help but feel that, in the end, I did all that grandstanding for petty and selfish reasons.
"Instead of acting for the greater good, I acted out of some need for pointless validation."
…
Naofumi's eyes slowly widened, recalling words he'd heard a destroyed King tell his daughter long ago.
"It was only when I was left in that dark cell... after being informed that you had died… that my dear wife was walking into a trap... only then did I realize what I'd done.
"That my hatred had cost me everything. My country. My family.
"I sold it all for... pointless validation. And that knowledge destroyed me. Because without my hate…
"I had nothing left…"
…
…
Naofumi looked at Kizuna again. This time, he looked at her.
He pictured the two Heroes side by side, comparing them in his mind. And even though everything didn't quite align, the circumstances they went through certainly did.
It wasn't an argument that Aultcray saved the world in his prime. The Claw King Tai-Lon had been a huge threat, one which Aultcray managed to put down with his own hands. And yet, he hadn't acted out of a desire to save the world, but rather out of a lust for retribution on the hakuko race because of them being responsible for the loss of every member of his family, the last straw being the blind sister he lost during said war.
The Staff Hero protected the world. But he'd also used those events as an outlet for his hate and revenge. An outlet that was never enough to satisfy his deepest, darkest desires. In the end, it nearly had cost him everything.
It was only thanks to the Heroes' intervention that Aultcray hadn't lost his family. That he was finally walking a better path.
The two Hero's situations were different from one another. But they were similar enough to the point that the resemblance of their scenarios was almost mind-boggling.
Naofumi frowned again, but this time, he gripped Kizuna's hand with his.
Whether he managed to say what she needed to hear or not, whether there was anything he could possibly say that'd help her to feel better, he refused to let her fall into the same pits that Aultcray had. The older man had been living with the weight of his mistakes for most of his life.
Kizuna did not deserve to live with that kind of regret in her soul.
"I'm not going to say if what you did was right or not, Kizuna. I don't think that's what you want to hear from me anyway." Naofumi opened his mouth, and let his words flow from him.
"So instead, let me tell you a bit about my life up till now."
Kizuna didn't turn her head away from the bubbles floating over the sea. But she listened as Naofumi told her about some of his past experiences since being summoned. Some which he'd already told her about before, but some which he hadn't yet revealed.
He talked about how he still thought back to when he'd first gone on the run. How he'd thought it was better to escape instead of facing his fear of being falsely accused. How he'd resorted to buying himself a slave, Raphtalia, to help him out, since he wouldn't have been able to rely on anyone else.
He talked about how he'd risked going back to Melromarc's Capital, just for pointless validation because he'd been the Hero that saved a village from a Wave. Only for that to backfire, and for Naofumi to think that he'd almost lost the one person he'd valued more than anyone else in his entire life, even his own younger brother, Jun.
The Shield Hero talked about how he'd tried to stand against his foes multiple times by himself. Whether in that Sacred Duel with Motoyasu or that fake duel against Bitch in the Capital. How shouldering it all on his shoulders had backfired against him time and time again.
He'd made mistakes that he'd never not regret. The main one was when he lashed out against Raphtalia and everyone else who loved him over a bunch of petty things. He also recalled his first battle against the Spirit Tortoise, and how close he'd been to just throwing his life away because he couldn't take the pain he was going through thanks to his actions anymore.
He knew now thinking back on it that while it'd been uncalled for, it'd been a good thing for him to get those things off his chest in the end. It'd allowed them all to finally address the snowballing issues he had and work past together with everyone. Even though he could have gone about it in a better way.
Then there was, of course, Ost's death. An event that still weighed heavily on Naofumi's mind and left him with no desire to attack others ever again.
He still couldn't help but wonder at times if there could have been a way to spare the Tortoise Lady. Or to have someone besides him be the one to end her suffering at least. Even if such thoughts were selfish.
Sometimes, at night, he could still see her face in his dreams. Encouraging him on his path as a Hero, just like she had when she'd been a member of his party. And while at times he woke up feeling guilt all over again, sometimes, he woke up feeling calm and at peace. Knowing that is what she'd say to him if she was still alive.
…
…
When he was finally done speaking, Naofumi took a deep breath, as well as a moment to pause and put all his thoughts into a coherent statement.
It was a lot to go over. The others were probably wondering what was taking him so long to go to the bathroom, but what mattered to him was getting this right for the girl he saw as the younger sister he'd never had.
Did it make him wish Jun had been a girl instead? No, not really. But he could only imagine how much his life would have improved if his parents had a daughter to focus on and possibly even spoil instead of throwing all their expectations on Naofumi and then his younger brother in taking care of their parents when they grew up and entered society.
"Ultimately, at the end of it all, I can't say if what I did in any of those scenarios was right or wrong," Naofumi concluded. "Some actions felt more right than others, while others felt more wrong. But you know, that's just me.
"While some people might claim it was stupid for me to risk going back and do my grandstand act in front of the King at his party, it was because of that I went through that Duel with Motoyasu. And then subsequently learned the depth of Raphtalia's feelings for me."
"And while I still feel guilty about hurting Raphtalia and the other members of my family with my words, and while there are some things I'd definitely take back to those like Melty and Filo who never deserved being told such cruel things, I can't deny that some good did come out of it. And that I've learned how to become a better person because of it."
...
"Say, Kizuna, I know you were just a kid when you got summoned here, but did you hear about the 'trolley problem' in your original world?" Naofumi finally turned his head to look at the girl.
Sometime during his speech, Kizuna had finally turned from the ocean to focus on Naofumi. And at his question, a pondering look came onto her face. "Um, my big sister once told me about something called 'The Train Paradox' that came up in her college course. I'm not sure if it's the same thing or not though. It was a while ago too, so I don't remember what it was about."
"Alright, in basic terms, the trolley problem is this:" Naofumi began to explain.
"You're standing next to a lever by a track. Up ahead, the track splits into two paths, and there are people tied down on both paths.
"If you don't press the lever, the trolley will go to the right, killing a lot of people. If you do press the lever, the trolley will go to the left, only killing a few people."
"So you can either just stand there and do nothing and condemn a large group of people to their deaths... Or you can pull the lever and indirectly murder a few people to save that larger group."
…
…
Kizuna frowned. "That does sound similar to what my Big Sis told me… but isn't that kind of dumb?
"Couldn't you just, you know, leave the lever and try to save the people on both sides of the track, before the trolley comes and kills them?"
Naofumi shrugged, grinning as he did so. "Who knows? The trolley problem can be molded into many different scenarios in all honesty. It doesn't just have to be used as a choice between saving two different groups of people.
"The scenario could be whether you'd choose to save someone over your life savings. Or if you'd let a cure for cancer be run over instead of a device that could terraform other planets so they'd support human life. Is it really the only option to use a lever to save something as valuable as those things?"
Kizuna chuckled at what Naofumi put forward. But the Shield Hero squeezed her hand, drawing her attention again. "Ultimately, the trolley problem isn't used to determine what the right choice is in a given scenario.
"It's set up the way it is to make us think. What do we think is the right thing to do at that moment? To do nothing and hope that it keeps your conscience clear, or to push that lever, knowing that your actions could result in harm, yet you do so because you believe it's the best choice you can make for some collective greater good."
…
"... what is the right answer?" When Kizuna spoke, her voice finally belied the desperation hidden within it. To know what path was the right one for her to take going ahead.
Imagine her surprise when Naofumi shrugged again. "I already told you, there is no right answer."
"... … what?" Kizuna asked.
"Isn't that why your Big Sis called it the Train Paradox?" Naofumi lifted an eyebrow at her. "No matter what you choose, something bad or something you'll regret is still going to happen.
"But you know, the point of that thought experiment isn't to find out what the right answer is. Rather, the point of it is to find out the right answer that you personally choose to follow for yourself."
…
That explanation only seemed to bum Kizuna out even more. "Doesn't this just mean that there is no such thing as objective goodness and morality then?"
"Not at all." Naofumi refuted it, looking out over the sea again. "That's only true if you choose to believe it to be the case.
"You know all those experiences I brought up earlier? All of them were the result of me simply choosing to do what I 'felt' was right at the time, based on what I knew.
"Yeah, some of those experiences didn't pan out the way I would have wanted. And I was definitely an idiot in many cases. Ultimately, I think that if I'd just done nothing and accepted what came my way, I wouldn't have experienced any of the positive changes in my life that I'm experiencing right now.
"I wouldn't be able to be as close with great people like you as I am with my own family.
"Come to think of it, that's probably the difference between the Blessed Series and the Cursed Series. Purpose. Purpose beyond your own selfish needs. That is why I didn't see you pull yours out today even with the way you were acting.
"You weren't acting out of hate and despair, like you think. Rather, you were acting with purpose for the sake of others.
"Inaction results in nothing. But choosing to act is what results in everything else.
"All of my actions are why I'm here with you today." Naofumi looked down at Kizuna's face and gave her a genuine smile. "Now, try to tell me if that is such a bad thing."
Kizuna looked down and chuckled slightly, and Chris cheered happily next to his Mommy at seeing her smile again. "Eh, I'd say you're tolerable, at the very least." Kizuna began rubbing the top of her son's head again, making the most wholesome smile appear on the penguin's face.
…
The girl's expression turned to one carrying a serious thought. But it was quickly followed by a look of exhaustion. "I... don't think that I feel any better about what I did, to be honest.
"I don't want to imply that you're wrong, but well… I need some more time to think about all this. Still..."
The girl looked up and smiled tenderly at the Shield Hero.
"Thanks. Really."
Naofumi gave Kizuna a small smile as he stood up. "Take as long as you need. Even if I'm leaving tomorrow, you don't have to decide by then. It took me months of continuously getting beaten up by life to draw my own conclusions regarding all of this." The Shield Hero held his hand out to Hunting Tools Hero again. "Whatever you decide your answer is, all I can suggest is that you act on it with all of your heart when you find it. You got it?"
…
Kizuna's smile widened a little more as she took her older brother's hand and stood up as well. "I got it."
"Alright, in that case, let's hurry back before the others think I fell in the toilet or something," Naofumi suggested.
"Nah, have you seen the toilets in Kyo's house? They're as amazing as the ones from Japan. All we'll have to do is show them what it's like to use one of them and they'll stay in the bathroom for an hour themselves!"
The two Heroes ran back towards the beach to rejoin their friends. Laughing happily as they left the beautiful scene they'd sat in and observed behind.
Itsuki stood at the edge of the beach. Staring out at everyone having a fun time.
The sun was close to setting. Meaning that the party would soon come to an end.
L'Arc and Therese had moved away from Yomogi, who had moved to sit in a folding chair on the porch of her home. The duo themselves were sitting next to their friends on the dock and fishing alongside them.
L'Arc hooked a really large fish within seconds and not only brought it out of the water but also sliced and cleaned it in the air just like Kizuna.
The girl looked awed at her older brother showing off the fishing skills he'd honed since her disappearance. It was almost as impressive as Kizuna's own.
But then, after reeling in an even larger fish, and as L'Arc stood up and prepared to show off once again, the fish's mouth opened wide and fell on top of him, biting down over his body with a loud Clang!
L'Arc immediately began flailing around in terror, begging the others to get it off him.
Kizuna, Naofumi, Therese, and the others there were left crying at the scene…
Crying in laughter, that is.
The scene was almost enough to make Itsuki smile…
…
"Hey, Itsuki. Is now really the time to be standing around by yourself?"
The Bow Hero turned his head. Ethnobalt had floated over to him on his floating platform. Strange, Itsuki hadn't even noticed him there earlier. "This is a time to relax and enjoy time among friends. You are returning to your world tomorrow, after all."
"I… well…" Itsuki struggled to find the words to say.
"Oh, actually, now that I'm talking to you, there's something I've been meaning to ask you about." Ethnobalt continued, keeping Itsuki from having to say anything else.
"It was brought up before, but now that we've dealt with Kyo and since you're going back to your world tomorrow, this is my last chance to ask for a while. Have you given any more thought to me making a shikigami for you and Rishia? They're really fun and playful creatures to have around." The Boat Hero suggested with an easy smile.
…
…
Itsuki stared at him, his expression hard to read. He didn't open his mouth to respond.
"... I can't say I know what you went through during your fight with Kyo." Ethnobalt continued, his voice suddenly becoming more serious as a bit of the worry he had for the Bow Hero leaked into it. "But I can guess that you still haven't fully recovered, since you weren't able to join the battle today.
"I don't want to press, but I do believe that a shikigami child could help you to feel a lot better. Much like how Chris and Raph-Chan help Kizuna and Naofumi out when they feel down." The Boat Hero continued. "And in case you think it'd inconvenience me in any way, I do not mind doing it at all. Especially for those I call my friends. The good that could come out of it far outweighs any reason I could use to not do the ritual for you and Rishia as soon as possible."
…
Itsuki finally opened his mouth to answer, but as he did so, his eyes moved to find Aksel and Maya on the beach talking to Rishia. Raphtalia and Filo were also there with Raph-Chan resting on her mother's shoulders.
The green-haired girl was beaming as she conversed with all of them. It seemed like they were giving her encouragement about something.
Aksel and Rishia looked especially radiant, just like Raphtalia. With Aksel's new Axe stuck to his back, and Rishia having her ethereal knives hanging from her sides. They not only looked stronger, but more confident too. Both their Hero Service Crests had vanished.
Itsuki… hadn't known for sure if he'd been seeing things or not during that final battle. But he knew now. The two had become Heroes after his defeat. They'd helped Naofumi beat Kyo while he'd been unconscious and unable to do anything.
The Bow Hero had hurt them, yet Naofumi had fixed his mistakes. Again. Naofumi had healed his friends of their curses, again. And they'd found the strength to fight on without him.
Again.
To defeat Kyo, to spare him, while he… he…
"Itsuki? Is something wrong? Did I upset you?" Ethnobalt asked in worry, as he saw the Bow Hero's face go through a myriad of emotions.
"No, it's… it's fine." Itsuki choked back a sob as tears gathered in his eyes. No, he'd already told himself that he'd cried enough. He should have been happy for his friends…
And yet… it was as if he'd finally realized something. Something very important that he should have realized a long, long time ago.
"I… I'm going to hold off on that shikigami request for now." Itsuki finally answered the rabbit man.
"A-Are you sure?" Ethnobalt asked, looking even more worried. "I really meant it when I said it wouldn't inconvenience me to perform the ritual, especially since you and Rishia have helped me out so much since coming here and since it could really help you out a lot and-"
"Maybe next time." Itsuki lied, but he said it with a fake smile.
Helped him? When had Itsuki managed to do that? If anything, Rishia was the one who'd stayed by Ethnobalt's side. Whether by assisting him with translation work, or teaching him how to grasp onto the basics of life force.
Compared to her, Itsuki had done nothing. He'd accomplished nothing. Ethnobalt should have been asking Rishia instead of him. She was the one who deserved a shikigami instead of him.
Ethnobalt's worry for the Bow Hero only grew, making him frown. But then, since he promised not to press, he simply bowed his head in return. "Alright. I'll make sure to ask again the next time we meet."
He turned around to fly back towards the house but paused to look back at Itsuki. He couldn't just leave it as that. "Seriously, I have you to thank for helping me realize that I shouldn't stay weak, Itsuki Kawasumi.
"I wouldn't have had the desire to continue trying to get stronger, nor would I have had the courage to step foot in Kyo's mansion, had it not been for the encouragement you gave me before.
"Rishia and the others have helped me out, but you were the first of the Otherworlders that I met. That I got to speak with before anyone else. Who helped me realize that even though I was weak, it was no excuse for me to stay weak.
"I will look forward to seeing you again when I visit your world in the future.
"I hope that time will come sooner than later."
…
Itsuki said nothing, and could only wave as the rabbitman faced ahead and floated back towards the house. Looking deeply troubled about something.
Seriously, was that what Ethnobalt was thanking him for? Rishia could have easily done all that. Naofumi could have easily done all that.
Itsuki looked down at the sand of the beach while clenching his fists.
Why was he there? Why had he even come to the Otherworld? He wanted to help, to show that he could be useful too. But in the end, he was only a burden for Naofumi and the others from start to finish. Almost costing them their lives and jeopardizing everyone's heroic actions.
…
… Why had he allowed Rishia to take him out of their room? He knew nothing good would come from it. Did he honestly think something good would happen? Did he think he'd be able to pull off some last-minute good deed that'd make up for all of his mistakes?
He saw the three Otherworld Cardinal Heroes come out of Kyo's summer home. The group was talking and laughing as they sat together on the porch by Yomogi. And Itsuki felt another punch to his gut.
He hadn't even been the reason those three had shaped up. After his defeat, they'd managed to help out against Kyo too. Using Kizuna as their inspiration and guide.
If he could have just… just…
Why was he so selfish? Why couldn't he just accept things and let it be?
…
To accept that he was a fraud and a failure.
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"Itsuki!"
The Bow Hero was brought back to the present. Rishia was now standing in front of him.
Aksel and Maya were grinning in the background, giving Itsuki a thumbs-up and a wink before they ran off into the water together to have some fun. Raphtalia and Filo were chatting happily with Yomogi and the other Cardinal Heroes on the porch of her home. And Naofumi and the others were still laughing about L'Arc's fishy predicament.
In short, it was just Itsuki and Rishia standing on the beach right now.
"Y-Yes, Rishia?" Itsuki stumbled over his words.
The girl looked even happier now than she had all week. Spending time with Itsuki in their room. Eating meals together. Resting his head in her lap. Reading Hoshi's manga to him. Talking about various things from her life while he'd remained silent. She was able to spend so much time with him.
"I… I just wanted to say… …" Rishia breathed in deeply.
For some reason, she looked strangely confident when she opened her eyes again. "I'm ready, now."
"..." Itsuki's eyes slowly widened. He somehow knew what Rishia was going to say next before her eyes focused on his.
"Itsuki Kawasumi… I love you." Rishia confessed.
…
There was no dramatic build-up. No talk of what they'd gone through before. No mention of the past or anything.
Just a clearcut, heartfelt confession of her true feelings for the Bow Hero.
The Bow Hero's body trembled as she spoke again. "I love you, Itsuki. I want to stand by your side, just like Raphtalia does with Naofumi. Just like how Wyndia loves Ren with all her heart.
"I want to stand beside you, through thick and thin. I want to be there for you whenever you need it. I want to help you be the Hero you want to be. So you'll never have to rely on your Cursed Series to save us ever again.
"I want to pay you back the same kindness you've shown me since the day you saved my life and my family from that wicked nobleman.
"I love you, Itsuki Kawasumi. Please, allow me to stand by your side forever." Rishia asked, with all the sincerity in her heart.
…
Itsuki could see it… he could see her sincerity. Her words were enough to bring tears to his eyes.
She really, truly loved him.
And he… he loved her too. He did.
…
But after she'd spoken, after she'd confessed her whole heart to him… he turned her down with a sad smile and a shake of his head. Turning himself away from her as he did so.
"No… I'm sorry but… no.
"I can't do this anymore."
…
"H-Huh?" At first, Rishia looked stunned. But then, as Itsuki began to walk away, she raced forward and caught hold of his arm.
Not forcefully, but gently enough to make him pause. "I-Itsuki?! Do what anymore!? What did you mean by that?!"
Itsuki didn't turn to look back at her. His face was hidden by shadow. "I can't… hold you and everyone else back anymore, Rishia.
"I don't have it in me to keep on faking things any longer."
"Hold me back? Since when have you ever held me back?!" Rishia shouted in confusion.
Itsuki could hear the pain and disbelief in her voice. She really, truly did care for him. She'd meant every word she said before and he knew it.
"Itsuki, is this part of the throwback from your Cursed Series?! I don't understand! I know you hurt me again but I'm fine now! All of us are fine!"
"Don't worry about it, it's not your-" Itsuki tried to say.
"I want to help you, Itsuki! You're my best friend!" Rishia screamed in desperation.
"I want to help you, Itsuki. You're my best friend." Jaylee's voice resounded in the Bow Hero's ears.
Itsuki jerked his arm away immediately, shocking Rishia again. The action had made his face visible to her, and Rishia instantly recognized the look of trauma covering his features.
It'd been the same face she had when Itsuki first found her in that cage inside the nobleman's mansion. When she'd been torn from her parents and she'd thought she'd never see the light of day ever again. That she'd live the rest of her life as some sick nobleman's sex slave or something worse. That she'd never see her mom and dad ever again.
Now though, it was like their positions had been reversed.
Itsuki was the one sitting inside of that cage instead of her. And she was the one extending her hand to try and lead him out of it. But unlike her, Itsuki was not extending his hand out this time.
"Itsuki, please…" Rishia said in a gentle voice, letting go of the Bow Hero's arm, yet holding her hand out to him. "Tell me what you're going through.
"I want to help you."
…
The Bow Hero, however, did not hear her words.
His mind had been dragged back to the past again. To the day when he had failed for the first time.
"Itsuki, is everything ok?"
A young boy sniffled where he sat huddling his body against a wall.
His best friend, a young girl his age who had wavy black hair with two long braids running down her back, was sitting next to him. Her bright green eyes stared into his.
The boy sniffled loudly. "Leave me alone Jaylee."
"Itsuki, show it to me." The girl demanded.
…
…
After a moment, the boy pulled his arms from himself. They were covered in scrapes and dark bruises.
"Heal." With the simple command, the girl hovered her hands over his injuries.
The bruises and cuts disappeared before their eyes, as well as the pain.
Jaylee's healing ability was amazing as always. Itsuki was certain one of his arms had a small fracture too, but even that had been healed. Jaylee merely grimaced like always whenever she used the ability, and though she looked tired afterward, she still looked as strong as ever.
"Why… why do you keep on healing me?" Itsuki asked after the girl recovered. Not only was his pain gone, but a large chunk of his sadness was gone too.
"What do you mean?" Jaylee responded in turn.
"Those bullies will just come back to hurt me again." Itsuki hugged himself with his arms again. Tears began to fall from his eyes. "Just like every other time."
"But you're my best friend, Itsuki. And what kind of best friend would I be if I didn't use my powers to heal you?" Jaylee asked, settling herself beside him before slinging an arm over his shoulders.
…
…
"Jaylee…" The boy sniffled again. He rested his head on her shoulder. One of her hair braids nestled itself against his face.
She'd been taller than him for as long as he could remember. Part of him hoped that'd change when they were older.
But he was too sad and frightened to care about something as insignificant as that. Especially right now, when her hair braids felt so soft to him. "Please don't go." He pleaded in a heartfelt whisper.
"Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere, Itsuki." His best friend hugged him close. Smiling that sincere smile of hers like always.
"I'm never going to leave my best friend behind."
…
In moments like this, he always believed that she was the strong one of the two of them. That, even though she was bullied for standing up for someone like him, she could handle it, unlike him.
She would always be there for him. And, one day, he'd be there for her too. He'd train his Aim Accuracy ability until it was strong enough to protect her, just like she did for him.
They'd never be separated. They'd go through the rest of their lives together.
…
…
Reality was not that kind.
"Suicide, huh?"
"Appears so. Poor girl. A gift like hers could have blessed many lives."
The young Itsuki sat in a chair inside of a police station. His hands were still red with blood. His eyes stared blankly ahead of him. His mind trying to process what had happened mere hours before.
One of the officers in the room, a man with light orange eyes and blonde hair, turned towards Itsuki. His normally mischievous face looked at the young kid with nothing but empathy. "Kid… I'm really sorry to ask this, but are you sure you didn't see the moment the suicide happened?
"If there is anything you can recall. Even just the slightest detail-"
"Just drop it, Masayoshi." The other officer, an older-looking fellow who was balding on the knape, sighed to himself. "You and I both read up on the girl's Healing ability.
"How it would have been an automatic rank A, if not for its cost in using it on others."
Officer Masayoshi frowned at his colleague's words. "You can't just say that-"
"I can. Just look at the poor kid." The older man looked up then. There wasn't so much a look of pity as there was of acceptance on his face. "I've seen that look on his face on too many others in my time."
Itsuki kept staring at the floor in front of him, not paying attention to the two's conversation.
"There's no doubt. The young girl we found in that parking garage committed suicide by cutting her own throat. And this boy was a witness to it."
The older officer narrowed his eyes as he looked up from the report that he was writing. "Unless you want to make this kid's day even worse, then that's what is going in the report. Case closed. Now let's just get on with our lives."
"I'll be heading out now. If you'll excuse me." The older man finished writing the report and left the office.
Other policemen and detectives continued working at their desks in the background.
…
As the remaining police officer stood in his spot, the young Itsuki was finally finishing what he'd been thinking about in his mind.
He'd never known… but Jaylee's Healing Factor was even stronger than he'd thought. She wasn't just capable of healing the injuries of others, but also their diseases, their mental illnesses; any ailment that was afflicting someone, she was able to heal it with her ability.
That's why he'd always felt less sad after she healed him.
That's why he always felt lighter after one of their interactions.
She'd been taking away his mental anguish. Giving him room to feel happiness and other emotions. She'd been doing so for months, years…
Yet… the cost of using her ability was that she took upon herself the pain of the injuries she healed. She experienced the toll a disease took on someone's body with her own. She took on herself the mental anguish and suffering of those she helped out.
There had been others in the school she'd helped out to. But none more so than Itsuki. Day in and day out, like the best friend that she had been, healing him whenever he needed it, so he could be more confident and social around his peers in school.
She'd been so strong… he'd been able to tell that using her ability had been hurting her. He'd tried to tell her at times that she didn't need to always help him. Especially since it made her the target of the bullies at school too.
Yet she said that she was strong enough. That she wanted to help him.
He gave in and let her help him. Again, and again, and again…
"... I'm sorry, kid." Officer Masayoshi finally rested a hand on the little kid's shoulder before him.
Itsuki didn't speak. He knew he was the one responsible for her death. He knew before they met that she had no intentions of dying young.
She'd taken on all of his pain, adding it to her own, building it up until… until… … …
She'd killed herself.
And it was all his fault for not stopping her from helping him.
…
As the young police officer finally left the room, the young boy put his head in his hands.
Itsuki sobbed for the first of many times over the loss of his best friend. Realizing that it was because she'd helped him that she'd perished.
Never... never again...
In the present, Itsuki pulled himself away from Rishia.
Just like that young boy, he was crying, but unlike his young self, he was unable to hide his tears.
He was unable to hide his pain. To repress those memories.
He could do nothing to help anyone, least of all, himself. Nothing whatsoever…
…
Yet there was one thing he could do. To ensure that his friends would remain safe from his continued mistakes.
"I can't… I'm sorry, but I can't.
"I don't want to hurt you again, just please, leave me before I-"
"Itsuki!" Rishia grabbed the Bow Hero by the shoulders and turned him around forcefully. "I already said I don't care that you hurt me! If that's what this is all about, if you're that worried that you'll mess up again, then I DON'T CARE!
"I'm not leaving your side because you pulled out your Cursed Series again! You've helped me out so much! I wouldn't be the person I am today if not for you, Itsuki!"
Itsuki was forced to see the pain on her face. The desperation in her beautiful features.
How could he have been the one capable of helping her out? When he'd been the one holding her back from her true potential.
Just like her.
"Please, just talk to me Itsuki! I promise, whatever it is you're going through, I won't run away! I'm here for you, always!"
Just like Jaylee, Rishia was selflessly putting her own needs aside to help him.
She wanted to help him, and it hurt.
"Just tell me what's making you like this and I swear that I will do everything in my power to-"
"You've become so strong… Rishia." Itsuki finally spoke quietly.
He hadn't meant to interrupt her, but Rishia stopped speaking regardless.
Maybe because of his words, or maybe because Itsuki had finally started smiling.
Itsuki raised a hand to cup her cheek. He looked so… happy, for her.
"I'm so proud… you've overcome so much, Rishia. Your fears, your troubled past, your weaknesses… you've truly become strong. Strong enough to stand alongside the Heroes of our world."
"I-Itsuki?" Rishia tried to find the words, but she couldn't.
"I'm… so sorry." Itsuki then said, his smile falling as more tears fell from his eyes. "I can't… I can't allow someone as great as you to fall for my sake.
"I can't allow you to give your life up to help me like she did." He continued. "I could never live with myself if that ever happened."
"Itsuki, n-no, I don't understand! What do you-"
Itsuki cut her off though by pressing his lips to hers.
…
For a moment in time, she just stood there. Looking absolutely shocked, yet soaking in the love Itsuki had for her. She enjoyed the feeling on her lips as they shared a real kiss for the first time.
But all too soon, the Bow Hero pulled back, looking even sadder than ever before. While Rishia hadn't realized it, he'd taken that moment to kick not only her but Aksel and Maya out of his party as well.
The two who'd been playing in the water looked up in surprise at that moment, their attention grabbed by the notification that appeared on their HUDs.
Maya, in particular, was shocked as the Hero Service Crest that bound her to Itsuki glowed a bright purple before vanishing off her chest. Her contract with her Hero had just been terminated by Itsuki.
"I'm sorry, but I won't allow those I care about to bear the consequences of my mistakes anymore." Itsuki turned around, the bow at his side glowing. "I'll become someone strong enough to stand beside you all one day, so that I never make such mistakes ever again, Rishia.
"But until then... farewell."
"Wait, Itsuki-" Rishia tried to reach out to him again.
"Transport Bow!"
Itsuki was enveloped by his skill. Disappearing from in front of the Projectiles Hero in a flash of light that forced her to cover her eyes.
…
…
No… no way…
Rishia was stunned. This couldn't be happening. Not after… not after everything they'd gone through together.
Not after everything they'd talked about… everything they'd shared…!
"Rishia, is everything alright? What happened? Why did Itsuki terminate my slave contract?!" Maya frantically ran up at that moment. Aksel followed right behind her.
"I thought you said you were going to confess to him? Did things not work out?" The Axe Hero asked next.
"F… Fue…" Rishia stuttered, her old self nearing the verge of coming out and-
Wait! The communication ofuda!
Rishia grabbed the right one off her belt! That's right, this must have been one of those things Itsuki found hard to talk about in person!
She still didn't know entirely what he was going through, but if she could get him to open up over ofuda before they left tomorrow, then maybe-
Communication Ofuda (expired)
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No… … when had it run out of energy…?
What kind of cruel twist was this?!...
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"Rishia?" Maya asked at last.
The green-haired girl collapsed to her knees. Her arms crossed in front of her as she buried her face into her hands. "Fue, FUEHHHHHHH!"
The cry she let out was not her normal whimper. No, this one was filled with pain and sadness. Thick fat tears escaped past her hands to fall onto the sand below her as her body shook.
"Oh… oh no." Maya's eyes teared up as well, only partially realizing what'd happened.
She got down on her knees and hugged the girl while Aksel stood in front of them. Still trying to figure out what was going on.
Raphtalia was racing towards them from the porch too alongside Yomogi, Daitan, Akane, and Hoshi. All of them looked concerned after being the only ones to notice Itsuki portal away.
"I'm… I'm so sorry. I truly thought that Itsuki felt the same way about you." Maya apologized to her friend. "I didn't mean to subject you to this kind of heartbreak.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Little did she know that Rishia knew that Itsuki did love her… and that her cries right now weren't because her feelings had been rejected.
Though even she did not understand why Itsuki had pushed her away.
…
It would be a long time before the Projectiles Hero would finally understand why Itsuki Kawasumi did what he had that day on the beach.
The next day came.
Naofumi hadn't learned the details of the predicament between Itsuki and Rishia. And Raphtalia hadn't either.
Rishia couldn't speak as she was crying so much. And Aksel and Maya were both at a loss for what'd happened.
Naofumi had as of yet to ask Itsuki what'd happened. Mainly because the Bow Hero had been withdrawn when the Shield Hero saw him at Kizuna's home again after they got back that night. And he'd disappeared as soon as Naofumi walked through the front doors in front of everyone else.
The Bow Hero's copies of Hoshi's manga had been left on a nightstand in Rishia's room. Where the green-haired girl had continued to cry in Aksel and Maya's company late into the night.
The others managed to rest that night. Joining Kizuna and her friends the next morning for a Wave near Mikikage.
All of their tasks in staying in this world had been fulfilled. Today, they were returning home.
Kizuna and the others managed to hunt down and defeat the Wave Boss in record time. And now, Fitoria stood at the entrance of a Wave Crack on the ground, ready to escort the Cardinal Heroes back to their world.
"Do you have to go already?" Kizuna asked as Naofumi began to approach the bird queen.
The others continued ahead. Itsuki raced through the portal first. Rishia, Maya, and Aksel quickly followed behind him, having already said their goodbyes to the people they'd become acquainted with.
Aksel and Maya had briefly paused to thank that one soldier who'd helped them grind monsters after first arriving at Sickle before following Rishia. Though the man had looked confused at the fact that the two even remembered who he was.
Only Raphtalia, Raph-Chan, Dou-Lon, and Filo paused beside Naofumi to look back as Kizuna approached by herself.
Naofumi looked at the girl who'd become like his younger sister. Despite how strong she looked, her body was trembling, and unshed tears remained in the corners of her eyes despite saying goodbye to them before the Wave started.
"Hey, what's with the sad face now?" The Shield Hero asked teasingly. "Are you going to miss me that much after I'm gone or something?"
"O-Of course?! Why wouldn't I, you jerk?!" Kizuna yelled at him. "The least you could do is cry for me too, you know!"
"Heh. I have no reason to cry." Naofumi smiled, catching Kizuna off guard.
"Eh, what do you mean? I'm probably not going to see you again, you know, since I'm a Cardinal Hero." Kizuna said sadly.
"Somehow, I doubt that." Naofumi walked up and rested a hand on the petite girl's shoulder. "After all, Raphtalia might have permission from her weapon to fight for our world first. But if you guys have an emergency and she ends up being called back here, I'll have to follow her too."
"B-But your weapon-"
"Won't be enough to stop me from helping out if my wife-friend is needed here," Naofumi promised, his smirk growing even bigger as he said his next words. "And even if she wasn't called here, I'm willing to bargain the entirety of my attack stat away to help you out again."
…
…
"Sniff. As if we wouldn't be able to handle our world by ourselves now, you big meanie!" Kizuna smirked as she held back tears of her own.
"Yeah, if anything, I find it more likely that we'll meet again once Ethnobalt finds more texts on the Waves. Or after we find some of those texts ourselves." Naofumi's smirk turned into a smile. "After all, we're planning on saving both our worlds from 'them' now.
"I think with something as important as that, we should be able to convince our weapons to allow at least one Cardinal Hero to visit each other in the future for information exchanges since it might qualify as something that could be world-ending if we don't do it."
...
"..." Kizuna looked up into the Shield Hero's sincere eyes, and those unshed tears of hers finally began to fall down the sides of her cheeks as she jumped and wrapped her arms around Naofumi's neck.
"Please… stay safe, Onii-chan." Kizuna pleaded.
"... of course, you too, Imouto." Naofumi wrapped his arms around her in a meaningful hug.
...
"Sniff. Filo's going to miss Fishing Auntie." Filo teared up as Naofumi set his fellow Hero down.
"Fishing Auntie's going to miss Filo too." Kizuna smiled through her tears as she and Filo embraced. "But please, feel free to call me Fishing Big Sis instead if you ever feel like it."
"Hmmm… no, Fishing Auntie is still Fishing Auntie to Filo," Filo said nonchalantly.
"COME ON! WILL ANYONE EVER CALL ME BIG SIS?!" Kizuna screamed.
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan jumped onto her shoulder, nuzzling up against Kizuna's cheek and causing her to laugh.
"I think Raph-Chan called you Big Sis just now." Naofumi grinned.
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan agreed.
"Awwwww, you're not so bad after all, are you?! COME HERE LITTLE SIS!" Kizuna began cuddling with the shikigami.
PET PET PET PET PET PET PET!
"RAFU!" Raph-Chan screamed in bliss.
"PEN!" Chris, walking alongside his other mommy as she and the others approached, had a look of betrayal on his face.
Naofumi walked up to the little penguin though and rubbed him on the head. "Make sure to keep Kizuna safe while I'm gone, ok little guy? I'll be counting on you."
"Pen!" Chris stood to his full height and saluted with a flipper to his chest.
Naofumi nodded to him and looked at Glass. His smile vanished, but his face remained serious as he held his hand out to her.
The spirit woman's face was also serious as she grasped his hand. Giving him a nod of respect. "I thank you again for everything you have done for us, Hero Naofumi. I hope that I will one day be able to repay you for the kindnesses you have wrought on me and my friends."
"Likewise." Naofumi bowed his head to her as he let go of her hand. But then, he remembered something, and took a folded piece of paper out of his pocket, before handing it to the Fan Hero. "Make sure to put that to good use. It took me a while to finally get it right.
"Kyo's notes helped me out a bit with polishing it up. But that should allow you guys to make it yourselves in this world, without needing to gather herbs from my world."
…
While Glass unfolded the paper and stared at its contents in surprise, the Shield Hero turned to face the man standing next to her. One who had a permanent scowl etched onto his face.
Naofumi couldn't stop the sinister smirk that spread over his features. "You'll behave while I'm gone as well, right, young master?"
…
L'Arc's scowl turned into a sinister smirk as well. He clutched Naofumi's hand with all the force he could muster. "Of course, I hope you'll be ready to cry in envy over the accessories that I'll craft while you're gone, Kiddo.
"I'll win Therese's heart back before you know it."
You could not have seen more negative energy brimming in the air than there was between the two male Heroes at that moment.
"Cut it out, already, you two," Therese commented dryly beside the King. "You're not fooling anyone with your theatrics."
"Yeah, even a blind person can see that you two respect each other a lot." Raphtalia rolled her eyes as well.
"It's a guy thing, Therese! Guys aren't supposed to act nice to other guys they look up to!" L'Arc let go of Naofumi's hand to pout at her. "Everyone knows that!"
"... but I act nicely to other males that I respect?" Dou-Lon asked while tilting his head to the side in confusion.
As L'Arc sputtered to try and form a response, Therese bowed to Naofumi. "Regardless, I look forward to seeing what you'll make for me next time, Naofumi."
Naofumi gave the gem girl a toothy grin. "I'll make sure it's something that'll make boy here crumple in defeat."
Therese sighed along with Raphtalia as L'Arc started screaming into his arm. The Scythe Hero had so much jealousy coming off of him that it was a surprise he hadn't unlocked the curse of Envy yet.
Perhaps he hadn't been pushed to the point of true despair then?
Naofumi started concocting all sorts of evil plans in his head to make that happen, but before he could voice any of his ideas aloud, a threatening aura behind him made his face pale. And he nearly shrieked in terror as it appeared right next to him.
"Thanks again for all the help, Therese. I'll make sure to tell Wyndia you're doing well after we get back." Raphtalia said to the gem girl with a happy smile.
"Sure thing! Send my regards to her and Ren!" Therese waved happily.
"Ack! R-Raphtalia! Y-You know I wasn't a-a-actually planning to d-do anything nefarious r-right now, r-r-r-right?" Naofumi trembled in terror.
Raphtalia flashed her boyfriend a smile that did nothing to hide the emotions she was masking behind it. "Of course, you wouldn't plan on doing anything bad Naofumi. Especially not right now, when we're parting from our dear friends here for who knows how long.
"Right?" She asked sweetly.
…
Yeah, it would be a very bad idea for Naofumi to piss Raphtalia off right now, or in the future. Especially since she was so much stronger now.
"Ehehehe. Daddy's in trouble." Filo began giggling as she walked next to Mommy.
"At least that much hasn't changed." Dou-Lon chuckled as he walked on Naofumi's left side. "I'll need to do my best to help my bloodkin improve back in our world!"
Naofumi groaned and turned back towards the Wave Crack. Though, he did wrap an arm over Raphtalia's shoulders as he did so. This action made the half-tanuki girl rest her head against him and a genuine smile spread across her face as their family moved towards the Wave Crack together.
Filo ran ahead of her parents, cheering happily as she hugged Fitoria. And Raph-Chan bounded onto Dou-Lon's shoulders, making him pet her tail.
"Goodbye! We'll definitely see each other again, Naofumi!" Kizuna and the others waved in a line at them.
"Goodbye! And sorry about trying to hit on your wife-friend that one time!" Daitan shouted from Kizuna's left, making Akane and Hoshi facepalm.
The couple paused only briefly before the Wave Crack as everyone else walked in. Turning their heads back to look at their new friends and family from the Otherworld.
Naofumi smiled genuinely, glad that Kizuna hadn't said that she'd miss them.
Because he meant it when he said that they were going to see each other again.
He'd make sure of it.
The Shield and Katana Heroes raised their hands, waving goodbye to everyone.
And then, they walked through the Wave Crack together.
Back to their world.
Back to their lives.
...
...
"Oh crap, I forgot to give Naofumi his recording crystal back!" Kizuna suddenly cried out and attempted to charge after the group that had just vanished.
But Ethnobalt easily caught her by the waist and lifted her a bit, making the girl's feet dangle rapidly beneath her.
"It's fine. I'll drop it off by his place later." The Boat Hero reassured her.
"But-" Kizuna tried to protest.
"Time to go home." The rabbitman insisted, having easily seen through her ploy.
He turned around while still carrying Kizuna in front of himself in his outstretched arms like she was a cat.
"Noooooo~ I don't wanna! I wanna explore Naofumi's world!" The Hunting Tools Hero whined.
Everyone laughed and went home as the Wave Cracks closed behind them.
Chapter 24: Yuzerenai
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
To kataku nana mono mitsuketa yo
(When the hands on the clock turn back, I found something obstinate)
(Wanting to become your strength, thoughts of wishing for one another, the bonds)
Kizuna opened her eyes and yawned as she sat up in her bed.
It'd been several days since the last Wave she'd participated in, and almost two weeks since Naofumi and co had returned to their world.
Thanks to the Cardinal Heroes helping out with Waves all over the world, there wasn't supposed to be a new one they could help out with for at least another four weeks.
It was like everyone had finally been given a moment to breathe and relax. The threat of the world calamities destroying everything they cared about finally faded a bit into the background, so everyone could return to the routine of their daily lives.
Each hourglass in the world had registered a Wave hitting in their vicinity every two weeks for at least a year before Kizuna had been rescued. And now, there would be forty-five days in between each Wave, thanks to the Cardinal Heroes participating.
If that wasn't a cause for celebration. Then Kizuna didn't know what was.
"Oh geez, did I sleep in that late?!" Kizuna suddenly remarked as she saw how high the sun was in the morning sky outside.
The girl rushed out of her room. Taking a quick shower before getting dressed and running to the living room to make herself breakfast.
The front of her house was back to looking the same as it had before. There were still some windows to replace in some of the spare rooms, and she still had a mess to clean down in the basement. But the front of her house no longer looked like a war zone.
All the furniture she'd lost before had been replaced. Her damaged china set had been restored to its mantle above her hearth.
In particular, all of the pictures and portraits portraying her favorite memories of this world had been remade and set around/hung up on her walls. This was in no small part thanks to the efforts of the Ofuda Hero in redrawing them from his photographic memory of the room. And she paused in her path towards the kitchen to examine them again for herself.
Each scene that passed before her eyes came to life in her mind. From her celebration alongside her friends at the defeat of the Demon Dragon to the day she celebrated Christmas with her Father, King Berg.
The girl couldn't help but smile as she looked over Hoshi's handiwork. It was amazing. There wasn't a single detail missing in any of the pictures, as far as she could tell. He'd done an outstanding job.
And she especially appreciated the portrait of her cuddling with Ethnobalt's bunny form in the Throne Room. Ethnobalt looked so embarrassed and adorable that she almost wanted to seek him out and cuddle with him all over again!
…
Her eyes did fall a little, after looking at the photo of Kyo and Ethnobalt working on the Invincible together.
But then, she slapped her cheeks and smiled brightly.
She could be sad about his death, but she could also be happy at the memories she shared of her friendship with the former Book Hero!
"Pen."
Kizuna looked down at her side.
Chris stood next to her, hugging his flippers to her leg while looking up at her worriedly.
Kizuna smiled as she picked the shikigami up. "I know. I still have a ways to go before I'm past what happened.
"But I'll keep trying to move on. I promise." Kizuna hugged the little penguin to her shoulder.
"Pen!" Chris hugged his mom back with his tiny flippers. The sight was too adorable.
If only Hoshi could have been there to put it to paper. It would have been his best piece of work yet… except for all his drawings of Raph-Chan, of course.
The penguin could never hope to compare to that furry ball of adorableness.
"Pen!" Chris glared at the gem embedded in Kizuna's rod, looking extremely offended.
Kizuna started laughing, setting Chris on her shoulder. She walked past the living room to the kitchen to get started on breakfast.
As she left, one new addition was noted above her hearth, next to the china set.
It was a picture of Kizuna and her friends in front of Kizuna's home… as well as Naofumi and co. It was the day before they'd all visited the beach, and Hoshi had them all stand together at the start so he could draw it from memory.
They all stood next to one another in the frame, making various faces and hand signs. Itsuki looked a little sad still, but the still of Rishia hugging him so cheerily was too cute.
No one was left out, as the Ofuda Hero had drawn himself in next to his two hero comrades.
Kizuna's bonds had grown that much greater. And the new photo captured this perfectly.
Tatoe zero ni kaerou tomo
Tatoe sekai no hate kara demo
Kimi no moto e to toki wo katete
Hitori ni shinai to yakusoku shiyo
(Even if everything returns back to zero, even from the ends of the Earth)
(I'll come running through time to your side, I'll never let you be alone, this I shall promise)
"Hmmm…"
Glass sat in a meditative pose in her room in Kizuna's home.
She could hear her best friend whooping with delight in the kitchen, but Glass wasn't focused on her.
Right now, before her were two very important sheets of paper.
The first one was her special page from Kyo. On it was some of the research he'd done into Spirit People. Specifically into methods she had as of yet to employ that'd not only further increase her max energy cap, but also conserve her energy during travel and battles and the like.
For a spirit person like her, it was invaluable advice that could genuinely help her and others of her race out. That Kyo had shared this with her after everything meant a great deal…
…
Even if she found the part at the end about hugging Kizuna often to restore her energy a bit suspicious.
Still, as valuable as that was… it was the sheet of paper lying next to it that was truly invaluable. It was the folded sheet of paper Naofumi had handed to her earlier before saying goodbye to L'Arc.
What made it invaluable?...
It was a recipe for Soul Healing Water. Made from herbs that grew in her world.
That was one of the reasons why the Cardinal Weapons of Glass's world had convinced the Shield and Bow to stay for a little longer. In his spare time, Naofumi had continued experimenting with various herbs he'd acquired while using some of Kyo's notes as references.
And the night before the Shield Hero was supposed to return via the Waves… he'd discovered the recipe at long last. And had then entrusted it to the Fan Hero.
Glass tried to stay calm. She hadn't had the herbs on hand when she first received the recipe, since she didn't normally gather them. Since they didn't grow in Sickle, she'd had to travel abroad to find them.
It'd taken a while for her to find them out in the wild. With just a little help being given from Alto during the process.
But as the Vassal Fan autocrafted the recipe that Glass had learned, it still sounded too good to be true. Like a dream that would never be fulfilled. And yet...
She trusted that Naofumi hadn't raised her hopes like this for no reason… and if this worked, then…
Plop!
A bottle full of a familiar colored liquid came out of the gem of the Spirit Woman's right fan, resting on the ground beside her.
Glass picked it up, still sitting cross-legged as its information appeared on her HUD.
Soul Healing Water
Quality: Average
…
…
…
The spirit woman's shoulders trembled as she gripped the vial of medicine close to her chest.
"Thank you… thank you so much, Naofumi," Glass muttered through thick tears.
A way to restore soul energy not only for Heroes but for the Spirit People who relied heavily on soul energy had finally been found. After being lost from their world for centuries.
Glass could still hear Kizuna gleefully making breakfast for her and their son in the kitchen. And her smile only grew as she settled into her lotus pose once more.
She never would have imagined she'd feel such gratitude for those who'd once been their enemies, but that showed just how much things could change.
Her meditation continued, peace resting in Glass's heart while the spirit of the Fans soothed her soul.
The Spirit Woman swore that she would one day repay the other world for the kindness they'd wrought for her and her friends.
A debt made only greater by the fact that they'd forgiven her for her past mistakes.
Kono me wa
Kimi wo mimamoru tame
(These eyes are to watch over you)
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Romina's hammer came down on the adamantium chest plate she was shaping again and again. A peaceful smile rested on her face.
"Ah, now this is the life." Her goods were in high demand. She was making armor for the good of her people again. She had all her new side projects from finding all the things Kyo had made for his summer villa.
And above all that… she had even earned the favor of Emperor Corrin himself.
Why is that, you may ask? Had the adamantium armor she'd made before been that impressive?
That did play a part in it. Emperor Corrin, when he finally had some time, came in originally wanting to see the armor set for himself. But then right after he'd walked in and complimented her on how well made it was…
"THESE ARE TRULY THE WORK OF THE SHIELD HERO?!"
The proud emperor was drooling over her display case, which was filled with the accessories Naofumi had created. From fan handles to fishing lures and the like. All of his attempts to make accessories that'd make his allies stronger in the way they wanted, but had granted effects he didn't necessarily like.
"Yep. I watched him every night too." Romina had to wipe some of her drool away. "They're my priceless collection. I'm not selling them to anyone."
"NO WONDER THERESE CALLED HIM A MASTER CRAFTSMAN! THE LOVE THESE GEMS ARE RADIATING FOR THEIR MAKER! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Corrin began spinning while hugging himself. He was just so overfilled with emotion!
"PLEASE! ONE OF THESE BRACELETS WOULD BE PERFECT FOR MY LITTLE KANA!" The Emperor pleaded on his hands and knees. "NAME YOUR PRICE!"
"Sorry, like I said, they're not for sale," Romina smirked. "Not even for you, my Emperor."
"URK!" At first, Corrin looked like he'd been punched in the gut. But almost immediately after, he straightened up. "THAT DOES IT! I MUST SPEAK TO ETHNOBALT ABOUT ESTABLISHING TRADE WITH THIS OTHER WORLD AT ONCE! IF ONLY I'D LEARNED THE TRUTH ABOUT MASTER CRAFTSMAN'S SPECIAL TALENTS SOONER!"
"Yes! This knowledge should be spread through all of Lapis!" Romina readily agreed as stars appeared in her eyes. If Corrin managed to contact Master Craftsman and got him to make even more accessories for the pair, then…!
Indeed, all the Gem People of the world were truly wise.
Naofumi would find himself far more trusted in at least one country compared to before should he ever return. Which would make him far stronger in this world compared to before.
Why, you ask?
Well, let's just say that's a story for another time. :)
The gem of the Hunting Tool shone faintly as Kizuna walked into the store with a friendly wave.
Komo koe wa
Kimi wo michibiku tame
(This voice is to guide you)
The lone merchant chuckled to herself as she crossed the border into the Harpoon Country.
"Hmmm, they seem to have tightened their security here. I almost didn't think my new identity would get me through."
Altorese looked back at the security checkpoint. She was not only dressed in different clothes but had gone the extra mile by using some pretty tricky illusion magic to make her face look and feel different to onlookers.
The gem magic item that did that was beginning to run low on power, however, so she pulled a hood over her head. "Oh well, not like I don't get it. Since I'm kind of responsible for this mess." Alto the merchant and Luvar's ex-minister of commerce said with a satisfied smirk. It felt refreshing to be able to move around again after all this time.
She faced ahead and blended herself in with a crowd of refugees who'd been fleeing from the Musical Instrument's country.
It was a nation full of dungeons and was well known for its love of the fine arts. Its Capital City, full of Stages, Kabuki Theatres, Performance Halls, and other forms of entertainment, was every bard's dream come true. You could not turn around a corner without being greeted by some new musician seeking to acquire fame or some aspiring adventurer seeking to conquer one of the many dungeons outside the city to get rich quick.
It was honestly a great place to live, or well, had might have been a more appropriate term for it in this case. Since, right now, the country was in the middle of a massive civil war.
Alto wouldn't claim that she herself was personally responsible for it. However, she might have been the one to let it slip to a few important contacts about the real cause of Azura's death.
Not that she could blame those corrupt government officials either. Whoever wielded the Vassal Musical Instruments was made "The Successor to the King" outside of times of war. So had they not had Azura assassinated, a member of Lapis's Royalty would have been put in charge of their nation. And with someone like her in charge, they would have quickly lost all their illegal means of hoarding wealth and the best musicians to themselves.
Too bad for them, as many people of the nation had loved the female Musician Hero, and been immensely saddened by her death. It hadn't helped that, under Miyaji, the people had been exploited and abused even more over the last few years.
Learning that their government had ordered Azura's assassination and covered it up had been the needle that broke the camel's back. And now, there was a huge battle between the loyalists and the separatists who bore the colors of Azura to distinguish themselves.
Given that Lapis was backing these separatists up with funds and weapons, it was clear that they'd prevail against their corrupt government soon enough.
Especially since Alto was ready to stir things up here in the Harpoon country next to prevent their forces from assisting.
Alto was here to scout out the Harpoon country's forces. To find out how well they were managing their Waves since it was now the only part of the world where a Wave was still hitting once every two weeks.
She also had to locate the Harpoon Hero's current place of residence, gauge how strong his allies were and what they numbered, see if she could find out what his cheat power was since it hadn't come up in the battle, and so on.
In essence, she was gathering information to lay the groundwork for a future invasion of this country by Kizuna and her friends. And she was stirring up trouble too to prevent Harpoon from interfering in their neighbor's affairs while she was at it.
Alto had made sure to charge the alliance through the nose for her services too. And on top of that, she'd snuck in some Gem Wares on her person that she could sell while spending time in this place.
Yep, even while she'd be gathering information, she was going to make as much money as she could on the side too. Alto giggled to herself, imagining the ways she could wreck this country's economy.
She hadn't met Naofumi. But she had heard rumors of the 'Merchant Demon' who appeared in Mikikage and wrecked the economy of an entire town, only to vanish without a trace right after.
She was envious of this 'Merchant Demon'. Whoever he/she was, Alto couldn't let them one-up her in her favorite pastime.
"I'm so excited, I can hardly wait." Her eyes flashed with glee before disappearing into the crowd of refugees entirely.
It was a good thing she and Naofumi had never talked to one another. Kizuna's prediction of the two making an economic black hole could have very likely come to pass since Alto could have gained the chance to sell many goods from Naofumi's world in their own, and vice versa.
And as much fun as it would have been to have the Harpoon Nation experience an economic collapse…
Some things just should not happen for the sake of both worlds.
Kono te wa
Kimi Wo Dakishimeru tame
(These hands are to embrace you)
Tsugumi and two of her friends stood at the top of a guard tower along one of the walls of L'Arc's capital city.
"I still can't believe they put us on guard duty." The one on her left pouted. She had blue hair and was armed with a simple naginata. She wore simple leather armor over her clothes.
"I think we got off pretty easily, actually. We did attack their city, after all." The other girl, Mayori, said in a small voice. She was also holding a naginata, though she had an additional katana sheathed at her side. She wore leather armor over her outfit, just like her friend.
"His Majesty might have had the mercy to pardon us for our crimes, but he said we'd have to work to win over his trust," Tsugumi spoke at last. She was dressed the same as her friends, but she had two katanas sheathed at her sides. "Funny, the Shield Hero was right on all accounts."
Her face still had some faint scars from the monster transformation she'd undergone. But otherwise, she looked as beautiful as before, even while dressed in what could only amount to beginner's armor. "We'll need to work hard if we're to ever make peace with the friends we lost."
"..." The three all hung their heads in a show of respect.
They'd learned the tragic truth about what happened to those who'd been left behind at Kyo's manor from Kizuna. And even after having all this time to process their grief, it was still a hard and bitter pill to swallow.
Of the hundreds of girls Kazuki had rescued/enslaved over the years, only a few dozen were still alive. And they were all in Sickle.
Most of them were working hard to prove that they could be trusted.
Tsugumi was one of the few working hard to atone for the lives of those she'd killed with her own hands.
Some former members of Kazuki's harem still lay in their beds in the castle's infirmary. Unable, or unwilling to get out and assist like the others.
But hopefully, with enough time, they'd improve enough to take control of their lives, to become masters of their destinies, just like the three girls standing atop a watchtower right now.
Tsugumi still hadn't forgiven Naofumi entirely for their fate. But she now knew that they were at the start of a better path. One where they were able to choose what they wanted to do, and not be subject to the whims of others who'd cast them out once they'd outlived their usefulness.
"We'll work hard, and make sure no one else ever has to live through what we did," Tsugumi promised to her friends.
The blue-haired girl tried to scoff in disbelief, but Mayori looked at Tsugumi with admiration. "Yes! I'll make sure I become strong enough so I can show others the kindness I was given!" She promised.
"Oh, anyone in particular you want to impress?" Her friend suddenly teased her.
"Eep! Um, no, of course not! I just want to be kind to others, that's all!" Mayori yelled, her face turning a bright red.
"Hmmm, I could have sworn it was to impress that one tiger man. You know, the one who talked to you the most out of everyone, what was his name again-" Tsugumi's words were cut off by Mayori slapping her hand over her mouth.
"I don't have a crush on him! Dou-Lon has nothing to do with this!" She screamed.
"Funny, I didn't even bother with remembering his name." The third girl smirked as she joined in on the fun.
"Eh, uh, uh… oh noooooooo!" Mayori hid her face in her hands as her whole body trembled.
Her other two close friends laughed as they teased her even more.
Yes, the girls of Trash's former harem still had much to overcome. But thankfully, they still had each other.
And with moments like this, they'd continue living. For the sake of the world, and in honor of those they'd lost.
They would make sure no other girl ever had to go through the pain of being saved and used by a reincarnator ever again.
Kono toki ga kimi no ashita ni
Imi wo nasu you ni
(So that this time will give meaning to your tomorrow)
"Young master?"
Prime Minister Stone and the other members of the cabinet were inside their usual office. Though, they seemed surprised to see him here.
L'Arc grimaced as he sat down in his spot. "Yeah, what is it?"
"Where is Lady Therese? I don't see her around." One of the ministers there asked curiously.
"Oh, she decided to stop by Lazuli to see her cousin. Said she wanted to spend some free time getting to know her little niece, now that we have some breathing room from the Waves." L'Arc crossed his arms while huffing. "Didn't want me coming along for some reason. But anyway, now that that's out of the way, how about we get some of this stupid paperwork done?"
"... that won't be necessary this time, Your Majesty." Prime Minister Stone stood up from his desk and smiled.
"... Excuse me?" L'Arc looked confused.
Stone looked to his compatriots and his smile grew a little more. "We have finished going through all the reports from our invasion of Luvar, and the world has thankfully calmed down quite a bit thanks to recent events.
"In short, we have nothing that His Majesty is needed for at this time."
…
L'Arc still looked stunned. He thought that Stone would be working him to the bone today since the Scythe Hero thought that there were still a lot of things he needed to catch up on after the mess with Luvar.
Stone walked away from his desk, put his hand on L'Arc's shoulder, and gave him a wink. "You're not going to be able to improve your accessory skills for Lady Therese in secret if we don't pick up the slack for you now and then, right, your Majesty?"
"I… I…" L'Arc started to tear up.
And then, he bowed to his cabinet. "Thank you very much!"
"Of course, but please don't bow down to us. We are the ones who are subservient to you," Stone chuckled and bowed in return.
L'Arc was almost giggling like a little schoolboy as he then ran from the room.
One of the ministers near Stone turned to look at him. "Do you think it was wise to let the young master go? You know how Lady Therese has warned us about stroking his ego."
"Hmmm, to be fair, I've already heard that the recent Waves resulted in almost no casualties or damage whatsoever. The Heroes have all grown immensely strong in such a short time. Everything we've had to do to clean up the sites of these battles has been reduced to a mere trifle of what it was before." The Prime Minister of Sickle smiled to himself.
"And besides that, his Majesty has tackled everything going on in the country that we couldn't handle by ourselves. Our young King Berg can be given some time off to reward him for taking his duties so seriously."
As the other ministers pondered on Stone's words to themselves, the older man then began to laugh. "Lastly, after what the Shield Hero did, I'm sure his Majesty will be all too motivated to want to win over Lady Therese's heart now! We will surely have an heir soon!"
Sure enough, back in his room, L'Arc was already hard at work finishing a bracelet he'd been working on and off over the last two weeks, whenever he had some time. It looked similar to the ones Naofumi made for his beloved goddess.
Next to the King was the page Kyo had written for him. Well, a page and a small textbook that was similar to Naofumi's. On the page itself was a legal deed, giving L'Arc custody of several different mines in Lapis as well as a vineyard that made L'Arc's favorite brand of wine.
As for the textbook? It was focused on crafting accessories.
Yep, Kyo had written it specifically for L'Arc. Some pages were mainly a list of Dos and Don'ts when it came to crafting. There were also instructions for what tools to use for specific tasks, how to train up one's crafting skill, diagrams depicting the various processes of crafting an accessory, and also, thanks to some research Kyo had done years ago, a list of materials and monsters that L'Arc could absorb into his weapon to unlock weapon forms that the Book Hero theorized would give a massive helping hand in the redhead's accessory making skills.
Honestly, like Naofumi's textbook, it went so deep into different things that L'Arc couldn't understand all of it at once.
The fact that Kyo knew L'Arc's situation well enough to leave him a boon like this should have been massively worrying. But L'Arc couldn't have cared less! This was exactly the kind of help that he needed!
He hadn't gone out into the city to drink away at some bar or flirt with some waitress. He was absolutely dedicated to winning over Therese's heart! And he was going to do it, come hell or high water!
It'd taken him hours upon hours of work to find those weapon forms he hadn't gotten already, as well as gathering the right materials and tools he hadn't gotten yet. But, finally, after it was all said and done.
Gold Starfire Bracelet:
Quality: Average
…
Tears fell from L'Arc's eyes.
He'd done it. He'd finally done it! He'd made an accessory of average quality!
It was still nowhere close to what Naofumi could make. And he hadn't tried to enchant it yet. But he was a huge step closer!
"Just you watch, Naofumi! Soon, I'll be making something better than you! And then, I'll be the one who Therese will be drooling over! Aha! Ahahahaha!"
L'Arc placed the accessory in front of him. Shoving everything else on his desk out of the way as he prepared to enchant the item he'd created.
However…
KABOOM!
He messed up somewhere while enchanting the blasted thing, and the new accessory he'd just created ended up exploding in his face. Covering him and his whole room in a layer of black soot.
"DAMN ITTTTTTTTTTTTTT!"
L'Arc still had a ways to go yet.
Shinjiru koto
Sore dake de
Bokura doko dade mo
Tsuyoku nareru
(Just by believing, we can become as strong as can be)
"Ehehehe."
"What's so funny, cousin?" Hinoka asked Therese curiously.
The pair were walking through the gem garden at Lazuli's palace. A pair of golems gently pruned several newly planted Sakura trees around the edges of the rose garden.
"Hmmm, not sure. I just feel like something funny just happened to L'Arc for some reason." Therese tilted her head curiously.
Hinoka sighed. "I will never understand why you two haven't gotten together yet."
"Oh, but there's so much fun in the teasing." Therese grinned.
"Yes," Hinoka smirked. "But there is much more fun to be found afterward in the lovemaking and child-rearing."
"Gah!" Kana screamed happily. She had been crawling behind her mom, but had paused to try and tug a sapphire rose out of the ground with her two small, chubby hands.
"Ack! Kana, wait!" Hinoka turned around and quickly pulled her daughter back from the rose.
"Sniff, WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The little redheaded child began bawling loudly in her mother's arms. Causing Hinoka further distress as she tried to calm her baby down.
"Ehehe." Therese giggled again. "Here Kana, how about you play with this instead?" Putting a hand into her pocket, Therese pulled out a smooth clear cut Ruby.
"WAHHHHH-" Kana's crying cut off as she looked at the gemstone Therese set into her hand curiously.
A warm glow started to come from it as if it was speaking, and Kana began smiling happily again. "GAH!"
Hinoka sighed in relief. Setting her daughter back down on the ground. "Thank you. "
"It's fine. Sometimes you just need a friend or two to help out." Therese smiled widely, before bending down and fixing the sapphire rose Kana had been pulling on back into the ground before the gem golems could come over to fix it themselves. "There, sorry about my little niece, I'm sure she didn't mean any harm." Therese started talking to the gem plant.
The sapphire rose glowed bright in response. And Therese giggled as she started to hold a conversation with it and the roses around it.
Funnily enough, this was around the same spot that Therese herself had been said to have been born from. The gem flowers Therese was talking to were her old friends.
Hinoka smiled while her daughter put her new ruby friend into her mouth, causing it to glow again, this time in a call for help. But Therese wasn't listening and animatedly told her old friends about the adventures she'd been on.
About the parts of the world she'd been able to see. The people she'd gotten to know. The friends she'd made and the excitement and wonder she felt at visiting other worlds.
It seemed like every gem and flower in the garden turned just a little to listen in on her exciting tale.
That was right. Everything here held the possibility of becoming a new Gem Person. Hinoka wouldn't be surprised if this generation of gems and flowers were born with the same sense of wonder and adventure for the outside world that Therese herself held.
They obviously wouldn't remember this conversation after being born. It was rare for a Gem Person to ever remember the time before they came out of the ground as a newborn babe. But the feelings from that time did linger. And such was the effect one could have on the next generation, for better or for worse.
…
Kana spat the ruby she'd been given out of her mouth. And then began to laugh as she hit it against the ground again and again.
The ruby was glowing even more brightly, begging for help.
Hinoka sighed as she tried to coax Kana with one of her toys to give the poor gemstone a break.
The Warrior Queen just hoped that the next generation of gems born from this garden wouldn't have the same propensity of teasing their future spouses that Therese held.
The Warrior Queen sometimes liked teasing her husband as well, but Therese took it to an unhealthy degree, as she learned while listening to her cousin's stories.
She really hoped she toned it down soon, if not for her sake, then for her future husband's.
Kimi ga oshiete Kureta
Ano hi kara kawaranu hikari ga
(That's what you taught me from that day, the unchanging light)
"Medina! Vel!"
The doors to the Greek-styled gym inside Lazuli burst open.
The two red-haired girls in charge looked up in surprise as Daitan sauntered in. Looking surprisingly confident and upbeat compared to when he'd left several weeks ago.
"D-Dai-kun? Is everything alright?! We heard a fight happened at the palace, but nobody's said anything about it!" One of the girls stood up quickly.
Her name was Medina. She was a human girl taller than Daitan by a few inches. She was dressed in knight armor and had well-toned arms and legs. On top of that, she had shoulder-length red hair and green eyes.
"Yeah, what did we miss out on?" The other girl set her large warhammer to the side to face her Hero.
Her name was Vel. She was shorter than Daitan, believe it or not. Her red hair was set in two mini ponytails on the sides of her head. Her knight armor was set off to the side, leaving her dressed in a modest yellow dress. But if her weapon of choice wasn't any indicator, she was very strong, despite her short stature.
Daitan's grin turned into a sincere smile. "Sorry it took so long. I had to travel to other parts of the world so I could register for all the other Hourglasses out there. Also had to deal with some monsters in some areas. Man, I didn't think that it'd take so long, I wanted to come back here as soon as I could, but between Akane and Hoshi needing to get their projects back on track and the fun that went down at the palace, I was just constantly busy. Thankfully, I had Ethnobalt help me out with reaching Hourglasses I hadn't been to yet more quickly. And then I was able to help those two to get to those various hourglasses when they had time and-"
"Um, not to be rude, Dai-Kun, but can you please get to the point?" Medina suddenly interrupted.
The manlet laughed, but his smile didn't falter in the slightest. "The point is, me and the other Cardinal Heroes have decided that we'll be going out and helping the world again. And I wanted to invite you two along for the ride."
…
…
Medina's eyes slowly widened, tears filling them as she put a hand to her mouth. Vel, without any tears, but looking just as speechless, stared at the Blunt Weapons Hero in shock.
"Me and the others found the path to getting stronger. And I learned about ways to help you both get stronger too." Daitan sent the two party notifications. "I know it won't be as easy a life as running this place has been. But I also know you two especially have been pushing me to go back out there for quite a while.
"So what do you say? Want to try this saving the world thing again with me?"
"Blunt… Dai…" Medina started.
…
She then shook her head and squared her shoulders. "Yes, of course!" She accepted the party invitation without hesitation after making up her mind.
"Hmph. Well, somebody's going to have to watch your back." Vel huffed, but she accepted the party invitation as well.
"Just know, now that I'm back, the first item on my list is going out and clearing those undead villages around Lazuli before I really get started on grinding. That fine with you two?" Daitan asked.
"Sure thing!" The two replied simultaneously. They rushed to get themselves ready.
The three would later be spotted at one of the villages destroyed by the Waves north of Lazuli. Dispatching every monster in the area and cleansing it of the undead.
With Daitan's newfound strength, even the LV. 100+ undead monsters didn't stand a chance. And as they grinded, Daitan used power-up methods like [Growth Revision], as well as new weapon forms like his Comradery Mace to help his party members become even stronger.
Within a week, all the undead villages within Lapis's borders would be cleansed in their entirety.
The people in the remaining villages of the nation could rest easy, knowing the Blunt Weapons Hero was out there eradicating the undead monsters that remained in his bid to grow even stronger.
Tatoe futari wo
Wakatsu toki ga kitemo
(Even if the time for us to part comes)
"Hmmm…"
Akane pulled back from her latest creation. A frown was on her face.
"My Lady, is everything alright?" Her maid assistant asked.
Akane didn't immediately respond. She continued eying the gothic-styled dress in front of her.
It had onyxes embedded in the sleeves, but beyond that, it didn't look as fashionable as everything else she usually made. In fact, you could say it looked very similar to a dress one of her new friends wore.
"Lilia, you did some studying on fashion while in the Music Country, what do you think when you look at this?" Akane finally replied.
Her assistant stood up straight. "I'd say it looks completely different from what you normally make. The lack of frills or gemstones on it is also surprising. Though the materials you've used to make it are of high quality. I wouldn't call it beautiful, but I also wouldn't call it ugly."
"Would you call it practical then?" Akane asked.
"Yes. That is the word that comes to mind. Is this what you plan to launch next?"
"It is." Akane nodded.
"My Lady, is it alright if I ask why?" Lilia asked.
…
Akane's frown slowly turned into a smile. "I want to make something that'll make girls smile… but I also want to make them something that'll help to keep them safe."
Gothic-Style Dress (A-Cup)
Equip Effects: Defense Up, Magic Up (Small), Dark Resistance Up (Medium), Water Resistance Up (Small), Slash Resistance Up (Medium), Blunt Resistance Up (Small)
Unlike everything else she'd made before, this was Akane's first attempt at making a Battle Dress. An outfit that would strengthen whoever was wearing it.
"I see, so you want to try and tap into the adventurer's market?" Lilia asked.
"Not just them." Akane gently moved her hand across the sleeve of the dress. "I want to make dresses that can protect girls the world over, while also helping them to feel good about themselves.
"Whether they're big or small, they deserve the right to smile. And to be comfortable in their own skin."
"I see…" Lilia slowly smiled. "Might I suggest variations with sapphires and emeralds on the sleeves as well then? That should offer different elemental resistances when they're finished."
"Great idea! Thanks, Lilia!" Akane responded enthusiastically, looking the dresses over and thinking of how she could not only change the gemstones, but the colors of the dress to match with them.
She then began drawing sketches of everything that came to mind on her notepad while Lilia moved the stands out of the way so that when Akane was finished, she could immediately move to a table to get to work on her next design.
The Jewel Heroine would go on to design line after line of Battle Dresses for the people of her world in the weeks to come. She not only inadvertently started a new fashion craze based on Kizuna's outfit, but also helped strengthen the women of her world with outfits that offered the best protection.
Her hunt for better materials also led her to continue strengthening herself and to participate in Waves alongside the other Cardinal Heroes. Her closest friends.
And in time, she possibly might have begun to develop a crush on one of them.
…
Though, rumors gradually spread that she used her free time to practice her fishing skills. It seemed that she wanted a rematch against the Hunting Tools Hero later on.
That too would be a story for another time.
Kanarazu mata
Kimi wo mitsukeru kara
(I will definitely find you once again)
"Ah, it's done."
Hoshi smiled as he lifted his hand from the final page of his manuscript, giving one final look over his work.
The protagonist had a fist raised to the sky in victory. The cracks spewing monsters from the sky were shown to have been closed. Forever.
All of the lead's friends stood behind him, with a cute little mascot that looked strangely like Raph-Chan resting on one of the guy's shoulders.
Perhaps it was a little optimistic to think this was what it'd look like when the Waves of Catastrophe were over. Hoshi didn't mind that so much though. And as he closed the manuscript to reveal the cover, a special message could be seen beneath the title.
All proceeds shall go to helping out victims of the Waves of Catastrophe!
Hoshi's smile grew a little softer. He'd already made a lot of money in this world by following his hobby. And even though he was still going to be leveling up and getting stronger to fight the Waves, he knew this was where he'd be the most useful.
He didn't know any charities off the top of his head who had this as their goal. He very well might need to start one up himself. Still, he was appreciative to be putting his talents to good use like this. So many people had suffered due to his inaction.
This was only the first step of many in repaying those debts that he and the other two cardinals had accumulated upon themselves.
…
Thinking about it, it'd only been a month ago that he'd been too scared to step out of this room. Stressed by writer's block and unwilling to do anything to overcome it.
Yet now? He was a Cardinal Hero. Helping out the people of the world and being a beacon of hope for everyone around him.
He'd grown quite a lot in a short period. And he'd only continue to grow in power and confidence as the months progressed.
Perhaps Naofumi had been right after all. Hoshi didn't need to start as someone special.
He just had to learn and grow; just like the Shield Hero. Just like every other Hero out there.
Those were the best Heroes, after all.
…
"Hoshi, are you coming down to eat anytime soon?" A familiar voice asked from the door behind him.
Looking back, Hoshi saw Kuro, his cat/maid cafe's first and most important employee, looking as bored as ever. "I'm happy that you've finally gotten past that writer's block of yours, but-"
"Ah, thanks Kuro-Chan, but before that, I need to ask something." Hoshi tried to remain calm and composed. He now had to act the image of a Hero, after all.
…
HA! He didn't even last more than two seconds before he suddenly dropped to the floor lightning fast. His body was prostrated, but his head was raised, revealing the stars that'd appeared over his eyes. "CAN I PWEASE WUB YOUR BELLY KURO-CHAN?! IT'S BEEN SO LONG!"
The small gem-cat girl immediately stepped back in surprise. "O-O-Ofuda Hero, wh-wh- we just did that this morning-"
Hoshi dived for the girl of his dreams. As cute as Raph-Chan was, not even she could compare to the grace and magnificence of Kuro. "I PWOMISE, I JUST NEED A MINUTE TO NUZZLE MY FACE IN YOUR WARM BELLY FUR AND-"
OOF!
The Monochrome Hero's face slammed into the closed door
"Y-You got all the time you needed rubbing my belly earlier!" Kuro yelled in an embarrassed voice. "Ask someone else to do it, Ofuda-sama!"
Hoshi's starstruck grin grew even more. An embarrassed Kuro-Chan was even better than a kuudere Kuro-Chan!
Yes, he had grown, but he had still retained that particular trait of his. He just couldn't get enough of cute things, especially soft and cuddly animals, or girls, or girls who could transform into soft and cuddly cutesy animals.
"UOOOHHHH! JUST FOR ONE HOUR! I PROMISE THAT'S ALL I NEED TO BE HAPPY WITH LIFE, KURO-CHAN!" Hoshi screamed in desperation.
"What happened to one minute?!" The cat girl screeched, and the round topaz embedded in her forehead flashed dangerously. "Please stop! The customers downstairs don't need to hear about this!"
The last volume of Hoshi's manga would go on sale within a week. And it would not only sell out, but the funds from it would go towards helping out victims of the Waves the world over.
Hoshi, while remaining the weakest of the four Heroes, would nonetheless be the backbone that helped them to stay together. Being the one Kizuna would normally come to whenever she visited Lapis in the future.
"FIVE HOURS! NO, TEN!" Hoshi pleaded, breaking through the door.
"NO!" The gem cat hissed and began to bat away at Hoshi with her claws as he clung to her like a leech.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
…
When Hoshi wasn't obsessed with Kuro-Chan, of course.
Yureru nibasha ni yokotawari
Nagareru hoshi wo kazoeatta
Surikomareta kodoku ya fuan
Itsu Shika yokaze ni magire kieta
(Lying on a shaky wagon, counting the shooting stars)
(The firmly imprinted solitude and unease disappeared into the night wind unnoticed)
"Lady Yomogi!"
The boarish girl paused in her tracks as a little girl ran up the street towards her. She was holding a small flower in her hands. "This is for you!" She said happily.
"Oh, thank you." Yomogi smiled as she held the blossoming flower in her hand. It had white petals and looked pretty.
The little girl continued on her way, smiling happily as she ran back to her mother. The mom gave Yomogi a kind wave and a smile as they continued down the street toward their apartment complex.
It still felt weird for Kyo's former retainer to walk around the Capital as the new head of Luvar. She was treated with a level of kindness and respect she wasn't used to from others, particularly the common people.
Her taking control of the country's military and the parliament was initially supposed to be just a stopgap measure. A way to calm things down, before she'd step down in favor of a properly elected chief representative.
But with the recent election results, that was no longer the case.
Yomogi didn't understand. The remaining officers and their soldiers pledging their loyalty to her was already a stretch since she was never officially a part of the chain of command. She had always been a spokesperson, a face that would pass on Kyo's instructions and orders before.
Sure, she'd also heavily contributed to suppressing the waves that had been plaguing Luvar for all these years and occasionally directed search and rescue efforts in their aftermath. But even then, all of her commendations and honors were civilian in nature. Was that reason enough to just put her in charge of the army with a near-unanimous agreement from the remaining chain of command?
But when the members of the parliament began to fall over each other, begging her for guidance, it became ridiculous. She could argue that she was a soldier in spirit, but she definitely wasn't a politician! Again, her presence there had always been one of a mediator, the one who'd put the morons in their place so the ones with decent ideas could be heard. At least when she wasn't delivering the Book Hero's orders.
So why?
Why? With Kyo's fall, the soldiers, the politicians, and even the citizens should have been seeing her as a convenient scapegoat, as someone to throw all of their anger and frustrations over their loss onto. Without Kyo, she would no longer have any authority, influence, or power.
...
84%
She won the election by a landslide, with the next largest candidate's share of votes amounting to 6%.
Yomogi forced for the votes to be recounted three times, before finally giving up and accepting the results as genuine.
Everyone praised her as some kind of wise and charismatic leader who managed to peacefully settle the foolish war caused by the Demon Lord, due to his insane ambitions. Conveniently forgetting that the populace was in full support of his plan only weeks prior.
So here she was, Luvar's arbiter and head of military rolled in one. Able to freely move around the capital with not even a single spiteful look directed her way. For some reason, Luvar's people believed in and trusted her.
Even after several weeks, Yomogi still wasn't used to it, but interactions like what happened to the little girl earlier helped her to smile just a little bit more. So she continued on her way.
There had been a lot of changes to the nations of their world, both physically and politically.
Sickle was still considered the world's breadbasket thanks to all the food it produced. But thanks to L'Arc's recent successes on the battlefield and diplomatically at the negotiating table, his nation was no longer in danger of being invaded by any of the smaller countries surrounding him. He was able to build himself up as a leader the people of the world could rally behind, alongside Kizuna and the other Heroes. Sickle's importance would only grow as time went on.
Lapis was still the predominant power in terms of power and wealth. However, even with three Cardinal Heroes at its beck and call, Corrin had chosen to bend his knee to Kizuna. Breaking Lapis's long-standing neutral stance and allying itself with Sickle as well as Label and several other countries.
Label wasn't anywhere near as powerful as the first two nations, as its rough terrain made it lacking in many resources. But Label's full military might, as well as the might of its many mercenary bands, weaponsmiths, and armorsmiths were dedicated to the alliance Sickle had established to fight the Waves and those who threatened the peace in their world.
Mikikage… didn't exist in name anymore. Kyo's invasion of the Mirror Country's Capital had been so thorough that the entire fortress city had been razed to its very foundations. The country was now technically a protectorate of Sickle at the moment, though it'd always been one of the poorer nations in the North that only still existed thanks to the Vassal Mirror. Since it didn't even have that anymore, the entire country was on the brink of collapse.
Yomogi did hear that Kizuna had some ideas for introducing sentient monster tribes to the area as a way to help improve relations with those who'd allied with the Demon Dragon and lost the war long ago. Though if that ever came to pass, Yomogi wasn't sure.
That left the last major country on the table that'd changed drastically; Luvar.
Before the coalition invaded it, Luvar had been second in terms of power worldwide, being only behind Lapis. Yet it was almost as advanced as the Gem Country, thanks to Kyo's hard work and inventions, and was seen as the best place in the world to attain an education in magic, business, and other fields of study. Some of the magicians produced in Luvar were even said to be more skilled than Lapis's military noblesses, though the previous battle might have been a harsh reality check in that regard.
Yomogi was currently on her way to give the Initiation Speech at the Capital's University. Which would be welcoming in a new generation of talent from all across the world.
This was something Kyo had done multiple times in the past as the Book Hero and as Arbiter of Luvar after he was elected to the position, yet she never thought she'd be taking his place to do the same thing.
It made her feel nervous. But it also gave her some much-needed hope.
Hope that their world could finally walk the path to recovery. That they'd be successful in fighting off the Waves. That life could return to a sense of normalcy without fear of the world ending.
By the time she was ushered to a podium to speak to the crowd of young adults before her; Yomogi was able to speak confidently as she imparted her words of wisdom and encouragement to the young minds before her.
Most of which she'd gotten from her only childhood friend as they grew up long ago.
Kimi wa nemuri ni tsuku mae ni
Donna sekai wo negau no
Subete wo wasurete shimau mae ni
Hitotsu demo ooku kanaetain da
(Before you fall asleep, what kind of world do you wish for?)
(Before everything ends up forgotten, I want to make even just one more wish come true)
When Yomogi's new duties finally relaxed enough for her to have a break, the girl returned to Kyo's summer villa and departed into the forest behind it to check on something.
She knew the area was close to her new home, but she never had time to come out here, because of how busy she was. Yet now she had some free time, and as she walked, she carried one of her now famous Replica Sword Blades while keeping an eye out for monsters.
"Kao." Kaoru rested on her shoulder, nuzzling against her hair. She was tempted to raise her hand to pet her son, but that hand was gripping the page that Kyo had gifted to her.
It was two-sided. On one side was Kyo's last bit of guidance on how the Book Country should proceed going forward. The surviving government officials could have easily ignored these orders since Kyo was dead, but despite the events that'd gone down, the Book Hero had still been vastly respected for everything he'd accomplished. So Yomogi was able to push them through easily enough.
On the back of that page though was a map. One that had a line leading away from the summer villa and deep into the nearby forest.
Yomogi could vaguely recall this area from her childhood memories. She was certain she'd helped Kyo gather ingredients for some potion here once upon a time. The purple flowers blooming in the area, something she couldn't recall the name of, were a rare species.
She wished she could remember more of the details. At least she was able to follow the line on the map without getting herself lost.
…
Eventually, she came upon a grove of trees, and looking down at the page, she saw a drawing that looked just like what she was looking at. She frowned as she surveyed the area but didn't see anything out of the ordinary.
Leaves covered the ground, but beyond that, there was nothing special about it. Nothing waiting for her or anything.
…
Yomogi sighed to herself as she sat on the ground. "Kao?" Kaoru flew off her shoulder and landed in her lap, staring at her in curiosity.
"I'm sorry, Kaoru, I guess I wasted our time coming out here after all." Yomogi smiled sadly as she petted her son on the head.
"Kao." The shikigami continued to look confused though. And Yomogi sighed again as she put her hand to her face.
She had no idea what she'd been expecting coming out here. Maybe she'd hoped to find some final message or something from Kyo. Xander had done that for Corrin, apparently, so she'd hoped that she might find something similar here.
It didn't look like that was the case though. Yomogi expressed her disappointment as Kaoru hopped out of her lap, and she mentally prepared herself to get up again so she could walk back to her home and-
"Kao! Kao!" Kaoru suddenly began to squawk.
Yomogi snapped to her feet, her sword gripped in both hands as she prepared to face whatever monster had charged out of the forest to fight them.
However, Kaoru was not crying out in fear, but for her attention. Looking at him, she found that he'd used wind magic to clear the ground in front of them of leaves. And beneath those leaves… was a door made of metal?
Yomogi tilted her head in confusion, but Kaoru continued gesturing at the solid iron plate. Looking weirdly excited for some reason.
Looking at her map again, she wondered if this was what Kyo had wanted her to find.
The girl moved forward, setting the sword on the ground beside her. Then, she used her immense strength to pull the heavy iron-plated door up and out of the way. Immediately, a series of lamps blazed to life on the walls, revealing a stairwell leading down to a wooden door.
She took the steps three at a time, throwing caution to the wind as she rushed to the bottom. And barely a few seconds after discovering the staircase, she threw open the door.
…
…
Her eyes misted over as tears fell down the sides of her face.
"K-Kyo…!" Yomogi began to bawl like a baby.
The room was full of miscellaneous items. Furniture. Shelves filled with books. A baby grand piano. A large bed and some other items.
It was as if a whole home's worth of stuff had been thrown into here.
But it wasn't just any stuff.
It was everything that'd been missing from Kyo's mansion.
Looking at the bed, she saw a familiar teddy bear plushie with its head resting against a pillow. Beside it was an old and worn Order Ofuda.
"Kao." Kaoru landed next to the plushie and stared at it curiously.
Yomogi sat on the edge of the bed, hugging the plushie to herself. "This… this was the first gift Kyo ever gave to me!" She cried in sadness and joy.
Everything she'd treasured… it was all there. Every last bit of it, except the man himself.
Yomogi cried in that room for a long time with her shikigami son looking confused again. Yet he moved behind her and hugged her back.
The girl was touched by the confirmation that Kyo had cared about her. And eventually, she started the task of taking everything Kyo had stored away into her new home.
Among the items inside was the rest of his missing will. A legal document she'd never seen before, but which gave the rest of Kyo's listed assets to her, from his remaining vineyards in Lapis to the designs for everything he'd ever invented. All these documents and more had the seal of the Book Hero engraved on them, making them permanently binding.
Yomogi had already been determined to continue fighting for the sake of her world. But the inheritance Kyo left for the orphaned girl, his childhood friend, ensured she would be taken care of for the rest of her life.
Kono me wa
Kimi wo mimamoru tame
(These eyes are to watch over you)
"Master Miyamoto, we've finished moving the Hourglass outside of Central City."
"Excellent, well done. Make sure to secure it in its new location and then take some time to rest. You all deserve it."
The samurai knight formally bowed to the old minister of Label, thanking him before rushing out to pass the news to the others.
"Father, is it ok to leave the hourglass outside the city in a simple shack?" The clan elder's female attendant, who was also his daughter, asked him with a frown.
"I mean, I can't say I entirely understand, but Master Miyamoto probably has his reasons, right?" Another person standing in the room spoke up as well.
That one soldier who'd survived everything from the regression prison to the war against Luvar had been promoted once again. He had no idea how he was now the Minister's bodyguard of all people, but life had a funny way of working out, as he'd come to find.
The girl scowled at him, before looking at her old man again. "I know you discussed it with me before Father, but I wish we could have at least moved it into one of our fortresses nearby. Where it is now, it'll be hard to defend it and prevent others from registering to it."
The leader of Label frowned. "Perhaps, but we barely had the forces to move it out of the city without all of our soldiers collapsing from exhaustion. We're lucky enough that Lapis has lent us some of their noblesses to stand guard while we prepare the Hourglass's new home."
They just had to move it outside of the city, so that enemy armies couldn't teleport inside the middle of their defenses like before. And then, once they'd ensured that Lapis's security measures were incorporated in the building that housed their Dragon Hourglass, they could move it back to its original place.
Even if some evil fellows that escaped Kizuna's purge in Lapis registered to the unprotected Hourglass to try and target Label again in the future, they would find themselves in a trap very similar to what Lapis had employed around its Hourglass for any army unfortunate enough to be caught up in it.
The Prime Minister's daughter was still frowning though. And part of that frown was etched onto Miyamoto's face too.
"We… have so much we have to do." She finally said. "So much left that we have to make up for."
"If only we had accepted the Katana's new wielder instead of listening to Kazuki." She sighed.
"I agree... However, then again, her partner was the Shield Hero from another world. Perhaps we were fated to lose the Katana as soon as Raphtalia was chosen." The old man stood up, testing the name of the new Katana Hero on his lips.
He moved to a window, looking out over Central City from the top of the pagoda Citadel. Some of the buildings and walls were still amid repairs after Luvar's surprise invasion, but the citizens, all those who'd survived the onslaught, had returned and were helping in the reconstruction of their homes.
In planting new sakura trees in their parks, in raising walls for their shops, and laying down stones for their streets; they helped in every facet that had made their city home once before.
Miyamoto knew he was talking about the Katana Hero, but he also pictured the Hunting Tools Hero standing beside him. Looking down in awe at the view of their city as she had years ago when she'd visited with Kenshiro. And then later on, when the other Cardinal Heroes had stood in this same spot with the heavily-scarred, yet still smiling version of Kenshiro.
To think such a little girl had helped their Hero to save their country. And the way they'd repaid her for that kindness…
The Masamune clan head had already given several gifts to both Lapis and Sickle, after everything that'd happened. Gifts that'd ensure their symbol of friendship would bloom and blossom for many, many years.
However…
"Perhaps losing the Katana is the wake-up call that we all needed." The older man balled his hand into a fist. "We shall not rest until every one of us can look at the Heroes as people instead of tools to exploit for the good of our country."
"... can we accomplish that in our lifetimes though?" His daughter asked. "Such ways of thinking have been engraved in the people's minds for generations."
"Whether we'll be the ones who'll accomplish it or not, it doesn't matter. We will still try and do our best. I will start us down this path at once. And I ask you to continue to stay on this path when I am gone too, my daughter.
"For the good of our children who'll rise to take our place, and for Kizuna, the Hero who can't attack people, but who has saved more than we ever could." The old man promised.
"..." His attendant and future heir remained silent for a moment, and while she didn't smile, her frown vanished. "I shall gather the other clan heads at once to discuss your vision going forward."
"Send messages to the outlying towns too. We shall pass this along to everyone in Label." The older man ordered.
The woman walked out to fulfill her father's commands, and the Minister of Label stayed standing in his spot. Looking out over his city, and imagining it as a place even more beautiful than what it'd been before.
A haven where people wouldn't have to live in fear of the ambitions of totalitarians who wanted control over their world.
This would be his penance. And Label would eventually grow to become one of the most respected nations in the future of the world because of his actions in the present.
…
And his bodyguard, who'd melted into the background, sighed in relief at the thought that he'd never have to be on the bad side of the ruby-eyed demoness ever again.
Kono koe wa
Kimi wo michibiku tame
(This voice is to guide you)
A female knight with red-tinted blonde hair was frantically packing everything that she needed, when the world's greatest adventurer suddenly burst into the room, two fully packed suitcases in his hands.
"Tira! Where's Wendy?! The Wave is happening in less than a minute!"
"I-I'm sorry, Lord Akami!" The knight figure, whose full name was Tiramisu, quickly bowed. "I-I've been busy trying to find everything we'll need, a-and-"
Thankfully, she was cut off as another door slammed open, and a young teenage dog girl ran out, crying as she carried a large wide-open suitcase in her arms. "P-Papa, please help me! I can't get it to close!" She pleaded.
Rem's look of anger immediately disappeared, replaced with concern as he got down and pushed the two ends of the suitcase together as hard as he could. He used earth magic to summon two clamps to help him with this task.
Tiramasu quickly ran up and assisted, and they were thankfully able to zip the bulging case full of clothes, canned goods, and other things they'd need for their journey shut.
"Alright, that should hopefully hold us over till we're settled in the next world," Rem said, pulling up his HUD to find that they had only thirty seconds left till the Wave started and they would get teleported.
"P… Papa, do we have to leave everything behind?" Wendy asked, looking incredibly sad.
"I'm sorry, honey. I wish we didn't, but we no longer have a choice." Rem shook his head, resting a hand on the dog girl's head between her ears.
He still remembered how he adopted her years ago and raised her as his own. He thought he'd just be doing some other side quest in the aftermath of the Demon Dragon's war against the world, only to find her being sold as a rare slave in some auction.
He had no idea how she'd ended up in this world. Animal demi-humans weren't supposed to exist here. Unless she was the descendant of some past Vassal Hero summoned from another world or something.
Either way, he never did learn about her past. And ended up rescuing her alongside his quest target before taking the girl he named Wendy into his home.
Normally, Wendy would be showing off some of the more unfortunate aspects of Rem's personality that the girl had absorbed over the years. But thankfully, none of those were showing at the moment.
Right now, she was too scared and her eyes darted around with worry.
After Rem had been outed as an enemy to the world, he'd returned home as quickly as possible after he respawned, only to find out that just about everyone he'd ever known had left him except his daughter and his loyal Tiramasu.
The only positive side to it all was that the good reputation that Rem had maintained in his country bought him a grace period of two weeks, during which he wouldn't be hunted down by law enforcement or bounty hunters.
That was as much time as the Adventuer's Guild master and the various country officials could give him though, before they'd be forced to report to the alliance that he was back and try to apprehend him.
While Rem was completely confident that he could evade and ambush the weaker groups by himself, thanks to his cheat, he did not want to live in a world where the Heroes would kill him if they ever came across him. So, after going over the short list of his potential options, he decided that the best course of action for him would be to escape to another world through the use of a wave and start his life over there.
Would such rampant disregard for his duties piss off his bosses? Absolutely. They might even shatter his soul for this, but by his estimates, those were better odds than facing those insanely overpowered heroes.
He still recalled just how high the stats of the Cardinal Heroes had all become… Maybe, they were even higher than those of his employers. Rem wouldn't know for sure, since he never dared to use his cheat on the sparsely few occasions that he was contacted by them directly, instead of through their enforcers. Either way, he was not going to stay to fight a losing battle.
"I promise, whatever happens, we'll make a new life for ourselves in the new world. And whatever we end up doing, I will protect you both for staying by my side." Rem promised the two girls.
Wendy was still crying, but Tira nodded her head.
Soon after, the timer in the corner of Rem's vision hit 0, and he and the two girls were transported with their luggage to the sight of the Wave at Harpoon.
Nobody fighting at that Wave did see if Rem and those with him had ever arrived or not. And that was the best for the man nearing his late 20s, as they managed to reach a Wave Crack undetected and escaped to a different world that wasn't Glass's or Raphtalia's.
There, the former supreme adventurer would manage to find a place to settle down, marry Tiramasu, safely grind some levels, and then the two would officially adopt Wendy as their daughter and raise her in that world.
Rem adventured now and then to help support his family, but overall, he stayed out of the public eye in that world. Fading to obscurity, to make sure that he'd never catch the attention of the Holy Heroes again…
Or that of his bosses, who thankfully had bigger concerns than hunting him down at the moment.
Konote wa
Kimi wo dakishimeru tame
(These hands are to embrace you)
"Hmmm…"
Ethnobalt hummed as he closed the latest text he was using to try and cross-reference with the main text he had on the Waves.
Rishia had helped to speed up his process of translation considerably. Looking back at the part of the book that'd originally shown the legend of the worlds fighting with one another, he realized that was indeed part of what it said. However, Rishia's hard work had helped them to learn that while they were fighting each other, it was under the watchful eyes of a group of individuals forcing the two worlds to fight one another, like a match in a large colosseum.
This was worrying on many levels. If only the rest of the book wasn't so hard to translate. There were still no new details on who these individuals were. Or how their world had managed to fight back against them in the past.
Looking through other parts of the book, Ethnobalt cross-checked other bits he'd managed to translate into info that they already knew. Such as a Cardinal Hero's participation suppressing the Waves for a longer period. Or how the Waves increased in power over time as more Wave Energy accumulated in the world.
One interesting bit of info that confused him was close to the section on the Waves being a free-for-all. According to it, the monsters that supplied the Wave came from both worlds, as well as… somewhere else.
He didn't know for certain, but it was something he'd theorized himself, especially after seeing the Wave that Kyo had summoned. Despite it being an artificial wave, monsters had still arrived in both worlds. Stranger yet, the other side of the Wave had been directly over the Capital of a nation. Definitely not an area where monsters would accumulate.
That left him with the question, where did the monsters come from if not the other world? Were they coming from 'their' world? Was that why most monsters that came through dissipated into shadowy mist after they were destroyed?
If that was the case, just how powerful were 'they' to be able to do this?
…
Ethnobalt let out a soft sigh as he put the texts to the side.
He decided to ponder more about it the next time he studied. For now, he raised the rock that Rishia had given him and began to focus on it.
The Boat Hero wasn't just dedicated to figuring out the mystery of the Waves or the inventions Kyo had left for him. He needed to get stronger too. Strong enough that he'd be able to help his friends face 'them' without holding them back.
He hadn't managed to get his life force to come out into the rock yet, since he had so little time to practice. But Rishia had taught him enough that he could focus on his body and feel his ki circulating through his veins. He was, slowly, but surely, learning how to manipulate the lines of energy to do what he wanted.
Eventually, he'd learn how to expel that energy from his body. And then, he'd be able to train with it, just as Rishia had shown him.
Time would tell if his efforts to get stronger would pay off or not.
Kono toki ga futari no mirai ni
Hana wo soeru you ni
(So that this time will add color to the future of the two of us)
"AHHHHHH!" BOOM!
The figures in the room huddled fearfully in the corner as Orokana destroyed the mantle at the back of the room. He turned around, his eyes blazing with anger. "THAT BITCH! SHE DARED TO HAVE THE AUDACITY TO THREATEN ME?! THE TRUE MASTER OF THIS WORLD!"
"O-Orakana, please, none of us doubt your power." A woman with wings coming out of her back fearfully approached him.
The Humming Fairy was desperately holding onto the strength of her love for the Harpoon Hero to steel herself and try and calm him down. "We promise, all of us will do our best to assist you in acquiring your revenge and-"
"SHUT UP KUFLIKA! I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!"
SLAP!
The woman, the former General of Wind from the Demon Dragon's army, was forcefully thrown across the room by the strength of the Harpoon Hero's slap.
When she hit the ground, she was bleeding and looked severely hurt. Her eyes stared up at Orakana again. Only, this time, there was no love in them whatsoever. Only terror at the sight before her.
Two weeks of seeing this had finally broken her.
"I DON'T NEED ANYONE'S HELP! I'LL FACE OFF AGAINST THE HUNTING TOOLS HERO MYSELF! AND I WILL MAKE HER PLEAD FOR MERCY AS I BEHEAD HER FRIENDS ONE BY ONE!"
Kuflika and the others shook in terror again. The humming fairy finally realized that the man who'd shown her kindness after her old master's defeat, the man who'd convinced her that there were kind humans in the world…
That man no longer existed.
He'd probably never existed to begin with.
He had become the definition of what the Demon Dragon had been fighting against. The blonde-haired humming fairy looked down at the floor, tears escaping her eyes.
Orokana was about to scream more, but then, his face stiffened. It felt like his heart was seizing in his chest again.
"Hey, come on. What are you so afraid of all of a sudden? Don't you know who I am?" The darkness in front of Orokana crawled closer, almost reaching his legs. "I'm the Hunting Tools Hero! I can't hurt you! Not even while you're just a soul!"
"NO! NO! GET BACK!"
Two eyes stared at him from the dark suffocating void. His non-existent heart furiously beat in his ears like drums in an overpowering cacophony of noise and static.
"You still have your weapon, don't you? I'll tell you what. You can have one free shot at me!
"With how weak I am, you should still be able to kill me, so go for it!"
"STAY AWAY FROM MMMMMEEEEEEEEEEE!"
NO! HE WASN'T THERE ANYMORE! HE WAS IN HIS HOME TERRITORY! HE WAS STRONG ENOUGH HERE THAT HE COULD EVEN GO TOE TO TOE WITH 'THEM' THANKS TO HIS CHEAT [HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE]!
SO LONG AS HE STAYED IN HIS NATION, HE WOULD BE UNSTOPPABLE! HE WOULD MAKE THAT WHORE PAY!
HE WOULD-
Two eyes stared at him from the dark suffocating void.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Orokana continued to scream in a mix of insanity and terror, throwing random skills out around him to hit the predator that wasn't there, destroying more and more of the throne room in the process.
The two other girls helped Kuflika up and healed her injuries. And then, they departed out of the room. Leaving the Harpoon Hero's mansion through the front gate.
Orokana's harem would never return to the place ever again. And would eventually meet a woman named Alto, who'd help them escape the country in exchange for the info they held.
…
Meanwhile, in another part of the mansion…
"Daaaaaaamn iiiiiiiit! Why did I have to escape with him? Why did I have to escape with him? Why did I have to escape with him?!"
A young man cooked instant noodles on a stovetop in the Harpoon Hero's kitchen. Seya looked like he'd seen better days.
His eyes were bloodshot. Like Orokana, he had not had a peaceful night since surviving what'd happened in Lapis. Not only were the memories of it vividly engraved into his brain, but he had a crutch under his left arm too.
The reason for it was that his left leg was entirely gone, due to him losing that part of his soul.
As Seya sprinkled the simple meal with a powdery substance, he looked incredibly anxious as every other chef who'd worked in Orokana's palace/mansion before had run off. Too afraid of arousing their master's wrath to want to cook for him again.
Seya was not there by choice. After his soul had escaped alongside Orokana's and respawned next to him, he'd been given new temporary orders by his superiors. Not the actual bosses, thankfully. 'They' must have been busy with something, because Seya and Orokana were instead approached by one of the enforcers.
Seya was told to stay in the Harpoon Hero's country and use his cheat skills to help Orokana grow stronger.
It didn't help that Seya couldn't return to his restaurant either. His face was on every wanted board inside of his former nation. At least half of his former harem members were in prison while the other half had formally denounced him in public.
This was, of course, after they and Seya's loyal customers had been given antidotes that cleaned their systems of the addictive drugs that Seya had laced all of his cooking with for years.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" As the young man readied the noodles in a bowl, he heard another insane-sounding scream reverberate through the walls of the palace.
Seya sweatdropped as he sprinkled more of the powdery substance from earlier over the finished product, before hobbling towards the door with one leg and his crutch for support.
All he had to do was ensure Orokana became as strong as possible to challenge the Heroes again, right? Alright, he could do this. He just had to make sure he didn't piss off Orokana too early.
Seya was patient. He would slowly bide his time as the drugs kicked in and boosted the false Harpoon Hero's power levels and made him subservient to Seya's whims.
The reincarnator could surely pull that off without dying, right?
…
Right?
Itsu kara darou
Kimi no mirai ga
Boku nashi no mirai de
(I wonder from when your future is a future without me)
"Ahhh…"
The Emperor let out a disappointed sigh as he appeared in front of his nation's Dragon Hourglass.
The room was oval, with fancy ornate pillars covered in various gemstones running along the sides.
The room had formerly been bare. Being one of the only parts of Lapis where gemstones weren't part of the decor as the Hourglass itself had been the most beautiful thing in the room, and to try and match its beauty with that of gems would have been preposterous, to say the least.
Now though, these gems were here for a practical reason. For they had the same enchantments on them as the walls of Lazuli. On top of that, two sets of Gem Golems stood guard on both sides of the room. A pair of noblesse commandos was constantly on watch in a command center that overlooked the general area from above.
If any reincarnators ever tried to use the Hourglass to sneak in, they'd find the Gem Golems in there waiting to snuff them out. And in case something soulless like a mimic familiar ever tried to use the Hourglass to get past them, the noblesse commandos could activate the gem walls and pillars to annihilate the creatures out of existence. And that was only the traps that could be seen on the surface.
Other failsafes weren't listed. Failsafes that would be a nasty surprise for anyone dumb enough to portal inside with intentions to harm the Empire.
It was unlikely that such a scenario would ever come up again in the future. But Corrin was known for being too careful for a reason.
Anyway, the Gem Emperor let out a sigh again as a set of Gem Golems opened the bottom doors, allowing him to go into a long hallway that led to the palace proper.
To think he'd gone over to Sickle wanting to see the set of Adamantium Armor Romina had made, only to come across something far better.
He was still disappointed that he couldn't bring an accessory back for Kana or for his wife. It would have made for a perfect gift for them.
"Your Majesty, is everything alright?"
Corrin looked up, finding Cole and Ryoma walking down the hall towards him. Cole had been the one to speak, but Ryoma spoke up next. "You are not still troubled by Xander's loss, are you, brother?"
The Emperor slowed to a stop. And the pair stopped in front of him.
The thoughts of what he'd been troubled by before vanished, replaced by the sense of loss he still felt even after everything that had happened.
"That wasn't what was on my mind, but yes, I am still troubled by Xander's death, just like you, Ryoma," Corrin answered, his shoulders sagging.
The General of Lapis sagged in place as well. "I… I'm sorry to bring him up.
"It's still hard for me to believe that out of all of us to rise out of that garden… it is just me, you, and Hinoka left now," Ryoma said sadly. "I was the one who rose next after Xander, and yet… I've had to watch for Azura, and Camilla, and Takumi, and Elise, and Leo, and now he depart before their time.
"At times, it makes me regret that I was so overly focused on training to take command of Lapis's military forces. It makes me wish that I could have spent more time with our family like Xander had."
"..." Corrin didn't respond. His head hung low in front of him.
"..." Ryoma began to smile though, and he set a hand on Corrin's shoulder. "But while I hold those regrets, I will still cherish my memories of them. And will continue to do my best to assist you even now, brother."
"Regret can hold us back, or it can propel us forward. Whatever comes next, my blade shall be yours to command."
…
Corrin slowly moved forward, hugging his older brother close. Ryoma closed his eyes and hugged the young Emperor back.
No one was there to witness the exchange. No one except Cole, who stood to the side and made no attempt to interrupt the tender moment.
He had been born from the Gem Garden too. But unlike the others, who'd been born from roses, he'd been born from one of the gemstone paths going through the garden. Sometime around when Corrin himself had been born.
Those born from the roses were raised as royalty. Those born from the other gems there though were raised to become advisors and confidants for future royals.
Theirs was possibly one of the hardest tasks to bear. But their proximity to the royals before birth made them all the more capable of helping them out whenever it was needed.
"Ah, staying in the background again, Cole?" A voice asked him teasingly.
The man nearly jumped out of his skin as Therese appeared at his side. Hinoka and Kana were nowhere in sight.
"W-What are you doing here, Lady Therese?!" He asked while trying to calm his nerves. He also quieted his voice so he didn't bother his emperor and Ryoma, who had begun walking down the hallway together.
"Ehehehe." Therese giggled to herself. "I was just heading back. Kizuna sent me a message, saying she wanted me to join her and the others on one of her special trips."
"Huh… oh, I see." Cole sighed to himself again. "Can you please not sneak up on me like that again? I'd rather not die young of a heart attack."
"Ahhh, there's no way you'd die from a little scare. Especially not when you had to help us all out of far worse things." Therese winked.
The Emperor's advisor groaned. "Please, spare me the memories."
Therese began to giggle, and eventually, Cole chuckled in response too. He gave the grown gem woman a firm handshake. "You're welcome back anytime. I'm sure Her Majesty and the crown princess will be looking forward to your visits."
"Thank you. Take care, Cole." Therese gave the man a curtsy bow and then walked towards the Hourglass room.
As Cole walked back down the hallway to find his Emperor discussing the accessories he'd come across in Sickle, a bright flash came from the Hourglass room. Signifying Therese's departure back home.
Ii hazu ga nakute
Ii hazu ga nakute
Subete ni aragattemo
Kimi no tonari wa yuzurenai yo
(There's no way that is alright, even if everything was against me)
(I can't give up my place next to you)
"Hey L'Arc- whoa, what happened in here?" Kizuna asked, looking inside L'Arc's bedroom in surprise.
The King had been in the middle of cleaning up what remained of his mess. However, there was only so much he could do about the soot that'd imprinted itself into the desk he'd been working on, as well as the wall behind it.
"I will take it that your latest accessory exploded then." Glass casually commented as she looked inside the room herself.
"I don't want to talk about it." L'Arc said with a grumble.
"Big Bro exploded an accessory? How is that even possible!?" Kizuna asked in disbelief.
"I am unsure. He still has not disclosed the details of how it occurred the first time. And this time-" Glass began to answer.
"WILL YOU JUST DROP IT ALREADY?!" L'Arc yelled at the pair.
Kizuna and, surprisingly, the stoic Glass, both began to giggle and chuckle at his overreaction. Causing the redhead to fume and nearly scream into his arm again.
"Do not worry. I am sure you will manage to make something for Therese one day, L'Arc," Glass said, mirth in her voice.
L'Arc grumbled something under his breath. Neither of them caught what it was.
"Pen!" Chris shouted impatiently behind his mommies.
"Right, sorry, back on topic." Kizuna suppressed the rest of her giggles, though her mischievous smile was still beaming on her face. "I'm gathering all of us for a fishing trip. Want to come along?"
"Urgh…" L'Arc looked back at his desk, which had all his tools out and ready for him to use again. "Can't it wait for another time, sis? Don't get me wrong, I want to spend time with you. But this is also pretty important to me."
"Don't worry, you don't have to come along if you want… I'm just planning on visiting someone very special before we leave, and was hoping you and the others might visit him with me." Kizuna answered.
L'Arc was about to ask who she was referring to when he paused.
…
…
He stared at his younger sister, who suddenly looked much smaller than before.
He didn't say it out loud, but he nodded his head. "I'll go grab Ethnobalt then."
Kizuna's smile came back a little. "He's already waiting for us at the Dragon Hourglass. He says Therese should be here soon."
"Oh… OH!" L'Arc suddenly went to his desk, absorbing all his tools and stuff back into his weapon.
This caused the other two Heroes to perk their eyebrows up. L'Arc looked back at them with a hard look. "I'm keeping my side project here as a surprise for Therese. Don't you dare spoil it for her."
"Do not worry, our lips are sealed," Glass promised before she smirked again. "Though, she might be able to guess what you have been doing when she sees the marks you left on the wall."
The redhead screamed into his arm as Kizuna and Chris laughed in delight.
They all left the room, heading to the Dragon Hourglass where they met up with Ethnobalt and Therese.
The group left the building, Though they didn't leave the castle walls just yet.
They took a path down the side of the castle. Walking past several different buildings as they came around the back of it.
Until, finally…
Shinjiru koto sore dake de
Bokura doko made mo tsuyoku nareru
Kimi ga oshiete kureta
Ano hi kara kawaranu hikari ga
(Just by believing, we can become as strong as can be)
(That's what you taught me from that day, the unchanging light)
The scene was quiet as everyone passed under a small arch.
Therese and Ethnobalt were confused about why Kizuna wanted to go here first. But then, understanding dawned in their eyes, and the Hunting Tools Hero turned to face her friends.
"I… I heard he was buried here, is that right?" She asked the King quietly.
"... yeah." L'Arc nodded his head. "His grave is next to my mom's."
"I… you still remember when I showed her statue to you, right? When you asked me about her."
…
Kizuna slowly nodded her head, breathing in deeply as she did so.
The small girl then moved through the cemetery. The sound of her boots crushing leaves under her feet rang through the air again and again.
Her friends followed a few feet behind her, keeping their distance, but being close enough in case she needed them.
But Kizuna bravely moved forward on her own two feet. Walking past grave after grave.
Trees towered over the area. Casting shade over the group. The distant sounds of the city seemed to all but vanish, replaced by a calm that only the individuals walking amongst the dead could break with the sounds of their footfalls.
…
Finally, near the back, Kizuna came to a stop.
The last time she'd been here, King Berg and Big Bro L'Arc had introduced her to Miss Berg. Or, rather, Miss Berg's resting place, as she'd been dead for several years before Kizuna's summoning.
The stone statue of her likeness still stood in its exact spot, looking only slightly worn from time. But the statue standing next to it still looked new. Even though enough time had passed for moss to start growing around the base of it.
The statue's appearance was fashioned from the earlier days of the late King Berg's rule. Looking only a little older than L'Arc did currently. This man had a trimmed beard, as well as a crown on his head.
His smile, while kind, paired well with his mischievous-looking eyes. And though he had a crown on his head, he wore the clothes of a commoner, signifying how his rule was that of the people. And that he had labored for his people all the days of his rule.
Whoever it was that'd made this likeness of King Berg hadn't skimped on the details in the slightest. Kizuna's breath caught in her throat when her eyes first fell upon it. Almost as if she expected King Berg to breathe and walk forward in that moment.
But, of course, that didn't happen. It was still a statue at the end of the day and not the real deal.
The girl shuddered in her spot. Unsure of what to do… or what to say.
…
"Hey." A hand rested on her shoulder, and she looked up to find L'Arc giving her a warm brotherly smile. "You can do this."
"... … you're right." Kizuna nodded, smiling up at the redhead.
L'Arc grinned as he stepped back. Therese wordlessly put her hand in his and squeezed it.
Kizuna breathed in deeply as she faced King Berg's final resting place again.
And then…
"I wanted to say… thank you, King Berg."
Her mouth moved on its own.
Tatoe futari wo
Wakatsu toki ga kitemo
(Even if the time for us to part comes)
"Thank you… For taking me in. For treating me like a daughter. For showing me that awesome fishing spot. For throwing that Christmas party. For helping me to learn magic…"
Kizuna spoke to the dead.
She did not know if her dad was there. She did not know if he'd stayed behind. If he had been watching over her or anything. Beyond what Glass had told her about the spirits of their world, she knew nothing about the afterlife or what the souls of the dead did when they passed on.
She was not here to learn about that though. Rather, she had come to make peace with her past. For not being there for King Berg when he'd passed away.
"Thank you for comforting me on the days when everything felt so overwhelming. For helping me to make such great friends. For showing me that I could help the people of this world." Kizuna had tears running down her face as she continued to speak. "I... I know you always felt guilty. Thinking that you had kidnapped me from my old home and forced me to become a child soldier to fulfill your own ambitions. But you were wrong. I never hated you for any of this. Not even once.
"You could have just let me wander and figure things out on my own, but you never did. You were there for me every step of the way even when you were busy with running your country and trying to settle the dispute of who'd inherit the throne after you were gone."
For the past weeks, Kizuna had been pondering the conversation she had with Naofumi on the cliffs of that beach. Trying to think of what her answer was. How she'd move forward with her life.
At the site of her adoptive Father's grave, Kizuna felt like she could finally answer it for herself.
"And I… I still remember how you said that your only wish was to be able to help the people you ruled to be able to smile and laugh, no matter what life threw at them. That you'd be willing to do anything for their sakes, even if it meant making sacrifices yourself…
"And I… and I…"
Kizuna's voice choked for a few seconds, but then it came out, stronger than before. "That is still my goal too!
"I promise, no matter what, I'll continue to do what I can to make your world a better place!
"I won't stand on the sidelines and do nothing! I promise I'll act the way I think is right! I promise I'll do whatever I can to improve the lives of everyone, including my friends! Even if the whole world says that I'm wrong! Even if everyone calls me a tyrant or a monster! No matter how high the price, I will never hesitate again!
"I will save both this world and the people inhabiting it!
"I'll do my best to live a life that'd make you proud, Dad!" As Kizuna said those words, she collapsed to her knees, sobbing into her hands as she did so.
Her friends were quick to hug her tight, and she broke down in their embrace. "That was beautiful sis," L'Arc whispered, tears of his own falling from his eyes.
"I-I'm so sorry about dragging you all out here," Kizuna whispered back. "I know you've had so long to move on, but I just, I just wanted to see him and say my goodbyes."
"That's fine. I've said goodbye to him a thousand times myself, but I still miss Dad too. No one could ever hope to replace him." L'Arc continued to comfort his younger sister.
As L'Arc continued whispering to his sis, Glass looked at the grave itself. Seeing something that the others around her could not see.
Two spirits had just come out of their statues. One looked like an older and more stout version of L'Arc. Dressed like a King, but with the same warm eyes that he'd had in real life. The spirit standing next to him was a little more faded, but there was a striking resemblance to the statue of Miss Berg.
The late King was smiling proudly at Kizuna, and as Glass breathed in sharply, Berg Sr.'s gaze moved up to hers. A familiar mischievous glint flashed through his eyes, and he gave the Spirit Woman a wink while raising a finger to his lips.
"Shhhh, it's a secret." His voice carried over only to her ears.
…
Glass couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face. She looked down at Kizuna again as L'Arc was helping her to stand up.
"Kizuna… I believe that your dad is proud of you," Glass said.
"You… you really think so?" Kizuna asked, still wiping some tears from one side of her face.
Glass used the sleeve of her kimono to wipe the girl's remaining tears away, before looking her best friend in the eyes and resting a hand on her shoulder. "I know so." She said, giving Kizuna a knowing smile.
Kizuna couldn't help but smile happily at her words. "Is this your spirit powers at work or something?"
"Possibly." Glass began to chuckle, and Kizuna chuckled along with her.
Kizuna meant what she'd said though. After everything she'd gone through, she was determined now. She would save her world, no matter what.
While her actions might not always be right, she knew for sure that if she just sat there and did nothing, that would definitely be the wrong thing to do. So, even if it was as something as simple as pushing a lever so a smaller group of people would suffer instead of a larger group… she wouldn't stand aside and do nothing.
She'd act in the way she thought was right.
Her weapon suddenly began to glow, much to the surprise of everyone there. But after a moment, a notification appeared on Kizuna's HUD.
The Hero has overcome their curse. Blessed Series has been unlocked!
The Gutting Knife/Rod of Sloth has been cleansed…
Conditions Met! The Hunting Knife/Rod of Resolve has been Unlocked!
"K-Kizuna? What just happened to your weapon?" Glass asked in surprise.
Looking down, the Hunting Tools Hero found it in an unfamiliar, glowing gold form.
Kizuna's chuckling turned into laughter. Much to the surprise of everyone there. Little did they know that it felt like a massive weight Kizuna had been carrying on her shoulders had just been removed.
She would never be affected by her old curse ever again. "Oh, this? I just got a new weapon form is all."
She didn't explain further. She could look at what she'd gotten later.
"Pen!" Chris jumped onto Kizuna's shoulder. Hugging the side of her head again.
"Alright, alright! Geez, I'm definitely feeling better now you little worrywart!" Kizuna began to rub the top of Chris's head. "Do you want to catch some fish that badly?"
"PEN!" Chris roared with approval.
"Alright, come on then, everyone! We got some fish to catch!" Kizuna pumped her fist in the air.
L'Arc and Therese laughed, looking giddy with excitement as they followed behind their friend. Ethnobalt also smiled happily as he floated after the group.
Only Glass paused behind everyone, looking back at the King's statue.
The spirit of his wife, who'd been standing beside him, had already faded from view. And King Berg was following suit.
Glass knew then that he was moving on.
He'd waited patiently for all that time. Waiting for the day when Kizuna came back so he could see her with his own eyes one last time.
The realization of that was enough to bring tears to the stoic woman's eyes.
"Fan Hero, no matter what happens next, always be there for my daughter." Berg Sr.'s wise voice sounded to her. "There are still many things our world has to face before her dream can be realized. But I do not doubt that she has the strength to accomplish it."
"See it through, and never abandon her, no matter what happens."
Glass nodded her head to him, her tears falling from her eyes as she turned to face him and gave him a bow. "Farewell, my King."
As the King faded away, he nodded to her. That same smile still resting on his face.
Glass followed behind her friends, leaving the statue of their old world behind.
Another tear ran down the side of her face. It would be a long time before she met the old man who was the first to teach her about the value of family once again.
But when she died and passed on, she'd find him. And hug him.
Because he'd made her life a million times better with his actions. Just like Kizuna.
…
The destiny of this world was now in their hands.
Whether it'd intertwine with that of Naofumi and his friends once more…
Well, that would be a story for another time.
Kanarazu mata
Kimi wo mitsukeru kara
(I will definitely find you once again)
*music ends*
In a vast grand hall with no end or beginning, a circle of perfect white marble pillars rose out from the misty clouds, piercing into the vast azure-blue sky.
Each pillar was slightly taller than the previous. And golden thrones were set upon their tops.
A group of powerful and mysterious figures sat on these thrones silently.
All of them wore various types of masks to cover the tops of their faces.
There was one wearing an iron mask shaped like a dog's face. Another wore one wrought of tin in the shape of a cat's head. The one sitting on the throne next to them wore the mask of a lioness. And the next one, the mask of an eagle.
Each one of these figures had power radiating off their forms in waves, distorting the space around them. Their robes of finest quality, woven with golden threads and diamonds shone in the light cast by the greatest of them.
All of their eyes of various shades and colors stared at a singular point in the middle of the circle. A holographic projection depicting what'd gone down in the Capital of Lapis from many different angles.
The figures watched all of their operatives get gathered in one place. They watched as those hidden by powerful illusion magic moved throughout the room. They watched as the Hunting Tools Hero entered the room alone.
They watched her identify who their operatives were, what cheat powers they had, what crimes they'd committed, and so on, before ultimately needling the Harpoon Hero into attacking her. Which led to the subsequent bloodbath that the Heroes of the two worlds dished out on their enemies.
The figures did not visibly react. Kizuna had been accurate in calling these operatives of theirs- cannon fodder. The lowest on the totem pole of what 'they' had to offer.
For GODWORLD, this event was only a setback. A larger-than-average one, perhaps. It would cost them a few years, if not several decades to replenish the ranks of their operatives living in that world. And beyond that, it'd be several centuries before their cannon fodder operatives could hold the same levels of influence in their respective countries again. Where they'd be capable of destroying knowledge and throwing things out of balance once more.
But in the end, Kyo Ethnina put up a grand performance for the people of GODWORLD. That final battle in particular had been absolutely spectacular. Even though the promised tragic ending was denied in the end, it was for the best.
After all, it would be quite a waste to have it all end so suddenly and utterly.
Indeed, there was still a great deal of content to harvest from this world at a later date. More despair.
More suffering.
More entertainment.
But for the moment, the people of their world were satisfied with moving on to watch the conflicts happening in other worlds. Partaking in the suffering and determination happening in them, while not caring about what fate this world would end up with now.
As for this gathered group of individuals, referred to as 'them', they were patient. As immortals, they had all the time in the world to see the fulfillment of their goals. The Heroes might manage to fight off this set of Waves once again, making their world immune to being pulled into the Waves again for another few centuries or even millenia, but the individuals sitting upon the circle of golden thrones could wait that long.
They'd done so time and time again.
They could do so again without any issues.
This setback would be no more than a minor inconvenience for their grand plans.
This should have been nothing but a minor inconvenience for the future they desired.
…
Though, that would have only been true if it'd ended at just that bloodbath.
"We are coming for you next."
The hologram recording paused at Kizuna's words. There was not a lot after it, as the recording ended when their last operative left Lazuli. It was only because of their cannon fodder being there that they could observe the incident. Otherwise, Lazuli's magic defenses kept them from observing what was going on elsewhere inside the city.
Regardless, what happened after wasn't important. The recording looped back just a couple of seconds, over, and over, and over again to repeat Kizuna's phrase.
"We are coming for you next."
"We are coming for you next."
"We are coming for you next."
…
One of the figures sitting in one of the highest-placed thrones, a man wearing a bronze Star-shaped Mask that covered the top half of his face, tapped the edge of his seat repeatedly.
MERCURY - God of Wisdom - Chief Analytics and Data Officer of GODWORLD
A bead of sweat traveled down his neck while a look of extreme anxiety covered his visible features.
Two thrones to his right, at a height just a little above his own, a woman with a Silver Crescent-Moon Mask on her face held a deep frown on her gorgeous lips.
TSUKIYOMI - Goddess of Beauty - Chief Information and Communications Officer of GODWORLD
Her arms were crossed, and waves of displeasure were coming off her form. It was very fortunate that she had managed to stop this footage from being released to the public in time.
Sitting between them on the highest throne of them all, a man with a Gold Sun-shaped Mask and corona-colored eyes stared down at the hologram.
He was the one who used his powers to make the projection loop those words over and over again. Studying that one phrase, as if it was the most important thing to have been said in that whole exchange.
Because it was.
What Kizuna Kazayama had just said there made this world and the Shield Hero's world go from being minor annoyances in GODWORLD's plans to legitimate threats on par with their most hated enemies that held the potential to grow into something too powerful for them to contain if the enlightened ones stood aside and observed as they had hitherto done.
The man sitting upon the tallest throne and radiating his light to the others beneath him would have just shaken it off as the mere folly of a little girl whose head had grown too big for her own good. But those words, combined with that expression on the Hunting Hero's face.
It was just like… 'her'.
The TRAITOR who first made the Hero Weapons and freely spread them across all worlds, so they could become strong enough to oppose GODWORLD so many millennia ago. Which had been the cause for them having to abandon other ambitions in the past. It might have resulted in their gain in some cases, but some immortals were not sitting there today because of Heroes who managed to slay them in mortal combat.
It was like he could hear her laughing in his ears again. Saying that the rest of GODWORLD's reckoning was finally at hand.
This was no longer something that could be pushed back till the next set of Waves.
This could no longer be considered entertainment for the people of their world.
Relying on just their cannon fodder to get the job done was no longer an option.
The enlightened ones sitting upon the golden thrones tensed up and subtly tried to move a bit further away from their seats.
The armrests of the tallest throne that the man wearing the Sun Mask was seated upon began to melt and drip down into the abyss below.
It was time for them to begin activating and sending their enforcers alongside the Third Army to these worlds. They could not risk themselves. Not yet. Their plans required them to remain alive for many more millennia yet. And besides, 'they' would rather that TRAITOR never found her way back to their world ever again. As small of a chance as it was, just capturing one of them dead or alive could result in their world's ruin.
But regardless, it was time for them to take this threat seriously.
…
"Well then..." Sun Mask spoke out in a grave tone. "My esteemed fellow members of the board..."
"It appears that we have a problem."
DEMIURGE - God of Light and Order - Chief Executive Officer of GODWORLD.
THE WORLDEATER
Author's Notes:
Writing this, I'm left with conflicted feelings. For one, it took me a long time to finish these five arcs compared to Hope. For another, Arc 9 here is over twice as long as my other longest arcs. Lastly, I immensely enjoyed almost every bit of this. The highs and the lows.
And you know, it's only going to keep getting better. I'm going to look forward to getting into the last segment I want to write; "Virtue of the Shield Hero". I have no idea how many arcs/chapters it'll be. Hope was 63 Chapters over 4 Arcs, Diligence was 88 chapters over 5 arcs, Virtue could very well be 100+ chapters over 6 or more arcs. I'll just have to write and find out what happens.
Arc 10 is going to be a more Motoyasu-centric route covering the beginning of Season Three. So don't expect to see Naofumi and co immediately. As a matter of fact, I'll be going back in time to this arc's first Wave and covering how things went in Raphtalia's world from there. Not to worry though, time passes twice as fast in Glass's world compared to Raphtalia's, so the arc is not going to be nearly as long, (unless I end up with another mountain of stuff to cover thanks to Zeltoble, lol).
Going to have some brave new territory to explore all around. In case I still have some readers confused about the ending for this arc, the LN doesn't have Medea as the antagonist. She doesn't exist in the LN right now, and if she does end up appearing in it later on, it will not be the same Deus Ex Machina individual that was in the WN. Rather, she will be introduced as a character that actually fits into the setting.
That is kind of why I pointed out before at one point that Bitch was her own person. That is why I've said that the WN and the LN are separate stories time and time again. The characters and setting and plot are all different between both of them. And that is especially true for the antagonists behind the Waves that I've crafted here. Yeah, the LN hasn't introduced the higher echelons yet, but it has certainly given enough for me to piece some things together.
Anyway, as for me, I'm super excited to be writing out Virtue next! But before that, I do have a stinger scene written for the end of this, followed by an omake! Not to worry though, Bitch isn't taking over like she did last time! I made absolutely sure that wouldn't be the case this time around.
Though now that Kyo has been dealt with, it might be about time for me to allow her to return to the stage. You'll just have to see what happens next time when Motoyasu takes the lead for a bit at the start of "Virtue of the Shield Hero!"
"So why are we doing this again?" Kizuna asked in a bored voice.
"Because the Mirror said that it wanted us to perform a summoning for it," Glass answered. "And since the Musical Instruments has already found itself a new wielder in Lapis, this might be a sign that the Mirror does not have any candidates living in our world.
The group stood in the middle of the hourglass room. Ethnobalt had a hero relic, a black and white tracksuit with orange highlights, resting on a raised platform in the center. He looked to be preparing a ritual of some kind.
"Weird. I thought Vassal Weapons were capable of choosing people on their own?" Kizuna continued to look bored as she pouted and crossed her arms.
And here she'd been wanting to fish for the next two or three days with her friends. Stupid Vassal Weapon cutting their fun short.
"They can, and they do," L'Arc said on her other side. He had a serious look on his face though. "However, the Mirror put it in no unclear terms that it wanted a summoning ritual to be performed for it as soon as possible. Meaning that whoever it wants to select, it might not have that big a window to summon them."
"Well… Hmph.." Kizuna continued to pout as she turned her head to the side.
However, even though she was bored and a little peeved that her fishing trip had been put on hold because of this, she couldn't deny that she was curious. After all, she was going to see how she'd been summoned from her world all those years ago. After another tense moment, the Boat Hero nodded stiffly.
"Everything appears to be in place." He said to L'Arc.
"Please proceed then." Minister Stone said behind and to the right of the current King Berg.
Ethnobalt nodded and began performing practiced motions with his staff.
All around, a bright glow formed as ancient magic took root. With the tracksuit at the center acting as its catalyst.
"We call for one of good heart and intent.
"For one with the capacity to become something more. Something greater than themselves.
"We ask for one with the strength needed to face the trials ahead. To rise up, and to take upon themselves the mantle of Hero."
As the rabbitman continued to chant in a low voice, the Vassal Mirror appeared out of thin air. Moving into the growing ball of light next to the hero relic.
The Hero relic itself became absorbed in light, but Ethnobalt's voice began to rise more and more. Repeating a mantra over and over, rising in pitch as he raised his staff high, and then-
"We call forth a Hero to save our world and its people in their time of need!"
A loud boom! sounded as a wave of smoke covered everyone there.
Kizuna and Glass began to cough at the unexpected reaction. L'Arc and Ethnobalt, however, had already covered their mouths. They'd expected something like this themselves, due to them being at Kizuna's or the other Cardinal Heroes' summonings in the past.
As the smoke cleared, it was uncertain if the ritual had been successful or not…
...
"Urgh…" But then, a groan sounded from the raised platform.
The smoke cleared enough, revealing a young man in a Japanese-style High School uniform lying in the middle of a diagram on the floor. The Vassal Mirror was stuck to his arm.
He had deep black hair, and even without his outfit, he looked to be no older than 17 at the most. His face bore a striking resemblance to someone they knew, but it was probably just a coincidence.
"Ah, hey there, you okay?" Kizuna asked cheerfully as she bounded up.
"Huh, urgh…" The young man groaned in confusion. "What just happened, one moment my bathroom mirror shattered into a dark void, and the next…"
The others tilted their heads in confusion. Kizuna, however, started to pout.
Seriously, his summoning had been that boring?! Even Truck-Kun sounded better than that.
The young man finally opened his eyes. They were a familiar green. "A… a loli?" He said in confusion.
"What the- WHO ARE YOU CALLING A LOLI, BRAT?! I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW I'M 18- wait, my birthday was last week. 19 NOW!" Kizuna yelled at him.
"Oh, um, sorry, I didn't mean-" The guy began backing away and rubbing his wrist nervously. But the action only drew his eyes to the Mirror resting on that part of his body. "What… what's going on here? Where am I? What happened to me?!"
He was starting to look around frantically. He not only looked confused, but scared.
Kizuna was caught off guard by his reaction. It was nothing like hers when she'd first been summoned.
Then again, she hadn't even realized she'd been summoned at the start. She'd had several months to get herself acclimated to the world before making that realization for herself.
"Oh, um…" She looked to her friends for help, but they simply smiled at her and gestured for her to make the first move.
"I'm… I'm sorry." She finally managed to say. "Here, I promise I'm not that threatening." She got down in front of him and held her hands up in an appealing manner.
Still, it took the summoned Hero another moment before he calmed down enough to listen to her.
Kizuna explained how he'd been summoned by the weapon on his arm. And how he'd been chosen to help her save the world.
Everything he'd need to know was in his help guide. But rest assured, everyone there would now be his friend. And they'd help him to adjust, with Kizuna adding the reassurance that if he was successful, his weapon would grant him a wish that'd allow him to return to his world as hers had done once she'd beaten the Demon Dragon years ago.
Some obvious bits still left the young man confused, as he'd need far more context about certain events for them to make sense. But he did finally calm down completely and looked from Kizuna to the others standing behind her.
"So… this is a fantasy world, huh?" He finally managed to voice out loud.
"It is. But don't treat it as if it isn't real." Kizuna sternly warned. "This isn't some random otaku game wish-fulfillment fantasy come to life. This is a real place that needs our help.
"If you treat it as a game, you will die. And as far as I know, there won't be any respawning from that."
"Are you sure you should be laying into him so thick, Kizuna?" Therese asked unsurely.
"Eh, he'll have us around to protect him and help him grow stronger." Kizuna grinned before winking. "Plus, I gotta pull off the leader vibe while he still doesn't know me."
L'Arc chuckled, and Glass smiled in response. Kizuna continued to grin as she turned around and held out her hand for the young man. "By the way, the name's Kazayama Kizuna! What's your name, kid?!"
The young man still looked confused. But at her smile and the smiles of all the friends around her, he finally began to smile a little in return as he hesitantly raised up his hand to grasp hers.
"I-Iwatani Jun." Jun Iwatani, the younger brother of the Shield Hero, Naofumi Iwatani, replied more confidently, to the shock of everyone there.
"It's nice to meet you!" He then bowed to the group of Heroes.
…
…
"EEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?" The others screamed in surprise and shock at the same time.
Back in another world, where she was attached to her wielder, Shield-Chan began giggling diabolically to herself.
It seemed like her taunting of Mirror-Chan had finally paid off.
Everything was going all according to keikaku.
To Be Continued
Hero Clips!
Long Weird Manga Titles That Somehow Become Popular and Sell Out
Hoshi sat at his desk, trying to think up an idea for a new manga. He still had a lovestruck look in his eyes, as well as claw marks on his face from rubbing it all over Kuro-Chan's belly.
She was so adorable even when she was super mad. He couldn't wait till he had the chance to sink his hands in her soft warm fur again and…
Anyway, since he'd finished his last manga series on a high note, he needed an idea for a new one that'd sell even better than his old one. Something that'd be longer than the last ones, something that'd net him even more funds to help out people around the world.
What could he do though? He'd already had the cute girls and the adorable mascot in his last volume. He needed to do something completely different. Something that'd grab people's attention like nothing else had.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…
As the Ofuda Hero sat there thinking, a certain dual-wielding woman came to mind. He recalled her fighting style in Kyo's Mansion, as well as in subsequent encounters at the reincarnator party as well as the Waves.
Yomogi was really becoming an icon over in Luvar. And she treated Kaoru like her own son.
His thoughts blended with a popular anime he remembered from his old world. And he combined it with his picture-perfect memories of Yomogi, and then…
VOILA! PURE INSPIRATION STRAIGHT FROM HIS BRAIN ONTO THE PAGE!
He drew like his life depended on it. And in an insane amount of time that was only made possible thanks to Weapon Forms that increased his drawing speed without sacrificing quality…
He had the new volume ready for proofreading by the next day.
"The Discount Genderbent Lesbian Kirito Who was Summoned to Save Another World?!" Yomogi said in a loud voice.
"I don't know. That's kind of a mouthful, ain't it?" Daitan asked unsurely.
"Nah, that's normal these days." Akane shrugged after him.
Yomogi was speechless, but not in a good way. For one, she did not like how the character based on her was dressed in all black. Also, from what she could see, she acted like a total edge lord in every drawing she was in!
Kaoru, who read from his perch on her shoulder, HATED the fact that he'd also been included and that his name had been changed to Yuna for some reason as well.
Looking through it quickly, it didn't look like her doppelganger had any personality whatsoever. Her only goal was to fight in admittedly awesome action scenes and get all sorts of girls to fawn over her in the background. The main girl, whose name was Asuna, seemingly had a bit of an obsessive streak in her blood. And there was also a weird sex scene between the two that just... was complete cringe all around.
Yomogi looked up to glare at Hoshi. "There is no way that this will sell."
"I mean, I already drew it, so I might as well publish it anyway, right?" Hoshi shrugged.
He'd gotten everyone's thoughts on it, and while his friends had their opinions on the title, they didn't think it was bad. They couldn't find any serious drawing or translation errors or anything either, so without much applause, Hoshi took the manuscript to his publisher to get it published.
Because Hoshi was set up as one of the only mangaka in the whole world, his publisher printed a healthy one million copies of his first volume to put on shelves. Even if they didn't all sell now, it was almost guaranteed that more would sell over time as Hoshi came out with more volumes.
That was how it'd worked in the past, at least.
To the publisher's shock, however, it didn't even take one week before the first volume was sold out.
Fans gathered in major cities across every country. Demanding for the next volume to be released already.
"WOOOOOO! I'VE STRUCK GOLDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!" Hoshi couldn't draw fast enough with his one hand. His quill was literally on fire.
The sounds of an owl bashing its head against a wall became apparent in the background.
"I cannot believe this," Yomogi said in a dry voice.
"I guess the people of this world have just as weird of tastes as the people in our world." Daitan said to Akane.
"You know, maybe I should bring the outfit of that drawing to life. That might net me a fortune or two if Hoshi's work continues to do well." Akane pondered to herself.
"DO YOU GUYS EVEN CARE THAT MY IMAGE IS BEING USED WITHOUT MY CONSENT?!" Yomogi screamed.
Too bad copyright didn't exist in this fantasy world yet. Kyo really should have pushed harder for that while he was alive.
Yomogi was fuming in her spot. But then, the door crashed open as a new figure came into the room.
"Miss Kirito! My name's Asuna! I'm your biggest fan!" The girl's eyes sparkled with delight.
…
"Wh… Wha…" Yomogi took a step back, looking shocked. Kaoru's red head popped back into the room, only for his eyes to widen as well.
Who was this person, and HOW DID SHE KNOW SHE WAS HERE?!
"Look, I already wrote a million word fanfiction about the two of us going out together and falling in love! And the sex scenes that are in it..." The girl's body shook with excitement. "I soooooo look forward to getting to know you better!"
…
"No! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Yomogi jumped out a window, with Kaoru flying out right behind her.
"Ehehehe!" The crazy fan girl jumped out the window after her. Determined to not let her 'lover' get away.
Where he stood in the background, Allen sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest. He was grateful they no longer had to observe from a cloud anymore, but seeing things up close didn't make this any less ridiculous. "Norin, why the hell do I have to always ruin the hype with these kinds of things?
"I mean, seriously, I freaking namedrop THE WORLDEATER title and then follow it up with this kind of crap. What the hell is wrong with me?"
However, instead of the shadowy figure that'd respond sarcastically or sardonically in these scenarios, someone else stood in the proofreader's place. "In my opinion, I think this turned out great!" Jun said happily.
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan raised a paw on his shoulder happily.
"Heh. And to think I also cleansed Kizuna's Cursed Series so she no longer has that weighing her down. And showed how she'd pissed off Godworld with her actions. Hell, I even added Naofumi's younger brother into this mess, and right at the end too.
"Oh well. I can already feel my readers glaring at me for just casually dropping all these bombshells onto their laps and ruining everything with my meta-commentary. Gotta have something to keep them around for Virtue though.
"Still wish that I could come up with a better name than Jun, but oh well. Them's the brakes... Is it alright for me to quote Mash like that? It was actually a good anime, and-" Allen coughed into his shoulder, before smiling at his marvelous glaring readers.
"Tune in next time, when I change the name of this fic on fanfiction . net, have to separate that so it's not struck out by the site, to "Virtue of the Shield Hero" to mess with the readers and editors on TVTropes even more!
"Man, if only this site could link fics together in a series like on AO3! Then you all wouldn't have to be subjected to One Piece levels of shock when you look at the length of this fanfic on this site! Ahahahaha!"
Yep, the big old author man wasn't going to feel guilty about doing this in the slightest.
But seriously, go read this fic over on AO3. All the arcs are neatly separated so that you don't have to feel so intimidated at how long this fic is now.
And besides that, you can also admire Lyron's art-logs of the many characters, including some of the OCs.
Have fun. ;)
Till Next Time
Allen
Notes:
This is just an extra treat for you AO3 readers. The meaning behind the Otherworld Heroes names besides Kizuna's:
Jewel Hero: Akane Kaori (brilliant red, fragrant, beautiful girl)
Blunt Hero: Daitan Genki (daring, bold lively one)
Ofuda Hero: Hoshi Isao (star, honor, merit)
Thank you again for reading this far. And I do hope I'll see you all as I begin publishing Virtue here and on fanfiction.net.
Pray that I'll have the time, the will, and the strength to see this all through to the end.
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