The Shield Hero Wants to Live a Peaceful Life
Reimi Sugomoto watched with ungodly relief and the slightest bit of glee as the soul of the serial killer and her own murderer, Yoshikage Kira, was seized by the hands of the underworld, his soul body fracturing into shards as more hands tore into him and his summoned stand. The man who had caused so much suffering for so many was finally being delivered his sentence. No more would a family have to wonder where their family had vanished without a trace, no more would a husband come home to an empty home, no more would parents bear long nights waiting for their daughters to return home.
Kira cried out in panic and fear as every attempt at escape met failure. His arms had been cracked from his body as had his legs, so all he could do was jerk his neck away from the grip of the underworld. There was no escaping his fate now.
Yoshikage Kira was being delivered to the bottom of hell, with her as his envoy.
So, it was with no small amount of panic that Reimi felt when Kira's soul flashed before disappearing entirely, his stand vanishing alongside him. A soul wasn't supposed to disappear. They were to be led to the afterlife by an envoy if they were kind, dragged by the hands if they were malevolent, or if they were truly despicable creatures, torn asunder by the hands and carried in pieces to the pits of hell by an envoy.
Delivering such information to the stand users of Morioh, a manhunt never before seen in the town had begun and by the week's end, the group of defenders had reached a dangerous and petrifying conclusion.
For all intents and purposes, in both the physical and astral plane, Yoshikage Kira no longer existed in this world.
"Please, great heroes! Save our world!"
...what?
For the first time in a new world, Yoshikage Kira opened his eyes. While the other three boys made fools of themselves, Kira took in the new world with his eyes wide in wonder. His skin had returned to that of his first body and identity, no longer having the slight tan that Kosaku Kawajiri had displayed. He had been returned to his signature lavender dress suit and was wearing his favorite watch, unbroken by Jotaro's stand.
His hair was strawberry blonde, his eyes were purple, and he wore his signature skull tie.
Yoshikage Kira had been revived… but how?
Tuning into the argument that had brewed between the other three young men and the robe-wearing cultists, Yoshikage Kira decided to make his presence known so he could receive some very important answers to his very important questions.
"Excuse me, but could you please explain once more why us four are here?" Kira interjected, cutting off the spearman in the middle of a threat, "Is there by any chance anyone in charge we can speak with? I believe that would be best for now and we can reconsider our stances."
The head cultist sputtered before thanking him and leading the four of them through the grand halls of what had to be a lushly decorated castle, the other three 'heroes' only temporarily appeased by the outcome. As they walked, Kira was beseeched with endless questions flowing from his mind, 'How was he alive?' 'Where had he been taken?' 'What does he do now?'
"It seems this country has that of a Mediterranean climate," the boy wielding a sword spoke. Speaking of international travel so freely, it seems this boy came from a wealthy family, likely one that never experienced many troubles, societal, financial, or otherwise.
"I have to agree, it isn't particularly anything special, but it should give us nice weather to work with fighting the waves," the bow wielder spoke. Kira himself had never travelled to other countries. Not because he couldn't afford it but simply because he saw no reason to. Why leave his home when everything he would ever need was right in the small town of Morioh. Though with Jotaro and the other stand users there, it might finally be time to abandon the town and move elsewhere. Hopefully the stress of moving wouldn't disrupt his sleep schedule much.
"Presenting the Four Cardinal Heroes of Legend!" The head cultist announced loudly as they walked into a rather large room fit for a king.
"So these are the four heroes of legend? Very well! I am King Aultcray Melromarc XXXII, and we have summoned you in a time of great need." Well wasn't that ironic, an actual King. "Cataclysmic events known as the Waves of Catastrophe have begun. We had believed them to be surmountable with the might of our own armies but with the first wave, our forces were easily repelled and we realized that only with the strength of the Cardinal Heroes could we stand against them. With that being said, Heroes! Present yourselves!" With a raise of his arm attention was driven back to the four.
"Ren Amaki, 17, high school student," the swordsmen spoke firmly.
"Motoyasu Kitamura, 20, college student," the spearman announced boldly.
"Itsuki Kawasumi, 16, high school student," the bowman decreed calmly.
"Kira-" Kira went to introduce himself, but the King strangely cut him off. A simpler man would have waved it off as an honest error, but a man of Kira's profession required more observation and analysis than most. Kira was not welcome here, and seeing no one else speak up to correct the error, he wasn't welcome in the slightest.
This wasn't ideal, but he had been in worse situations before and had come out on top. This would be no different.
So Kira waited for the King to finish his speech, for the heroes to discover their statuses - and wasn't that a concept, stats like those of a video game dictating real life - and for the King to dismiss the heroes to their rooms. A pair of maids led them to their aforementioned rooms, Motoyasu flirting with them the entire trip. Kira momentarily believed he had found a same soul, but that hope was dashed when Motoyasu announced his desire to protect the maids from any danger, waves or otherwise. Such a shame.
After being directed towards their rooms, and bidding the maids a good night, the other heroes immediately launched into discussion, one that quickly grew into a heated debate of the type of video game the world apparently was. It wasn't until Itsuki realized that he existed and asked for his input on the matter.
"I haven't played many games in my life, though I did dabble with Oh! That's a Baseball! as a teenager. I was never much good with them so I focused on more lucrative prospects." Kira answered calmly, 'Afterall, why would I play silly games when I could bask in the scent of a woman's beautifully delicate hands.'
"So you've never played a game like this?" Motoyasu asked. They still haven't asked for his name.
"I have not, nor do I think I will, seeing where we are," Kira responded, feeling a light chill up his spine. He knew this feeling. He had felt it for the many stressful days and one repeated day that Jotaro Kujo and his damned nephew spent scouring the town for him. Someone was watching him. He couldn't afford to show that he knew, it wouldn't be good to show his hand and he hadn't had an opportunity to test if he still had Killer Queen.
Motoyasu, Itsuki, and Ren all shared a glance, and nodded as if everything about this situation made total sense.
"Well, let me make things simple for you… uhhhhhh…" Motoyasu trailed off.
"Kira Yoshikage, 33, businessman," Kira filled in the blanks helpfully.
"Right! I knew that!" Motoyasu chuckled as Ren facepalmed and Itsuki raised a brow, "Anyway, the thing with shielders is that… they're absolutely terrible and no one ever plays them."
Well that didn't sound good, especially if he didn't have Killer Queen. "And why would that be?"
Itsuki took the moment to interject, "Well that's mostly due to how Shielders have much lower power scaling as you progress through the levels. Sure, they're very beginner friendly and will easily tank through everything the lower levels can throw at them, but higher level enemies will quickly outpace shielder's growths or will have defense piercing attacks that completely negate the entire class." He finished his long winded explanation with a little swivel or his glasses.
Kira nodded as if he understood most of that.
Well, at least he knows the Shield is supposedly terrible. Turning to the other two, they nodded solemnly in tandem. Shit. He was in enemy territory with his identity easily accessible and no options to defend himself, much less indulge in his hobby.
Motoyasu coughed to clear up the awkward air they had created with their explanation of Kira's poor luck. "Well, since we're through with that, why don't we talk about other stuff?"
Kira took a moment to consider, it was getting rather late, but it would be good to gather as much information as possible. "Well I must admit, I'm quite curious as to what you three were doing before you were summoned, seeing as my own circumstances were not so favorable." The three younger men blanched, each one reached for different parts of their bodies; Ren his side, Motoyasu his chest, and Itsuki just sat down for support. "I take it you three died to come here as well?"
Ren nodded shakily, "I was walking home with a friend of mine when we came across a serial killer. He tried to attack her but I pushed her away and held the man back. I tried to stop him but he ended up stabbing me in the side and fled the scene." Ren would never forgive himself for not realizing a serial killer sat right across from him as he said those words.
Motoyasu continued the conversation with his own retelling, "There were these two amazing ladies that I was friends with and I might have been dating both of them. When they found out, both of them said the other didn't deserve me so they killed me and themselves so we could be together in heaven." He breathed out a shaky sigh, "Hell of a lotta good that did."
"I forgot to look both ways when I crossed the street when I was struck by a truck," Itsuki was short and to the point, Kira gave him his mental thanks.
The three men looked to Kira, "My head was crushed under the wheel of an ambulance. I felt every piece of skull that fractured off and it was agonizing. I don't doubt my brain made one mess of a puddle under the wheel." His tone was emotionless and left nothing as indication to his thoughts or emotions. A true blank slate.
Ren and Motoyasu grimaced while Itsuki turned a shade of green at the description.
Kira looked outside past the balcony, seeing the night grow ever darker. "Well, I believe its time for me to head to bed. We will most likely have an early morning come tomorrow and I don't want to mess with my sleep schedule." He stood up and walked to the door, faint sounds of scurrying was heard on the other end. Kira bade the three goodnight and left for his room.
Closing the door softly behind him with a click, he looked down to his arm, praying upon fate to grant him one more boon in this battle. Seeing muscular white arms fade into existence above his own was the answer to his prayers he had been wishing for. Killer Queen materialized fully behind Kira, its white skin rippling with familiar muscle, wearing a champion's belt with skulls and a vacant lavender stare, this was the stand that Kira had been gifted. From the back of Killer Queen's hand, a second being popped out and grew into the size of a small tank. This was Killer Queen's second bomb, Sheer Heart Attack. Finally, Kira could feel the third and final bomb within Killer Queen, an ability that had the potential to release him from this terrible fate, Bites The Dust.
With a breath of fresh air and a relaxed smile, Kira looked out into the world as a free man with a simple wish. A wish to live a peaceful, quiet life.
The night passed quickly and before he knew it, Kira was standing before a number of different men and women, each of them dressed impeccably fancily, no doubt to impress the heroes before them. Though Kira could tell they were all blue bloods, likely the sons and daughters of nobles that they hoped to saddle with the heroes to further bolster their status. How could he tell? Their hands were smooth, few callouses if any were present on any of their hands. Though there was one green haired woman dressed in tight fitting clothes that allowed mobility and what looked like knuckle dusters.
"Adventurers! Choose your hero!" The King bellowed over them. So they got to choose? That hardly seemed effective for the four people you supposedly summoned to protect your world, but ultimately it didn't matter much to Kira. If all it took to live a quiet life was beat these so-called waves, then he could live with it for the time being, and hopefully indulge a bit in his hobby in the meantime. Some of these women are truly beautiful, their hands untainted by battle, and if he had his way, it would stay as such.
Unfortunately for Kira, every person avoided him during their selection of heroes, though he refrained from voicing his opinion. This could actually work in his favor. If there were stand users here as well, it would do good to hide it as best he could, and with fewer eyes, he could indulge far easier.
"Well, I must say I didn't expect this…" the King puts on a performance with poorly hidden contempt for Kira's situation. "It would appear there would be a rumor regarding the Shield Hero's lack of knowledge on our world. It is written in the scriptures that heroes are summoned with intrinsic knowledge of our world."
Motoyasu leaned in and whispered to the older man, "Looks like someone listened in on us last night."
Kira still refused to show any discernible emotion, "So it would seem."
The King made a show of asking the adventurers to reconsider, but none budged… at least until a red haired woman rose her hand at seemingly the last moment and with great joy and fervor in her voice announced her willingness to join his party.
"...Are you sure?" Motoyasu asked nervously.
"I am sure, Sir Spear Hero, I simply cannot stand to watch the Shield Hero venture out completely on his lonesome. If it is I who has to stand beside him, then so be it." The redhead spoke happily.
"Very well, if all adventurers have decided, then the initial war chests shall be given." The King beckoned for the man beside him to step forward, a lavish chest sitting atop a ruby pillow was opened and inside were four cloth bags. "For the Sword, Bow, and Spear Heroes, they will be awarded 600 silvers. For the Shield Hero, as he will have to find and recruit members himself, he will be awarded 800 silvers." Each hero went up and collected his amount. "Now, with your parties assembled and your stipends given, go forth heroes! Train till your bodies are weary and save us all from the waves!"
With those words, the meeting came to an end and the heroes were ushered outside, where Motoyasu, Ren, and Itsuki all immediately left without another word, seemingly making the most of their gaming knowledge.
"Where shall we go first, Sir Hero?" The woman - Myne as she had introduced herself - asked.
"I would like to experience how tough this world is. I've spent most of my life outside of combat, it would be best to know how strong these enemies are before equipping ourselves accordingly." Kira wisely spoke, easily spotting the huff and short glare Myne sent at him from behind his back before reverting to her happy demeanor.
"Well that is a smart way to go about it, very well then, Sir Hero, allow me to lead you to battle!" She took his arm in her hands, hugging it between her ample cleavage and taking off. It elicited the reaction she wanted, a blush appearing on Kira's cheeks, but not for the reason she believed.
'Her hands…' Kira belligerently thought, 'They're incredibly soft and supple!'
Before long they had arrived at a large field just outside the Castle Town walls. Kira looked around confusedly until Myne called for his attention.
"In these fields, there are hundreds of beginner level monsters called balloons. They might seem harmless, but when they gang up, they can give novices a very difficult run for their money, so be careful Sir Hero." She warned him.
Waltzing through the tall grass, Kira took a deep breath of the crisp and fresh air of this world. Truly it was a marvel that such a place existed. It would seem fate was still on his side, having saved him from his death and taking him here to a utopia of his greatest imagination. A light gnawing sensation on his arm shook him from his stupor. Looking towards his elbow, he saw an orange round creature attempting to bite through his suit, making very little progress on its endeavor.
"Hmm…" Kira grabbed the round monster in his hands and with a little force from Killer Queen overlapped with his own, the balloon was crushed in his grip. Myne who had begun to call out in worry stopped in shock. The Shield Hero crushing the rubber balloon with just his grip? It was unheard of. The hero spoke of being in combat at one point in his life, right? She would have to be cautious.
"It would seem these monsters are far too weak at the moment," Kira aptly took notice of the exp gained notification he got before promptly ignoring it. "I believe we are well enough equipped at the moment, so it would be prudent for us to learn the locations of the town, would you not agree?"
"I-I-I-" Myne coughed into her hands, "Of course, Sir Hero! I'd be happy to show you around!"
Myne took him across the entire town, showing him places of note, including the blacksmith, magic shop, several inns, an armory, and the guild. At one point, they passed a large circus tent, though they skipped past it with the excuse that it was, "just a little street performance". Kira would most definitely come back to it later.
The two finished their impromptu tour of the city with only an hour of daylight left, the waning sun already beginning to paint the world in golden and red hues, leading the two to retire for the night in one of the inns Myne had showed Kira earlier that day. Sitting down at a table in the corner and ordering themselves some food, they planned together for the next day's adventure.
"Right here is a beginner level dungeon that we can scope out for some good equipment. With my amazing and incredible swordplay and your defense, there shouldn't be any difficult challenges for us inside." Myne bragged more about herself than the summoned hero beside her, but that was fine. Kira didn't really mind.
Their food arrived soon after and the two quieted down to enjoy a wonderful meal. It was a bit much for Kira's tastes but it was always nice to experience something new. Occasionally they would get into a short conversation, usually geared towards different aspects of this new world Kira found himself in, but other than that the two were silent. They finished their food quickly and Myne poured herself and him a cup of wine, asking the older man to join her in a toast towards defeating the waves.
"I'm terribly sorry, but I'm not usually one for drinking and I wouldn't want to mess up my sleep schedule with too much wine." Kira politely declined.
"Oh really? You know in Melromarc, it's actually considered quite rude to decline a woman's offer to drink." Myne pushed further.
"Then in that case you will have to forgive me, as I do not want to drink right now." Kira sternly declined once more, "Now if that is all, I will be seeing myself to bed, have a nice night, Myne." Kira bid his goodbye, easily spotting Myne's vicious smile even as he retreated to his room thanks to Killer Queen.
Entering his room, he stripped himself of his suit and dressed himself in some sleepwear he had bought earlier in the day. He laid in bed, preparing to drift to sleep.
Two hours later, in the dead of night, his room door creaked open, Myne's familiar figure slipping into the room almost silently. She took a moment to inspect the room for the Shield Hero's valuables, instantly spotting the strange suit and the pouch of money beside it. As silently as she could, Myne reached for the items, but a sudden grip, as powerful as a dragon's maw, clamped down on her forearm, crushing it slightly in its grip. Myne held in a cry of pain, looking desperately for whatever being had taken hold of her, but she could see nothing, non stand users unable to see Killer Queen holding her in place.
Myne desperately tugged her hand, trying again and again to free it and her from whatever trap the Shield Hero had set for thieves.
"If you intend to betray an ally, I recommend you make sure you are capable of hiding your true intentions first." A deep and supple voice resounded behind her. Myne dreadfully turned around to stare down the Shield Hero, but where once was a man now stood a demon. Kira's calm demeanor transformed into a terrifying stoic figure, the shadows outlining showing Myne only the man's purple eyes, snippets of his blonde hair, and his jawline.
"Ah-! S-Sir Hero! I-I'm terribly sorry to disturb you while you were sleeping but I h-had heard rumors of a thief attempting to-" The force gripping her hand tightened further and Myne could audibly hear her ulna snapping under the pressure. A cry went to escape her lips but it was silenced by Kira's own hand.
Myne's terrified eyes met Kira's stoic own. One pair filled with emotion, raw and panicked, the other subtly leaking lust. All Myne could do in her state was stare directly at the man who held complete power over her, any attempts to escape were halted by the unseen force, and any attempts at crying for help were smothered by Kira. 'What in god's name is this man?!'
"My name is Yoshikage Kira. I'm currently 33 years old. Not that you'd care, but I resided in northeast Morioh's villa district. Also, I've yet to marry. In order to make a living, I used to work for Kame Yu department stores. After a long day's work, I returned home no later than 8 PM. I don't like smoking, but do enjoy the occasional drink. I'm always in bed by 11 PM, and I make it a point to get no less than 8 hours of sleep each night. Before bed, I drink a warm glass of milk. It's always coupled with 20 minutes of stretching to decompress from the long workday. Sweet dreams are the usual result of this."
Myne could only stare in growing fear and confusion as Kira continued his impromptu speech, "I then awake as refreshed and recharged as a newborn child, ready to take on the day's challenges. And after my last checkup, I was given a clean bill of health. For as long as I could remember, I've done everything in my power to live a productive life that allows me to pursue a lasting inner peace. This may be a foreign concept, but I choose not to concern myself with winning or losing, life's troubles, or enemies who bring sleepless nights. That is how I cope with this backwards life we find ourselves living. It's what brought me happiness in a world fraught with hardship and misery. Of course, if I were ever to engage in combat, I would win the battle without question. And then I was summoned here. To this place where all my enemies were a world away and there is no one who can match my power. If I chose to, I could take this world for my own, but that is not what I want. All I've ever wanted, even in a new world such as this, is to live a peaceful, quiet life."
Myne's breathing began to pick up, as she picked up on his meaning. Kira took one her hands in his own, inspecting with a delicate hand, feeling the supple softness and perfect length of her fingers.
"Truly, you are blessed, your hands hold no calluses and your skin no blemishes. Your beauty is truly unparalleled. You are the most perfect hand I will have taken so far. Killer Queen."
Myne screeched out an unheard cry for help, muffled by Kira's hand as she watched the skin from her forearm and up bubble horrifically, spreading farther and farther across her body, before she erupted silently, leaving behind only faint traces of smoke that were already wafting away and a single hand, held in Kira's own.
"For the time we will spend together, I shall take care of you, me dear." Kira spoke softly to the hand while stroking it softly. He reached for his lavender suit, and slid the hand into the inside pocket, away from prying eyes.
With his partner reduced to dust in the wind and a hand in his pocket, Kira resettled onto his bed, falling to a restful sleep without a single worry.
Outside his window, across the street, a single shadow quietly shook and shivered in fear, one of her hands grasping onto her chest, right above her heart. She had seen everything, the attempted and failed robbery, the princess's sudden halt, the Shield Hero's speech, the princess's arm snapping in two from some unseen entity and finally, the princess being blown up and reduced to nothing but ashes before the Shield Hero kept her hand as some sort of deranged prize.
The Queen's shadow took deep quiet breaths in an attempt to calm herself. She had to report everything before it was too late, more so than it already was. The Queen would not enjoy hearing that the princess was dead and the Shield Hero was a serial killer with incredible power.
Only God knows who defeated such a monster in his own world. She prayed for all the victims, both in the past and soon to come.
But for now, this shadow had a world to save from its Hero.
Notes:
This idea first started with Myne's death scene and from there it kinda spiraled. I really like the idea of Kira of all people being in Rising of the Shield Hero, solely because he would be the villain and bandit that everyone made Naofumi out to be but with the power and experience to actually follow through with it.
No one can see stands, and Killer Queen is a touch of death stand with a variety of methods for murder, truly it would make the waves look like a cakewalk if Kira wanted to take it over.
I don't plan on following up with this story, but if anyone else wants to continue it, I'm all for it! Just please credit me if you do for the idea and I'll have no objections!
Anyway, that's all folks! See you in other stories!
- RandomA99