Hello, my fellow readers. The seventh chapter of The Mischievousness of the Shield Hero has been released. I apologize for taking a while to upload a new chapter. I was busy working with another experimental story, which should be uploaded right now.
THE MISCHIEVOUSNESS OF THE SHIELD HERO
CHAPTER 7: WAVES OF CATASTROPHE
A couple of weeks later, Raphtalia became an adult at a rapid pace which confused Loki and Sigyn. They then remembered that the biology of a demi-human age is different from human biology, as well as asgardian and frost giant biology because Loki aged slower like humans. Although her cuteness as a child disappeared, her beauty as an adult made up for it. Currently, Raphtalia was fighting a porcupine monster while Sigyn was collecting the quills from the ground for Loki.
"She really has grown huh." Loki said while there was a porcupine quill on his forehead.
"She really has, but umm… there's a quill on your head, master." Sigyn pointed out, as she blocked an incoming quill with her sword instinctively.
"Eh, I don't mind it." Loki said until his forehead was itching, resulting in him removing the quill by pulling it out. "…Ow."
As Raphtalia was struggling to defeat the porcupine monster due to its speed, Loki signaled Sigyn to help her while he'll join in a while after unlocking some new sweet shields and skills. He has unlocked numerous shields, but they're not really helpful in battle. He's hoping to have one like Air Strike Shield as it's really helpful albeit temporarily.
Loki unlocked four shields such as Pikyupikyu Shield which grants him simple wood restoration; Wood Shield which gave him woodcutting skills; Butterfly Shield which gave him resistance to paralysis; and Pipe Shield which is probably the jackpot out of the four shields. It gave him another skill called "Shield Prison".
"Master Loki!" Sigyn and Raphtalia called out, as the porcupine monster was heading towards his direction because he was 'defenseless'.
"You're persistent and annoying." Loki then activates the skill. "Shield Prison!"
Upon activating the skill, a ball prison of chains appeared and entrapped the porcupine monster easily. Raphtalia and Sigyn leaped into the air and struck the monster after the prison dispersed in green particles, as the quills were flying everywhere. The two of them then rest beside him for a few minutes, looking at the bright sky.
"The Wave is almost here." Loki announced, recalling the hourglass he saw earlier, which caused both of his disciples to flinch. "We need to have new equipment. I'm not gonna last long in this rugged clothing."
"Aren't you invincible because you're a frost giant?" Sigyn asked.
Loki chuckled, "Frost Giants aren't strong nor durable as you thought, Sigyn. And I'm still a baby chick of the frost giants compared to the mature ones. I'm still vulnerable to attacks."
"But you're a god, right? Aren't you… all powerful?" Raphtalia asked curiously.
"If I was, I wouldn't be beaten by mere mortals such as The Avengers. All the pantheons called themselves gods because of humans. And we pride ourselves with it." Loki confessed the reason why he and his fellow deities are called 'gods'. "Anyway, this isn't important right now. We need to buy some new equipment."
"Yes, master." Raphtalia and Sigyn agreed with him.
While walking back to town, Loki stared at his and his disciples' levels. He was currently at Level 26 while Sigyn and Raphtalia were both Level 24. He was proud that both of them were slightly experienced in combat though there is still some improvement though he was a bit worried that they might stab him in the back in the future, but he ignored it for now. He hopes he didn't just jinx himself.
After arriving at Erhard's shop once again, he was quite surprised about Raphtalia's growth when she was just an adorable child a few weeks ago.
"Damn, I barely recognized you." Erhard said. "You've grown to be a beauty."
"Oh? Is Mr. Erhard interested in dating my lil sis, Raphtalia?" Sigyn asked teasingly, which caused Raphtalia to blushed while Loki facepalmed because the tease was too good.
Erhard snickered, "No, I'm not interested in dating young girls. I was just complimenting her beauty."
"Relax, Erhard. She's just teasing you." Loki reassured his friend.
Erhard heavily sighed, "Kids these days. So, what can I help you with?"
"The Waves are coming so we need some equipment. I need new protective gear, Raphtalia needs a new sword for her height, and Sigyn needs a bow. She's quite talented with archery." Loki answered.
"Huh? A bow?" Sigyn questioned her master. "Master, all I did was throw the dagger at the monsters' head."
"Yet you threw them accurately… every time. The only person who could do that was Hawkeye. You'll be helpful as an archer, so you need a bow. Are you okay with it?" Loki asked.
"Yes, master." Sigyn answered while smiling. "Does that mean I'm Hawkeye in the group?"
"Oh goodness gracious. I regret telling you that." Loki said while Raphtalia giggled.
"What are you guys talking about? Who's Hawkeye?" Erhard asked curiously.
"That's classified. Now, please give us a recommendation of things I requested, Erhard." Loki said.
"All right, all right."
A minute later, Erhard gave Raphtalia and Sigyn a new sword and bow that are made out of strong material and wood. He doesn't have any protective gear for Loki, but he'll smith one for him later. He gave them a discount because they've been regulars in his shop for a couple of weeks now. After buying the equipment, Loki secretly slid in a paper before the three of them left. Erhard went to his work area to make an armor for the Prince of Asgard and opened the note which was an odd request to make.
Sigyn and Raphtalia entered a diner for some lunch while Loki went roaming around the town as he wasn't hungry yet. The metabolism of a frost giant is a bit different than ordinary humans and asgardians. While roaming around the town, the townsfolk stared at him curiously and cautiously. Loki snickered as some people couldn't believe that he was still called a 'Shield Demon' when he hadn't done anything devilish.
"Well… except for the time I threatened most shopkeepers with balloons." Loki said while looking at the balloon who was munching on his hips. "I mean, it was hilarious to see their reaction to my monsters."
Suddenly, Loki stopped as he felt someone was watching him. It isn't the Heroes nor the princess, but something else. He felt that some kind of an assassin was watching him from afar. The reason he knew it was because he briefly felt it from Black Widow.
'Somebody's watching me. Who is it?' Loki asked curiously, as he was conjuring out his dagger unknowingly until he stopped when everyone was staring at him. 'Nevermind. I'll find out who you are. I've dealt with assassins in ancient times easily. You'll be no different.'
After roaming the town for some fresh air, he sold more monster skins, medical herbs, and potions for some coins which he fairly has a lot of. Later, Raphtalia and Sigyn joined him again. Raphtalia told her master about Sigyn buying her children meals again when she's no longer a child, which made Loki laugh. He wished he had been there to see it for himself.
A few hours later, the three of them went back to Erhard's shop. The new armor for Loki has already been made. His new armor was made out of pikyupikyu feathers, porcupine and usapil skins, and some raw copper and iron. The armor oddly resembles his 2012 Battle Armor though it doesn't have any gold (which is replaced with iron) within it as Erhard doesn't have any gold material to do so. [1]
"You really requested an odd armor, kid." Erhard said. "This is what you wore in your world?"
"Yeah, though it isn't as accurate as the original one, but it's close enough." Loki said. "What about my horned helmet?"
Erhard sighed before giving the iron horned helmet, "I don't know where you got this taste. You look more like a villain rather than a hero right now."
"But I do look rather dashing, aren't I?" Loki twirled fashionably to let everyone see his new armor.
"You look so fabulous, master!" Raphtalia complimented her master.
"Although it's a bit much, whatever suits your taste is fine with me, though your armor looks a bit odd without any gold plating." Sigyn said, recalling a similar costume that her master wore during his villain days.
"I can fix that with a bit of an…" Loki cast an illusion magic to change the iron platings to gold. "…illusion."
"I still can't get over the fact you can do that." Erhard said until he remembered something and gave it to Loki. "Here's your other request though I don't understand why you need such a simple 'logo'."
Erhard gave Loki three light steel badges that had the letter 'A' with an arrow replacing the line. Sigyn and Raphtalia recognize the logo immediately during their master's explanation about the heroes. It was The Avengers logo. Loki smirked at the badges before giving them to Sigyn and Raphtalia.
"Congratulations, you're officially a member of The Avengers..." Loki announced the two of them. "…including me."
"Master…" Raphtalia then stared at the badge on her sword while Sigyn placed hers on the bow in order for everyone to see it.
"I still don't understand what this Avengers stuff you're talking about." Erhard said.
"They're the Legendary Heroes from Master Loki's world! They save the world many times!" Raphtalia answered excitedly, which made Loki and Sigyn giggled.
"Oh? Legendary Heroes? I didn't know your world has heroes as well, kid." Erhard was surprised that 'Earth' had heroes, as he didn't expect any other worlds aside from here didn't have any.
"You could say. And for the final time, I'm not a kid, old man." Loki teased Erhard.
"I'm so hurt from that insult." Erhard said sarcastically before chuckling. "Anyway, you still need to pay for that including the odd badges."
"I know. How much is it?" Loki asked while conjuring one of the pouches in his hand.
"About…" Erhard was interrupted by the crowd.
Through an alleyway, they saw knights returning from their missions while the people gathered around and witnessed the knights. Loki could feel the tense mood in the town due to the incoming Wave. Raphtalia could feel it as well because she once experienced it before.
"We need to get going." Loki said. "But first, we need to go to the Hourglass in order to see how much time we have left and make a plan."
"Agreed." Sigyn agreed with her master.
"It seems you're knowledgeable about Hourglass as well. Those rumors about you being clueless of this world are false." Erhard said.
"Aren't there some rumors that are?" Loki pointed out.
After paying Erhard, Loki disguised his new armor with the illusion of his rugged clothes from before. He felt like his "Glorious Purpose Armor" would've attracted too much attention. He couldn't believe that he actually named his armor "Glorious Purpose". It sounds a bit too cheesy now that he thinks about it. In his defense, it sounds badass when he was a heartless villain.
While inside a temple, the three of them were following a nun as it was their first time entering the place, except for Loki who secretly went inside a week ago due to curiosity. He didn't tell his disciples as they might be furious with him for leaving out the fun. A minute later, his two disciples saw the gigantic hourglass which is the Red Hourglass of the Dragon's Era. A bit of a mouthful name for Loki.
"That's a pretty hourglass." Raphtalia said.
"Can it even be called an hourglass? It's more like a monthglass or something." Sigyn pointed out while the golden things were slowly spinning.
"Nonetheless, that isn't important right now." Loki said, as the shield shot a green ray of light at the hourglass which caused the timer to appear before him. "We only have 20 hours and 12 minutes left until the Wave. It's enough time to make a plan. We just need to know where the Wave will take place."
"Well, if it isn't the self-proclaimed prince and god, Loki." A familiar voice who is carrying a spear said, as Loki stared at him with an unamused expression. "You're wearing something ridiculous like that? It doesn't give a 'princely' vibe, you know."
Loki snickered, "It's good to see you again, spearhead."
"Who are these people?" Raphtalia asked Sigyn.
"I'm guessing he's the Spear Hero." Sigyn said while containing her anger for Malty who was standing behind the Spear Hero.
"I see you're doing well, princess. Did you finish sulking?" Loki asked sarcastically, as Malty glared at him with hatred.
"You don't get to talk to her, criminal!" Motoyasu exclaimed, as Loki rolled over his eyes.
A second later, Ren the Sword Hero and Itsuki the Bow Hero arrived at the Hourglass with their parties much to Loki's disdain as he didn't want to see more ugly faces today. As Loki and his companions were about to leave, Motoyasu was suddenly talking to Raphtalia and Sigyn.
"Hello, ladies. I'm Motoyasu Kitamura the Spear Hero." Motoyasu introduced himself to them, much to Raphtalia's confusion and Sigyn's disgust. "You two are adorable!"
'He's got to be humoring me right now. Are all humans this lustful?' Loki was frozen from shock and disgust that Motoyasu would flirt with two young adults when he had a party filled with women already.
"Sir Motoyasu, you shouldn't be associating with a demi-human trash and a commoner filth." Malty suggested while glaring at Sigyn who glared back at her while clenching her fist.
Motoyasu ignored the princess, "Say, beautiful ladies. Would you love to save this world alongside me and my trusty party?"
"We refuse." Sigyn denied the offer instantly. "We're already fighting alongside Master Loki. And I wouldn't want to fight with someone… b*tchy."
Malty was filled with anger after being called a 'bitch' by a mere commoner, but she couldn't strike the girl, otherwise, everyone would know that she once manipulated this commoner to kill the Shield Hero if she attacked her now. She internally vowed that she'll kill her for being such an annoyance.
"Yeah… sorry." Raphtalia denied the offer as well.
"Loki?" Motoyasu then glared at Loki. "That isn't a good idea! If you're with him, you'll be in danger of being…!"
"Of being what, Motoy-ass-u? For being a murderer and a rapist? Did you honestly forget that I was deemed innocent on that day?" Loki reminded the Spear Hero and everyone while Raphtalia and Sigyn were silently laughing at the insult name.
Motoyasu scoffed, "You may have won, criminal, but you'll be exposed one day! I'm saving these beautiful ladies from suffering the same fate as those guards!"
Loki heavily sighed, "You're really a hopeless lad."
"What about you, 'Your Highness'? You can't even fight." Motoyasu pointed out, as Loki raised his eyebrow in confusion. "You lied about being able to use weapons from your world. I admit, you got me… but that means you'll be useless in a fight. All you can do is defend yourself while me and the two heroes will fight to our last breath."
Loki finally understood and smirked, 'My plan worked. They thought it was an illusion of me holding the dagger, not the real me. They'll be underestimating me now because I'm defenseless.' He signaled his two disciples to not tell everyone about his capabilities. "Ah yes, how unfortunate. Now, get out of our way."
As Loki swept past Motoyasu alongside with his two disciples, Motoyasu was in disbelief that Loki was unaffected by his harsh words. He couldn't see any frustration on the self-proclaimed prince' face.
"I'm sure you're aware of rumors about Loki." Motoyasu said, but Loki remained unaffected by his words once again.
"We know, and we don't care. For the last time, we refuse." Sigyn cursed the Spear Hero, much to Loki's satisfaction.
The three of them continue to head towards the exit. Loki couldn't handle looking at these fools. He would've loved to stick around to make them dance around his palm, but he couldn't as tomorrow will be an eventful day.
"See you at the Wave." Itsuki said while closing his eyes to avoid contact with the deity.
"Don't get in my way." Ren said.
"Oh, don't worry. It's not like I'm the one that is going to get their companions killed." Loki said while mischievously smirking, as Ren and his party glared at him with a secret killing intent but Loki and his two disciples already left the temple.
"Those poor ladies are going to suffer from him." Motoyasu said, as his party members agreed with him.
"Let them go, Lord Motoyasu. They're not going to do much anyway." Malty said while glaring at Sigyn. 'I hope you suffer for insulting the royal family, brat.'
"True." Motoyasu said before sighing. "They'll give up on him eventually."
At night, the three of them stayed at an inn. Loki rented a separate room while Sigyn rented hers and shares with Raphtalia. Loki was successfully making more medicinal herbs and potions though there are a lot that were wasted. He stayed up late to make them as it's going to be a tough battle tomorrow, so it's necessary to sacrifice his sleep.
Loki heavily sighed, "Are those idiots really falling for the princess' plan to expose me? It's so obvious that even a toddler could tell they're being deceived."
Loki was amused that the three Heroes aren't slightly terrified of him anymore. A few weeks ago after threatening the king, neither of them would make eye contact with him because they sensed that they're weaker than him. But now, they're acting high and mighty because they're gotten stronger.
"Strength doesn't mean a thing if one is… deceitful." Loki said, as he already thought of many ways to defeat the heroes even before they were strong. "They should've relied on their intelligence more. I might've befriended them."
Loki was curious why these three idiots were chosen as Legendary Heroes. If he recalls, there's a spirit living within the weapons so he wondered why the spirits chose them. Why couldn't it be someone worthy like Captain America or Iron Man? Though the former fits more as a Shield Hero than him. He shook the thoughts off his mind and continued crafting more potions.
On the other side of the room, Sigyn was filled with hatred thanks to Malty. She wanted to crush her head so bad, but she restrained herself because the negativity might affect Loki and Raphtalia. Also, she might've been weaker than her, considering Malty a princess so she must've been gifted with powerful magic.
"Are you okay, Big Sis?" Raphtalia asked worriedly.
"It's kind of weird now that you call me 'big sis' yet you're probably older than me." Sigyn pointed out which made Raphtalia giggled. "And yes, I'm alright. There's just something on my mind."
Sigyn vowed to restrain her anger of Malty in order to avoid bad public image from the people, as her master and her lil sis would suffer from it. She also didn't want her parents, who are living in her grandparents' house, to suffer at the cruel princess' hands because of her. She wondered why the royal family is so cruel and evil. She has low hopes that they'll be redeemed compared to her master who was once a vengeful god.
"Hey, Big Sis. Which Avenger do you think I am?" Raphtalia asked curiously while staring at the Avengers logo that is implanted on her sword.
"Mhm… I don't know. I don't think the Avengers have any sword heroes." Sigyn answered. "But if I had to choose… it'll probably be Black Widow."
"Really…? But I'm not really as skilled nor manipulative as her." Raphtalia said. "Plus, her hero name is a spider. I'm a raccoon."
Sigyn giggled, "An agile raccoon demi-human that could fight monsters. I don't think I've ever seen any other of your kind do that."
Raphtalia smiled, "Thanks, Big Sis."
A few minutes later, the two ladies slowly drifted into their sleep while Loki continued to craft more potions as numerous of them failed now. He was starting to get annoyed and wondered how humans could have so much patience doing something annoying like this. He's impressed with them.
At early dawn, the three of them went to the town center where they waited for the Waves of Calamity to arrive. Loki was too exhausted to look at the timer. He hoped that it wouldn't hinder the fight. He internally called himself an idiot for thinking he'll be energized, as even gods needed to sleep.
"I'm so exhausted…" Loki said.
"It's not our fault that we spent the entire night crafting potions." Sigyn said teasingly, as Raphtalia nodded in agreement.
"Ha Ha. Very cheeky of you." Loki said dryly.
While waiting for the Waves to occur, Raphtalia had something to say from her mind. She hugged Loki and Sigyn, much to their surprise and confusion of the sudden action.
"Raphtalia? Are you okay?" Sigyn asked worriedly.
"No, it's just that… I'm grateful to both of you." Raphtalia said. "I'm glad I met you both. Master Loki, you cured my illness and gave me warm meals. Big Sis, you loved me as your own sister. You taught me and showed me how to survive."
There were many good memories flowing through her mind, such as when Master Loki was warm and friendly towards her, bonding with Sigyn for a couple of weeks, learned the history about Earth's Legendary Heroes, comforted by Master Loki and Big Sis Sigyn about her nightmares, and taught her how to embrace the fear of monsters to become a hero, an Avenger. They gave her a goal of saving everyone from suffering the same fate as her and avenge those who had fallen. Master Loki and Big Sis are everything to her. They were her new family.
"I will fight by your side until the end." Raphtalia declared to Loki and Sigyn, which stunned both of them as the sun fully appeared in the sky. "I will go wherever you may go, even across the universe."
After Raphtalia's heartwarming gratitude and declaration, Loki and Sigyn were silent. Sigyn was proud of her lil sister as she has really become an independent adult while Loki was speechless. There are few tears that were flowing from his eyes as nobody has ever been grateful to him, except for his mother who was grateful that he was born. It's a nice feeling he experienced right now. Both of them hugged Raphtalia back.
"I'm also grateful that you're family, Raphtalia." Loki said while holding back his tears.
"Same." Sigyn agreed, as some tears were flowing from her eyes.
The three of them continued to hug each other, ignoring the countdown of the incoming Waves. Meanwhile, Ren was waiting with his companions on a cliff, Itsuki and his companions bid farewell to the villagers they saved, and Motoyasu was in a pub with his harem of women. After the countdown hits zero, the sky turns red instantly. Loki, Sigyn, and Raphtalia broke out of their hugs as they stared at the sky. They were then suddenly teleported somewhere in a golden light.
Loki, Sigyn, and Raphtalia were teleported to a familiar location. They looked at the red sky quickly, as neon-like whorls were swirling in the sky. The monsters emerged from those whorls, much to the trio's horrors. After hearing some footsteps from below, they looked over the cliff and saw the other Heroes running towards the army of monsters.
"It's them. Can they really handle those things?" Loki wondered while mumbling, as he remembered about the horrific invasion of an alien army that he occurred. "This monster invasion was ten times bigger than the ones I caused in New York."
"Master Loki! Look over there!" Raphtalia pointed at the familiar village. "It's Ryute Village! The village that helped us so much!"
"You've got to be joking with me." Loki said before groaning, as he wanted to check the area where the other heroes were heading. "Have they been evacuated?"
"They probably didn't as they probably thought there's a slight chance for a Wave to occur in this area." Sigyn answered with a guess.
A second later, an emergency signal was sent in the sky. It came from the village which means that they're in trouble from the monsters right now. The three of them were deeply worried about the villagers.
"They're asking the knights for help, but it's impossible for them to reach in time." Sigyn said while taking out her bow and preparing her arrows.
"Yeah, only the heroes were transported in this area. The castle isn't really far from here, but the knights would've been too late to save everyone and the village would be destroyed." Loki agreed with Sigyn, conjuring out his two daggers.
"We're going to save them, right, master?" Raphtalia asked.
"What do you think? Of course we are." Loki said, as he deactivated his illusions which revealed his Glorious Purpose Armor. "Avengers… Assemble."
*Playing 'The Avengers Theme' by Alan Silvestri*
Riyute Village
In the village, it was swarmed with various monsters ranging from skeletons to wasp-like creatures. The women and children were hiding somewhere in the houses while the men were out to defend their homes and families. A villager was about to be killed by a skeleton monster, but Loki arrived in time to block it with his shield effortlessly before Raphtalia sliced it in half while Sigyn killed the wasp monsters with her bow from afar.
"Are you alright?" Raphtalia asked worriedly.
"I'm fine… thanks…" The villager answered while coughing.
"Raphtalia, you lead the villagers to safety. Sigyn will cover for you." Loki ordered both of them. "I'll draw the monsters to me."
"That's risky, master!" Raphtalia exclaimed.
Loki chuckled, "I've faced monsters like these with my brother when we were young adults. I can handle myself. The villagers' safety is more important than mine. Now, go!"
Raphtalia nodded, "Yes, master! Be careful!"
While Raphtalia was slicing and dicing the monsters to save the villagers, Sigyn was firing her arrows at the monsters effortlessly. She couldn't believe that she's quite talented with the bow. She thought that she'll probably surpass Hawkeye in no time before firing another arrow at the wasp monsters without looking.
Meanwhile, Raphtalia killed the skeleton monsters effortlessly. She may be swinging randomly like an amateur, but she was quite skilled with it. At some point in the future, Loki planned to hire a swordsman teacher for her in order to prove her swordsmanship because he's a dagger wielder, hence why it was easy for him to train Sigyn.
On the other side of the village, the villagers were being surrounded by various monsters. They were wielding their garden tools to defend themselves even though it had no effect against them. Suddenly, Loki was running towards the monsters to eliminate them.
"It's a hero!" The first villager pointed out.
"The Shield Hero is here!" The second villager exclaimed happily, as he and his fellow villagers wouldn't die today.
Loki stabbed and killed several skeleton monsters with a flare, "Listen up, mortals. I'll be drawing these ugly bastards' attention! You'll get to safety unless you want to die today!"
As Loki ran away, the monsters began to chase him. He has to slow down his running pace, otherwise, the monsters would lose track of him. He saved a downed villager from a skeleton monster by activating Air Strike Shield before throwing his dagger at its face and plucking it out right after. He saves a mother and her child from the wasps by encasing both of them in Shield Prison temporarily.
Loki continued to run for a while, but he wasn't getting tired anytime soon. He attracted most of the monsters using his Energy Blast as a torch. As he saw the tower, he leapt towards the ladder and climbed on top of the tower. He then rang the bell to lure more monsters from the villagers while blasting the monsters below with Energy Blast.
"This Wave isn't stopping soon. What are those bloody maggots doing?" Loki asked angrily until the tower was starting to fall apart by a giant undead monster which reminded him of Frost Giants. "Bloody hell. You're troublesome, innit?"
As the tower was falling apart, there were ice particles surrounding his hand. He was hesitant to use his people's abilities, but he had no choice. The adventurers that were stationed in the village were barely holding their own against the monsters and they weren't cooperating with each other. Raphtalia can't save everyone while Sigyn doesn't have any trick arrows to kill multiple monsters at once like Barton.
Loki heavily breathes before unleashing projectiles of icicles at the enemies in rapid pace. He killed the giant undead monster with four icicles before blasting it. He wished that he had the casket right now, as he might freeze all the monsters in an instant. He jumped back on the ground before the tower collapsed.
Loki flipped his hair while groaning, "What in the world am I getting myself into?"
As Loki was about to get up, another giant undead monster appeared and stomped on him. He was unable to scream, but he spat a tremendous amount of blood as a result. He couldn't escape from the monster's grasp as it kept stomping him repeatedly.
"You… ugly… loaf…!" Loki insulted the monster before being stomped again. He was grateful that the shield was constantly healing his wounds, but it sure doesn't stop the pain.
Sigyn and Raphtalia would've known about his injury by now because his 'health bar' was dropping back and forth, but they're probably too busy dealing with other monsters and saving the villagers to notice. Suddenly, a swarm of monsters was slowly walking towards the villagers who were trapped under the broken house.
"Help! Somebody help us!" The father cried for help while his son and daughter were unconscious under the debris.
"HELP!" A multitude of villagers called for help.
After seeing the trapped villagers, Loki had flashes of the massacre on the Statesman by Thanos and the Black Order. The world around him was moving slowly as he recalled the deaths of asgardians, laying on the ground. He could recall their screams, as they're struck down by the Order's blades. He was hallucinating the trapped villagers as dead asgardians which caused him to be filled with anger.
"NO!" Loki yelled, as he escaped from the monster's grasp and killed the undead with his shield, which was glowing blue.
*Playing 'Triumphant Returns' by Alan Silvestri*
Before Loki could process his newly discovered shield, he instantly threw the shield at the enemies which killed numerous of them back and forth while the shield was glowing blue whenever it was thrown. As the shield ricocheted back to him, the monsters walked towards him.
Loki ran towards them and attacked them with the shield combined with his godly strength. He threw his shield at the wasp monsters which killed them in an instant, but it didn't ricochet back to him as it went through the wasps. He summoned it back on his head before continuing to plow through the undead monsters until there's nothing left of them. After killing all the monsters, he went to help the trapped villagers. He didn't have problems lifting the planks and debris because he's a frost giant.
"Are you alright?" Loki asked worriedly.
The father coughed, "Thank you. My son and daughter are safe."
"Thank you, Shield Hero! You're our hero!"
"I owe you, hero!"
"Thank you for saving our town!"
As the crowd continued to cheer and praise him, he was feeling emotional that he received the praise from them. He was never praised for his contributions in the Nine Realms because all that glory went to Thor, yet he finally has one after saving these people. He finally understood that having humanity is better than living as a deity.
"You're all injured. Please proceed to the safe area. There may be more monsters." Loki said.
"Yes, Shield Hero. Thank you!" All the villagers said before departing.
After the villagers left, Loki stared at his new shield. He was shocked that he managed to unlock Captain America's Shield, or apparently it's called Star Shield, so soon. He didn't know what the conditions were for unlocking it. He didn't remember the reason for unlocking it was because he wanted to save the trapped villagers to prevent them from suffering the same fate as the deceased asgardians. [2]
"Shield Hero!" One of the villagers, who saved him from monsters earlier, called him out.
"Huh? What are you thinking, fool?" Loki asked angrily and worriedly.
"We changed our minds after seeing you heroically defending our village." The villager answered, as numerous villagers were fighting and defending their home. "This is our village. We can't just run away and standby idly while the hero is eliminating the threat alone. We will fight with you!"
Loki gave a moment's thought before sighing heavily, "Fine. You want to help so bad, it's not my fault you guys will be killed. Help me maintain the battle line until everyone has evacuated."
The villager nodded, "Yes, sir."
Suddenly, another giant undead monster before them. As the undead swung its weapon towards Loki and the villager, Loki blocked the attack with his shield which caused him and the monster to fly a few feet from each other due to the immense kinetic energy that the shield absorbed.
Loki groaned, "So that's how it feels like when my brother struck his hammer at the timeless soldier's shield. At least this wasn't as devastating as that one."
As the giant undead monster was about to stand back up, the villagers were surrounding the monster. When the monster was about to swing its weapon again, Loki kept throwing the Star Shield at the monster repeatedly before leaping into the air and slammed the shield into its armored face, piercing its head in the process like the other one. Loki front flipped back to the ground.
Loki breathed heavily, "Well, that was easy… sort of."
'Easy?' The villager mentally questioned until they saw a monster behind him. "Shield Hero!"
Unbeknownst to Loki, a skeleton monster leaped from behind the tree. He was about to be jumped on by the monster until an arrow went straight through its skull, killing it instantly. Loki, who remained unfazed, stared at the monster.
"That was a nice shot, Sigyn." Loki complimented.
"Thanks. You're right, master. I am pretty good with a bow." Sigyn said, as Loki leveled up to 27 after receiving 416 XPs while Sigyn and Raphtalia leveled up to 25 after receiving 528 XPs.
"Amazing." One of the villagers said.
"Master Loki!" Raphtalia called out while slaying the remaining monsters. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. I apologized for worrying you." Loki answered. "How's the evacuation?"
"It's almost done, master." Raphtalia answered before turning her attention to the villagers. "Leave the village to us. Please hurry to safety."
"Yes. We pray for your safety." One of the villagers said.
After all of them departed from the battlefield, the Avengers stared at the never ending army of monsters. They felt like all the monsters they killed were pointless, except when they saved the villagers. Loki now understands how the original Avengers felt about his never ending army of Chitauri. If he ever went back to the past, he would gladly kill himself for causing karma.
"When is this going to end? I'm exhausted." Sigyn said.
"Already? It hasn't even been three hours yet!" Loki complained, as the most powerless Avengers, Black Widow and Hawkeye, managed to last long for three hours in battle.
"I'm hungry." Raphtalia said.
"That… is understandable." Loki agreed.
Suddenly, some kind of fireworks were launched into the sky until it turned into a miniature meteor shower as it rained upon the monsters. Loki switched the Star Shield into Light Metal Shield and shielded both Raphtalia and Sigyn by activating its skill though he had less protection because he could only shield two people.
"Master Loki! You don't have any protection!" Sigyn complained.
Loki smirked confidently, "Don't worry. They won't affect me."
As the meteor shower rained down on the village continuously, burning the village in the process but eliminating the remaining monsters with ease. Loki was ineffective by the flames though the impact slightly hurts. It was because he was immune to flames due to his frost giant biology, meaning he can't be affected by fire and ice. He may disdain his race, but he can't ignore the fact it's helpful against these things. [3]
The Knight Captain laughed, "We've burned them all to death in one fell swoop!" He then saw the Shield Hero as his anger was boiling everywhere in his body. "Oh…? You actually managed to survive, Shield Hero…!?"
Loki stood back up, "You've finally arrived? I would've applauded you for eliminating these monsters… if it weren't for the fact that you would've killed us and innocent villagers in the process."
Suddenly, Raphtalia ran towards the knight captain with tremendous speed to kill him out of anger, but she was stopped by the vice captain. Loki and Sigyn were surprised that Raphtalia didn't hesitate to kill the captain.
"Did you know that you would've killed these people, Master Loki, and Big Sis Sigyn!? Your answer determines your fate!" Raphtalia asked angrily while the vice captain was still blocking her sword without a sweat.
"Draw!" The Vice Captain ordered the knights.
The knights draw their weapons at Loki, Sigyn, and Raphtalia. Raphtalia stepped back instantly while Sigyn readied to fire an arrow at the knights if Loki ordered her. Meanwhile, Loki was disappointed with the knights' reckless actions. He had an annoyed and unamused expression on his face. There were other ways to eliminate the monsters besides summoning a meteor shower.
"You're a friend of the Shield Hero?" The Captain asked.
"I am his ally and his family, along with Big Sis Sigyn. You will not insult him nor my family!" Raphtalia declared, which impressed Loki with her boldness.
"You demi-human trash!" The Captain exclaimed, which angered Loki and Sigyn. "Are you challenging the royal order of knights!?"
"I recommend you watch your tongue, captain." Loki said coldly, as the knights felt a dark atmosphere from his words like that time in the courtroom. "Did you forget what I did to the king last time? I could've killed him by then, so I could kill you all easily."
"Ha! Like you could! If you do, everyone would know that you really killed those innocent guards!" The Captain yelled while attempting to hide his shivering.
"…Do I look like I care?" An illusion of Loki appeared in front of the captain unexpectedly which made him scream.
"You call yourselves knights yet you didn't do anything for your people. You are disgraced." Sigyn said while still aiming her arrow at the knights, as the knights were clenching their fists from the brat's words.
"Tsk." The Captain stood back and punched the illusion which disappeared in an instant. "Don't get in our way, Shield Demon and demi-human trash. We don't want to slay either one of you by accident."
Loki smirked, as he pointed something behind of the captain, "That sounds good. At least it'll be enjoyable watching you all become food for monsters."
All of them turned around and saw numerous monsters standing behind them. The knights were slightly panicking as they didn't expect them to be caught off guard. The captain tried to give orders, but he was about to be attacked by the giant undead monster until Loki activated Air Strike Shield to protect him.
"Wow, you're very pathetic." Loki insulted the captain, disappointed that he flinched because of almost experiencing near death. The next time this happens, he wouldn't bother saving the captain. "Raphtalia, Sigyn."
"Yes!" Raphtalia and Sigyn said.
Raphtalia ran towards the giant's arms and stabbed its head while Sigyn released a couple of arrows at its chest, penetrating through it. The Avengers then stared at the enemies that were in front of them, waiting for them to attack.
"Listen up, we'll buy you idiots some time. You better resume your formation in time, or else, I'll punish you for being a coward." Loki ordered the knights. "Avengers… let's finish this."
Loki and Raphtalia ran towards the monsters while Sigyn slightly stayed back behind them to release the arrows. Loki switched to Star Shield and attacked the monsters on his side while Raphtalia slicing and dicing the monsters on hers. Loki threw the shield which ricocheted off the monsters, killing them instantly. Raphtalia dodged and parried the attacks effectively before piercing her blades through the skeleton monsters.
Meanwhile, Sigyn dodged the skeleton monsters' attacks swiftly before delivering a kick which popped their heads. She killed another giant undead monster by releasing an arrow through its head and heart before using its falling body to jump off from it and gain momentum. She then released countless arrows as fast as she could at the wasp monsters before landing back in the ground. A young guard was in awe at the effectiveness of their fight.
"We'll leave this fight to the Shield Hero. We'll aid the other three heroes instead!" The Captain ordered his knights, as he glared at the Shield Demon before departing from the village.
As most of the knights left reluctantly, the Vice Captain stayed behind and witnessed the Shield Hero and his allies' determination to save the village and its people from the monsters. He was wrong about the Shield Hero being a demon. Sure, he may have threatened the king and held him hostage but it wasn't done so out of evilness. It was done so out of true justice.
The Vice Captain sighed heavily before raising his weapon, "We will assist the Shield Hero! Assume phalanx!"
The knights who were reluctant to leave were glad that their vice captain decided to aid the hero and his companions. The knights formed a phalanx, standing shoulder to shoulder. They then attack the monsters while remaining in their formation. Meanwhile, Loki side flipped to dodge an incoming sword before throwing his two daggers at the monsters.
"These guys are relentless." Loki said, wishing that these monsters had some intelligence in order to know the art of retreat or surrender.
"Master Loki! The knights.." Raphtalia said, pointing at the knights.
Loki smirked, "I guess most of them aren't idiots after all. I applaud them."
The Captain scoffed, "Damn it. Let's go!"
"Him and those knights, on the other hand, are more than idiots." Loki said before throwing the Star Shield at numerous monsters.
Meanwhile, the heroes were fighting the monsters from afar. There were numerous corpses of monsters on the ground. Currently, they're fighting the wave 'boss' called the Chimera, a four-headed monster with the body and head of a lion, the head of a goat, the head of a dragon, and a snake for a tail. The dragon head can breathe fire while the viper tail can emit poison.
"Wind Arrow!" The Bow Hero, Itsuki, activated a skill which coats one of his arrows in a gust of wind at the chimera.
"Crimson Blade!" The Sword Hero, Ren, activated a skill which charges his sword with red energy and releases a frenzy of slashes at the chimera.
"I'll deliver the finishing blow! Eat this! Lightning Spear!" The Spear Hero, Motoyasu, activated a skill which shoots a beam of deadly electricity towards the chimera.
After taking all of the deadly attacks, the bloodied chimera died in an instant. The heroes regrouped with a victory smile on their faces. It's an amazing feeling to kill a boss in games, especially in hard mode.
"The boss was an easy win." Itsuki said.
"Yeah, it was honestly disappointing, but the people weren't hurt, so it's fine." Ren said.
"If it's this easy, the next Wave will be a piece of cake." Motoyasu said. "Speaking of which, the so-called prince of another kingdom isn't anywhere to be found."
Malty laughed, "Why would he? He's just a hindrance in the fight. He's probably hiding somewhere like a coward."
"You're r-!" Motoyasu was about to agree until Ren interrupted him.
"I don't think so, I may not know Loki personally but he isn't the type to run away from a fight." Ren denied the possibility of Loki being a coward.
"Or that's what he makes you think. He does call himself the God of Mischief after all." Itsuki reminded him.
Ren sighed, "Yeah, he's unpredictable."
"Heroes, you have fought bravely!" The Captain of the Knights congratulated the heroes. "The castle is currently preparing a banquet. You will be compensated for your deeds."
After the monsters have been vanquished, the Wave disappeared for now. The sky is clear once again thanks to the heroes' efforts in the fight, not acknowledging the people that may have been killed from the monsters.
CHAPTER 7 ENDED
Author's Notes:
I hope you enjoyed the action scenes. It took me two weeks to finish the chapter because of it (and numerous homeworks). Anyway, please check out my new fanfic story, OmniVersus. That's also one of the main reasons why I took so long to finish this chapter. I hope you enjoy it.
[1] Yeah, Loki's new armor is basically his 2012 battle armor, but the gold platings and golden horns are iron instead. He just simply cast an illusion to make them golden. I loved his battle armor when I first watched the movie. I was glad when it was shown briefly in the first episode of Loki.
[2] I couldn't think of a name for Captain America's shield, so I simply went with "Star Shield". The blue streak of line when thrown is a reference to The Avengers video game.
[3] Loki is immune to fire due to his biology so he can simply tank fire attacks, however, he isn't completely immune to devastating fire magic so he'll have to be careful.