Rise of the Sword and the Shield chapter 01: From Shinobi to Cardinal Sword Hero
Lyall the Werewolf: We're finally back with a new and improved version of Asuka's Sword Hero adventures! Instead of going through the trouble of re-uploading chapters, I decided to re-publish the story as a whole, with a new title to boot. One that I think makes more sense. This story is about Asuka and Naofumi, after all. Of course, there's no romance involved because... obviously!
One thing I neglected to mention in the announcement in the previous version is that there was another reason I decided to rewrite the story. I realized that it had deviated from what I originally envisioned. I originally wanted the story to be faithful to the story of Shield Hero, but it didn't. Instead, it went off in an unexpected way. Thus, if I wanted to get it right this time, the rewrite was necessary.
I'll keep the original version of the story around for anyone who still enjoyed it, and I might use some parts of it later.
Fair warning, the first couple of chapters of this version will virtually be the same as before, with corrections and minor tweaks thanks to Grammarly. After which, it is entirely new territory from there on out.
So, without further ado, let's get started.
(I don't own Senran Kagura or Rising of the Shield Hero)
Dark ominous surrounded what remained of Hebijo Clandestine Girls Academy. The skies were tainted with dark red, and the air smelled of sulfur.
Blood dripped from her scars as she looked upon the gigantic beast looming over her.
Orochi was a much more powerful monster than she had realized. She thought she defeated it once and for all when she put all of her remaining strength into that final strike. She thought it was over, but it wasn't. It came back up, almost instantly recovered from the fatal strike, poised to attack a now exhausted Asuka.
She stood listless and surrounded by an inferno created by the beast. She had just watched her friends, who had come to her aid not long after it rose once again, fall one by one before its might in their final bid for survival.
Yagyu and Hibari were smashed to bits in a tragic effort to protect each other by its gigantic tail. Katsuragi tried to rush the beast, only to be devoured alive by one of its grotesque heads. And lastly, Ikaruga was swallowed by the dark flames it spewed, with only her family's sword stand where she stood.
Now all alone on a scorching battlefield, Asuka sank to the ground lifelessly, crushed by the weight of this reality. The fiber of life that filled her being was gone. Her classmates, with whom she had made so many memories, died fighting for her. She failed to honor her grandfather's legacy as a Shinobi. And worst of all, she was unable to save Homura and the other Hebijo students from being possessed by the wrathful demon.
She had no idea if it was a coincidence or a twist of fate, but she felt a powerful connection to Homura from the moment they met. She felt that they were more similar than at first glance. They both wanted to get stronger and become the best Shinobi out there. For Asuka, she wanted to make her grandfather, the Legendary Shinobi Hanzo, proud of her and act as a righteous Sword and Shield to those who couldn't protect themselves. Homura wanted to be strong enough to protect her new family at Hebijo. Their alignment was different, but they had similar goals and drives to get stronger.
But now, having their will and essence stolen by Orochi, Homura, and the Hebijo students were no longer of this world either. All that was left to fight was Asuka. It was a despairing thought for the Hanzo student, being all alone with no one to turn to in this final battle.
Asuka was a stubborn girl by nature, however. Even though she was exhausted, her body creaking from unimaginable pain, and her allies wiped out, Asuka found the strength to stand back up.
She faced Orochi head-on, with her eyes determined and tears raging down her face. She had her chipped and broken wakizashi blades held in battle position, ready for what was surely her final confrontation.
"I… am Asuka, heir to the Legendary Good Shinobi, Hanzo, ready to dance in the shadows! As a Sword and Shield, I won't bend to you, even in my last breath!"
Seemingly in response to Asuka's declaration, the beast released another deafening rage-filled wail, releasing pillars of fire from its mouth, trailing toward the Good Shinobi.
Asuka responded in kind with a mad charge, screaming with every ounce of strength she had left. She most certainly had her regrets, but she did not allow them to impede her, even as the flames cooked her flesh. Her valiant foolish charge pushed through the searing pain. These were her final moments as Asuka the Heiress to Hanzo's legacy and a fledgling Good Shinobi.
However, being consumed by flames of sorrow was not the end for her as expected.
One moment, Asuka felt being burned to sinew and ash and then nothingness, as the crackling sound of fire and the roar of Orochi instantly subsided. However, a bright golden light blew away the darkness in her vision.
And then, she felt a cold stone surface as she crashed to the ground, completely unscathed. Everything from her flesh and hair, to her Hanzo school uniform and treasured red scarf, was restored to its original luster, with no damage whatsoever. She also found that replacing her prized twin wakizashi, Green Willow & Red Blossom was a short gold and silver sword in her hands. It had a blue jewel embedded on its guard. It had a strange combination of beautifully decorative and simple.
"Eh…? What's going on?"
"Fantastic!" an elated male voice declared, "The summoning was a success!"
Asuka looked up to see a group of foreign-looking people dressed in black robes. They looked like the kind of priests you'd find in a religious cult.
Asuka quickly realized she was no longer on the burning rooftop of Hebijo Academy. She was now in a spacious dimly lit room. She was sitting beneath a large glowing circle that looked like one of those magic circles in fantasy anime Hibari used to watch. She also saw a strange glowing blue dot in the lower right corner of her vision.
"O Brave Cardinal Heroes, please save our world from impending evil!" the priest in front of her pleaded.
"What?!" Asuka and three other distinctly masculine voices exclaimed at once. She looked around again and found herself flanked by three boys probably around or close to her age. Two of them were taller than her, and the other somewhere around her height.
The boys all stood up, equally as confused as she was. Most noticeable about them was that they were all carrying different weapons, similar to Asuka's sword. They were all beautiful but simple in design.
The short one, who had short curly light brown hair and was wearing a yellowish-green uniform, held a gold and silver bow with a yellow jewel embedded in the center of its grip in his hand.
The tallest and possibly the oldest of the three young men, who had blonde hair in a ponytail and a red jacket, held a long silver spear with a red jewel impeded in it.
And lastly, the young man with messy black hair and wearing a green and white jacket had a short shield with a green jeweled embedded in its center attached to his arm.
These boys were Japanese, just like her.
Asuka was utterly confused by all of this. She thought for sure she died amidst Orochi's fire attack, so why was she here and being called a Cardinal Hero? The title simply didn't make sense if she failed to kill a monster.
Unfortunately, before any answer could come to kind, the painful memory of her friends' deaths and its pure dark flames roasting her alive was still fresh in her mind, and it all suddenly flooded in like a violent wave crashing against the shores of her mind. Once again, her body felt weak and she was about to collapse to the floor due to intense nausea.
"Whoa! Are you okay?!" the Shield Bearer asked, quickly caught her in his arms before she hit the floor. She quickly clung to his arm in search of comfort and held her mouth shut before she could vomit. Her breathing was sporadic, and she was sweating bullets. She also was shivering violently from the sudden surge of nausea. Somehow, he could see that there was more to it than simple nausea. After all, what was the meaning of the traumatized expression she was wearing, and why was she crying?
"What happened? Do you feel sick?" the blonde Spearman asked in concern for her well-being. He knelt in front of the paralyzed Asuka. The young Bowman followed suit, kneeling next to the eldest and in front of Asuka.
"Take deep breaths, okay." the youngest boy said.
It took a few moments for the Shinobi to recompose herself. No vomit came, and her breath became stable, although she was still sweaty, and tears were still falling from her eyes. She quickly realized how much concern she was causing to the strangers around her.
"I-I… I'm okay… I just felt… really dizzy…" Asuka stated as she wiped her tears away from her eyes. She attempted to stand on her own but was unfortunately met with less than stellar results, having nearly fallen over again.
The Shield Bearer, once again, managed to catch her before she hit the floor, "Don't push it." he said in a reassuring tone, "I'm no doctor, but I think you should just relax until it wears off. Whatever this is, it won't go away if you don't take it easy."
"I felt a little disoriented myself, but it didn't last too long." said the young Bowman.
"Yeah, and if you need to, just lean on me. I'll take good care of you." said the Spearman, flashing a charming smile, and winking at her.
His gestures didn't register to Asuka, but she had an appreciation for their concern, "Thanks, you guys. I'll be okay, I promise." she said as she wiped off her sweat.
"Okay, if you're sure..." the Shield Bearer shrugged.
"By the way..." she looked toward the Shield Bearer, "Could you move your hand, please...?" she asked with a faint blush.
The Shield Bearer didn't understand what she meant until he registered a strange softness in his hand. He looked down and found he was cupping Asuka's left breast with his hand.
"Whoa! Sorry!" the Shield Bearer cried, blushing madly and releasing Asuka, who simply let out a sigh of relief.
"Dude! She's not feeling well, and you think it's okay to take advantage of her like that?!" the Spearman scolded.
"That's very low." coldly said the boy with the Bow.
"N-No! I swear it was an accident!" the Shield Bearer panicked.
"Geez... It's okay. I'm not mad. It was my fault for getting all woozy." Asuka sighed. This was not the time to be worrying over her. Thankfully, the robed priests were around to change the subject away from her to their concern over the summoning ritual making one of the Heroes sick.
"That's strange… the summoning ritual should have erased any discomfort for the Heroes as we summoned them here." said the robed priest, surprised by this turn of events.
"Just what have you been going on about? Why are we being called Heroes?" the Shield Bearer asked the priest.
"And what do you mean the world needs saving?" asked the Bow bearer.
After a short while, the nauseous feeling Asuka was having went away. Although she was still shaky, she slowly stood to her feet with the other three following suit, intent on listening to the priest's explanation.
"Suffice to say, the story behind it all is overly long and complicated. But in the simplest of terms, you four are the Cardinal Heroes, and you were summoned here by an ancient ritual. Our world is in dire peril and teeters on the brink of destruction. We beg of you great heroes, please help us in our time of need." the priest bowed his head to the group of four. The other robed people followed suit.
Asuka couldn't figure out what was going on. Was this that "Isekai" thing that was divisive but popular in anime. She didn't watch much anime, but she at least knew of a few modern trends. She owned a cell phone after all.
That aside, Asuka believed it was impossible to be summoned to another world, and it made no sense for her to be some chosen fabled hero. Why was she picked to be a hero in this world in the first place? She was about ready to die fighting Orochi, and that certainly was the outcome of that clash, but why was she the one to survive and be summoned to another world, and suddenly be called a hero when she so utterly failed to protect her friends and slay a ferocious monster?
"You can just forget it!" the spearman suddenly declared, catching the Shinobi girl's attention.
Both he and the bowman look at the cultist with stern eyes.
"I agree. You can't expect us to just comply with your request after you basically kidnapped us." said the Bow Bearer, "You are capable of sending us back, right? If so, we might be willing to listen."
"You brought the four of us here without our consent! Don't you feel the least bit guilty about it? Especially for her case?" the spearman nonchalantly placed his free hand on Asuka's shoulder, "You said this summoning ritual was supposed to be harmless for us, but she doubled over ready to puke! The hell's up with that?!"
Asuka didn't voice her discomfort with being so casually touched, but she also disapproved of how these two were suddenly making demands of the people asking for help. Being angry about this was one thing, but the arrogant, high and mighty attitude was unnecessary. Granted, being forcibly summoned here wasn't a good thing, but she was sure these people weren't proud of what they did, and they must be desperate to resort to this.
Meanwhile, the shield-bearer looked a little stunned by the arrogance displayed by the other two Heroes. The priests were similarly caught off guard by the two Heroes voicing their displeasure.
"Additionally, what would we get out of it in the end? If you send us back after we've accomplished our goal, we'd have done all that work for nothing." said the bowman.
"How much are you willing to accommodate us? One wrong move, and we could decide to be your enemies instead of your allies." proclaimed the spearman.
"Hey!" Asuka called out to the spearman, "Instead of chastising and imposing demands on them, we should at least hear them out before we decide whether or not to help. The people here may not feel proud of what they've done, but acting like this won't help us either way."
"Oh? Well, if you say so." grinned the spearman, before turning his attention back to the robed people, "You hear that? She's willing to listen, so you'd better not disappoint her!"
"Also, please don't touch me so casually, and don't presume you can speak for me." an annoyed Asuka swapped the spearman's hand away from her shoulder. She didn't mean to be so harsh, but just a few moments of being around this guy started to irritate her, and she wasn't exactly in the greatest of moods right now.
"Uh, okay… sorry?" the spearman said, unable to process why she was in a bad mood.
"E-Excuse me, our King would be more than happy to provide a better explanation about our catastrophe, assuming you're willing to have an audience with him." the priest said, "You can also discuss your negotiations at length, so please."
"Very well then." said the bowman, pleased with the compliance, "We can least consider their offer."
"Sure, it doesn't matter who we talk to, as long as we get our reward." smirked the spearman, as he and the younger boy followed the priests, who prepared to escort them out of the dark chamber.
However, the spearman turned back to Asuka, still wearing that charming smile, "By the way, I'm Motoyasu Kitamura. Hope we get along."
"Guess I'll introduce myself too. I'm Itsuki Kawasumi. It's nice to meet you." said Itsuki, looking back toward Asuka.
"…" Asuka was a bit hesitant to give her name out to at least these two, especially since they were civilians and not Shinobi like her, but it was only proper manners to introduce herself too, so she did as common courtesy dictated, "I'm Asuka Harada. Nice to meet everyone," she said, bowing her head respectfully to the others.
"Asuka Harada" wasn't her name. It was the ninja code to erase all pre-existing information, including their birth name. This was the first step to adopting one's new identity as Shinobi. On a side note, the "Harada" part was her father's surname before he married into her mother's family. Now thinking about it, she wondered how her family was doing. She was killed by a monster, so news of that probably reached them by now. They wouldn't know that she was summoned by a cult from another world instead of staying dead.
Not to name certain individuals, but one of the other three Heroes really couldn't help staring at her… ample bosom that seemed to jiggle with but to the slightest of movement, the bowing including.
"Asuka-chan, is it? It's a lovely name, especially since you're so cute." said Motoyasu, readjusting his eyesight as soon as she finished her introduction and stood straight, "Of course, it'd be even better if you were more chipper, ya know?"
"Yeah… sorry about that." Asuka wasn't normally so downbeat. After what she went through, it was natural to lose her previously upbeat attitude.
"Don't worry about it. If you ever have any problems, just come to me. I swear I'll do everything in my power to protect you." Motoyasu declared, sporting a heroic pose, making him look like a knight in shining armor to the Shinobi girl.
She could see Motoyasu's awkward attempt at flirting with her, and she decided not to take it seriously. She was already used to it back home since random guys wouldn't stop pestering her for a date. It didn't happen very often, but it was a minor annoyance to her because she wanted to focus on her Shinobi training. Of course, her training helped her evade them when needed. Save for one, who was at least earnest enough to ask her to see his baseball game.
As Motoyasu and Itsuki leave with the priests, Asuka and the shield-bearer lagged behind a bit. For the shield-bearer, it was due to being put off by the show of arrogance. He was also concerned for the younger girl. For Asuka, she was still feeling uneasy about everything that just happened.
"Hey, are you sure you're okay?" asked the Shield Bearer to Asuka.
"I said I'm okay. I was just caught off guard by all of this." Asuka answered, "We should probably catch up to the others."
"Y-Yeah, right…" the Shield Bearer replied, "I'm Naofumi, by the way. Naofumi Iwatani. I'm not entirely sure what's happening here, and I'm not like the spear guy, but I am here if you need help." Naofumi introduced himself, likely in an attempt to give her some comfort about the situation.
Asuka, contracting her dry and somber mood, couldn't help but finally smile at how kind he was, "Thanks, Naofumi-kun. It helps to have a friend around."
Asuka and Naofumi later join the Spear and Bow Heroes as they ascend a staircase.
Peering out of the barred window to her side, Asuka saw how beautiful the town looked. It was something out of a medieval anime or western film.
"Wow…" she gazed in awe of the vaguely European buildings that dotted the landscape.
"It really does look like another world, huh?" said Itsuki.
"It sure does," replied Motoyasu.
"The breeze feels nice." said Naofumi, as he gazed out the window, "Feels like a typical sales pitch on a brochure."
"You think so? This is nice, I'll admit, but I prefer the crisp mountain air of Japan myself," said Asuka, her mood beginning to brighten after her short talk with Naofumi and taking in the scenery.
"Wait, you mean you two have never traveled outside of Japan?" asked Itsuki to Asuka and Naofumi.
Asuka quickly noticed how the Spear and Bow Heroes were literally and figuratively looking down on her and Naofumi. More specifically, Naofumi, because Asuka was standing in the middle of the two above and the one below.
"Judging from the breeze, I'd say this is your fairly standard Mediterranean clement," stated Motoyasu.
"Y-Yeah, I knew that. Sorry for my lack of knowledge and vocabulary..." said Naofumi with an awkward expression.
"So, you guys have been to places outside of Japan. That's pretty cool." Asuka said, trying to ignoring the awkwardness between Naofumi and the other two boys.
"Glad you think so. And hey, the mountains aren't bad either. Maybe you and I can go explore the mountains together, Asuka-chan." Motoyasu smiled while winking toward Asuka.
"Thanks, but I'll pass!" Asuka said bluntly.
"Eh?!" Motoyasu blanched.
"Dang, you can cut him down pretty good." Naofumi winced.
"I get this sort of thing a lot, so I'm used to it." Asuka shrugged.
"Yeah, I'll bet," Naofumi whispered as he averted his eyes from the younger girl's figure. The last thing he needed was to be labeled a pervert again.
As the priest led the four heroes outside, Asuka took the time to quickly scan the surrounding area. It would appear to be the courtyard of a castle, or at least of an open area. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted someone at a window high above them. The silhouette looked slender, so it was no doubt female. One distinct thing she noticed was that the female figure had striking red hair. Asuka didn't have much time to make anything else out, as she and the other four heroes were marching into the palace hallway.
Eventually, the heroes were brought before the King in his throne room.
The throne room was well lit and decorated. A few dozen people were present in the room. They were presumably nobles.
Dressed in purple and black robes, the elderly King sat in one of the distinguished thrones. The second throne chair was curiously vacant, and it was noticeably higher than the king's throne.
The Four Heroes stop at the center of the room and kneel before the King.
"So, the youths I see before me are the Four Cardinal Heroes of ancient legend?" the King asked with a firm tone of voice, a clear sign and reminder of his authority. He scanned each other of the Four Heroes as they stood side by side, "I humbly welcome you, brave souls, to my country of Melromarc. I am Aultcray Melromarc XXXII, and I rule this country as her King. Now then, you may stand once more."
The Four Heroes stood up to their feet as ordered.
"Starting with the young lady, please identify yourselves. That is if you're feeling up to it." Aultcray said, his stern gaze falling to Asuka. He likely heard from someone ahead of time that Asuka was not well after the summoning.
Knowing she was called on first, the new Sword Hero took a step forward, "Thank you for concern, but I'm fine now. My name is Asuka Harada. I'm sixteen years old, and before coming here, I was in high school." Asuka spoke politely to Aultcray, while carefully holding her sword forward.
Motoyasu came up next, standing next to Asuka, "The name's Motoyasu Kitamura. Twenty-one years old, and a college student."
"I suppose I'm up next. I'm Itsuki Kawasumi. Like Asuka-san, I'm still in high school, and I'm seventeen years old."
"So, I'm last? I'm-" Naofumi would have identified himself, but King Aultcray didn't seem interested in hearing him.
"Good, Asuka, Motoyasu, and Itsuki, is it?" the King nodded, to the surprise of the Shield Hero.
"Y-Yo, King! Aren't you forgetting someone?" Naofumi complained, pointing to himself.
"Ah… my apologies," said Aultcray, with a hint of indifference.
"Did he do that on purpose?" Asuka wondered. She found it odd that the King would seemingly forget to let the Shield Hero introduce himself.
"Hey, c'mon! He's a King, remember? So, you should address him more formally than that." Itsuki scolded.
"Then what should I call him? "Your Majesty" sounds a little too formal," said Naofumi, not noticing some of the nobles present shooting the Shield Hero with some unpleasant looks.
"Wait a minute! Before that, we should address why he just skipped Naofumi-kun over. You have to admit, it was rather rude of him to do that." Asuka said aloud to Itsuki.
"Yes, but he's still a King, and regardless of his rudeness, his title does demand respect."
"Even so, he shouldn't just-"
"Ahem!" Aultcray coughed, preventing an argument between the Sword and the Bow Heroes, "Asuka-dono is right. My conduct was unwarranted. Please identify yourself, Shield Hero, and feel free to just call me 'King'."
Strangely, he didn't sound very sincere about it to Asuka. It was like he just said that so they could move on. Not to mention the disinterested tone he had when he said Shield Hero.
"Alright, whatever works, I guess. I'm Naofumi Iwatani. Also in college, and twenty years old," Naofumi said, but much to his confusion and ire, Aultcray still wasn't interested.
"Now then…" said Aultcray, "I believe I owe you all an explanation."
"Seriously…" Naofumi muttered in annoyance at the King blatantly ignoring him.
"Our country is in great peril and is headed down the path of destruction."
Thus began the King's long explanation of the crisis this world was facing.
He spoke of an ancient apocalyptic prophecy foretold of the "Waves of Catastrophe", which will bring destruction and chaos upon this world. During these "Waves", rampaging monsters will wreak havoc wherever they spawn. The First Wave had washed over this country not long before the Four Heroes were summoned. The adventurers and soldiers were able to fend off the First Wave, but the devastation and loss of life were not lost on any of the survivors. The Waves following after the first would increase in difficulty with each one passing. If the Waves weren't stopped, the world would meet its end.
That was why the Four Cardinal Heroes were summoned, to fight the Waves and protect this world and its inhabitants. The Heroes bear the Legendary Weapons, the Sword, the Spear, the Bow, and the Shield respectively, just as Asuka, Motoyasu, Itsuki, and Naofumi had the Legendary Weapons already in their possession.
The countries of this world had ancient artifacts called the Dragon Hourglasses, which predict the coming of each Wave of Catastrophe. They would continue to turn and pile on the sand until all this crisis was averted.
The Next Wave was due in less than a month from now.
By the time Aultcray was finished, the sun had begun to set.
"We underestimated the disaster the First Wave had wrought," Aultcray said solemnly, "Now that we know of the potency of the Waves, we had no choice but to follow the ancient legend and summon the four of you to aid us and prevent more of these tragedies. We can no longer afford to waste any more time. On behalf of my people, I beg you, brave Heroes, help us counteract the Waves of Catastrophe by lending your strength."
Asuka remained silent. She felt great sympathy for the people of this world being faced with something so terrifying.
She had to admit, King Aultcray had provided a very eloquent and easy explanation for the situation. He was quite somber going over some facts but still kept his voice firm. It was something to be respected. He was a king of a whole country, after all. Still, the story felt like the kind of description for a video game Hibari would have loved to play. That is if she was still in the living world, and who was to blame for that?
No, she shouldn't think about that now. The King was asking for the help of the Four Cardinal Heroes, which included Asuka as the Sword Hero. Whatever reason there was for her to be summoned here, she was still a Good Shinobi, who was on the side of justice. Her righteous spirit did not allow her to shirk her duty. She must act as a Sword and Shield for those who cannot defend themselves, no matter where she might be.
"Okay, I think we all get the gist of it, but, you don't seriously expect us to do this thing for free, right?" asked Motoyasu.
"I have the same question." said Itsuki, "I mean, it's awfully convenient and selfish of you to drag us here to a conflict that has nothing to do with us."
"And honestly, we don't have an obligation to help you. Itsuki even mentioned this before, but if we succeed and you simply send us back home, everything we did will be for nothing. No one's going to want to risk their lives unrewarded." said Naofumi.
To this, Aultcray grimaced.
Asuka glared incredulously at the other Heroes for what they said. She couldn't argue against the reward part of the argument, but their high and mighty attitude about it didn't sit well with her. It was especially the case with Motoyasu and Itsuki arrogantly demanding they be rewarded. Naofumi at least tried to assert himself as politely as he could. Moreover, who cares about the reward? Heroes should help others because it was the right thing to do.
"Naturally, we have every intention of rewarding you handsomely for repelling the Waves." said another older man, likely one of the King's advisors, judging by how he was dressed, "We will also provide you with the necessary funding and aid for your endeavors."
Asuka was a bit surprised to hear that. Were they expecting the Heroes to demand rewards and funding? Judging by this confident look on this advisor's face, he must be intelligent. She knew intelligent men, as despite her grandfather being the biggest goof she never knew, he was much wiser than he let on. Of course, she also saw a difference between them because the advisor had an arrogant air about him as well.
"Alright, it seems we have no choice but to accept this task. We'll work with you, so long as you don't go back on your word." said a smug Motoyasu.
"Exactly. Don't think we can be tamed. We won't appreciate you looking down on us." said an equally smug Itsuki.
"Geez! You guys don't need to act like such prima donnas, demanding stuff every ten minutes!" Asuka finally snapped, unabashedly bemused by the arrogance displayed by the two Heroes, "It was obvious from the start that they intend on helping us out and compensating us for doing our job. We're supposed to be protecting these people and be symbols of hope for them! Did it ever occur to you two that the way you're acting is un-heroic? If you keep acting like this, they might decide we're not the Heroes they wanted!"
Motoyasu and Itsuki looked at Asuka in a confused manner. It would seem what she said didn't register in their minds, and they didn't seem to care about being good heroes either.
"Something tells me these two aren't very heroic if they hadn't thought about how the people might actually feel and only care for themselves." Asuka thought. She was pretty naïve herself, but even she had a feeling she shouldn't take this as lightly as Motoyasu and Itsuki. For all she knew, there could be more to this than meets the eye. After all, she came from a world that could be considered crazy to believe, and the entire scenario the four Heroes had been placed in was much crazier.
At least Naofumi seemed to agree that this smug attitude was not okay, seeing as he was resisting the urge to irritably face-palm.
"Relax Asuka-chan. I get what you're saying, but we have to show them that we mean business. That means making it clear they can't jerk us around." Motoyasu said.
"I agree. It's best to impose our opinions and make demands accordingly. We can't go about this naively." Itsuki asserted.
"Regardless, don't you think it's a bad sign to let your Hero titles go to your heads right now?"
"Well, it isn't every day that you're chosen to become a Hero," Itsuki said.
"Yeah, and as long as we do what's required of us, we'll surely be rewarded with anything we want." Motoyasu smiled. The ladies would instantly love him for his hero status.
"That is where we differ because the reward is meaningless to me." Asuka replied, to the surprise of the other three Heroes, "I honestly don't know if I'm truly qualified to be a Hero in this world, but I'll do my best to help this country in any way I can. It is my duty, after all."
Moments later, Aultcray began chuckling aloud, "Haha! Asuka-dono, I can see that you are a compassionate person." said Aultcray, with an appreciative smile, "Legends spoke of the Sword Hero being the greatest among the Cardinal Heroes, often acting as the de facto leader of the Heroes. Perhaps this speaks of your latent charisma due to having enough courage to reprimand your fellow Heroes for their disreputable behavior?"
"N-No, I just..." Asuka trailed off, feeling self-conscious by being put on the spot after snapping at Motoyasu and Itsuki. Speaking of which, there were also the uncomfortable sour looks they were giving her. While Motoyasu was mildly annoyed at being called out, Itsuki was scowling because Asuka embarrassed him.
"However, you needn't worry about how we feel. You and the others are free to do as you please so long as you succeed in ending the Waves. Use whatever resources we have to your advantage."
Asuka didn't like the idea of being given such free rein in this country. Wouldn't that cause problems if the Heroes were allowed to do whatever they wanted. Still, she'd hate to squander the trust the King had in her, so she didn't argue. All she needed to do was stay true to her disciplines as a Good Shinobi, and hopefully avoid any troubles coming her way.
"So, with that matter settled, I take it we all have an agreement, then?" asked Aultcray. With no objections, the King continued, "In that case, I would like the four of you to check your statuses."
"Status?" asked Naofumi.
"What's that?" asked Asuka.
"Allow me to explain." said the King's advisor, "There should be a small icon in the lower right corner of your vision, correct?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, I think he's talking about that little glowing dot! I noticed that when we were first brought here." said Asuka. She peered down to the blue dot. She didn't pay too much attention to it due to her distress after being summoned to this world. Being incinerated by a monster could do that.
"How observant of you, Sword Hero-sama." the advisor praised, "Please, focus your attention on that icon."
"Like this…?" Asuka, along with the other heroes, did as instructed, and suddenly, some kind of window screen came up, displaying various stats you'd find in an RPG.
|Name: Asuka Harada|
-Age: 16-
-Class: Sword Hero-
-Level: 1-
-Weapon: Legendary Sword (Locked)-
-Equipment: Otherworldly School Uniform-
|Stats|
|MAX HP: 100/100|
|MAX MP: 20/20|
|MAX SP: 55/55|
|ATK: 20|
|MAG: 9|
|DEF: 13|
|MDEF: 12|
|AGI: 25|
|Special Skills|
-N/A-
"Only level one? That's pretty disconcerting." said a concerned Itsuki, after peering through his own stat screen.
"Yeah, no kidding. How do they expect us to fight like this?" a frustrated Motoyasu asked.
"Those two seem to be taking this whole thing in stride." thought Asuka. She found it odd how they could be so calm in this situation, especially when it was obvious they weren't shinobi like her.
In any case, being brought back down to level 1 was strange to the former Shinobi. She was at her maximum level of strength before her fateful battle with Orochi, so why did she end up dropping to the beginner's level now? Could it be that being summoned to this world affected her over strength?
"What is this exactly?" asked Naofumi, having been surprised by his own stat screen.
"Do you not have Status Magic in your world, Heroes? It is an ability anyone here can use." answered the advisor.
"Status Magic?" Asuka muttered, "So people in this world can quantify and observe their physical parameters with this ability?"
"That is correct, Lady Hero."
This sort of reminded Asuka of how the Ninja Scrolls worked back home. The Ninja Scroll primarily gave Shinobi the ability to transform their clothes and gain strength. In addition to that, the scrolls kept track of the Shinobi's current level and stats, as well as what combos they could string together in a fight and the Secret Ninja Arts they could perform. Interestingly, this Status Magic thing had "Asuka Harada" registered as her name instead of her birth name. Was it acknowledging her Shinobi status and desire to keep her true identity a secret?
"Come to think of it, I can't find my Ninja Scroll anywhere on my body. Was it destroyed by Orochi, or did it just not carry over when I was summoned here either?"
Either way, it was distressing not having her scroll around in case she needed to transform and perform her Arts. She didn't know if she could activate her Shinobi Barrier here either.
Then again, this world probably operated differently, so maybe her Ninja Transformation or Shinobi Barrier was not necessary here. That would also account for her being at level 1 as soon as she was summoned here. On the plus side, her ATK, DEF, and AGI were fairly high, probably because of her training and the battles she endured back in her homeworld, so she could still hold her own in this world, even without transforming. The Legendary Sword was pretty light in her hand too, so maybe she could adjust to using it. But, first, more information was needed to understand how to use these weapons.
"So what's our first step? We can improve our current stats by learning how to fight and leveling up, can't we?" Asuka asked the advisor.
"Again, very observant of you, Lady Hero." the advisor smirked, "You must set out on an adventure so you can develop and upgrade these Legendary Weapons you have been equipped with."
"You mean they weren't already maxed when we got them? What a pain in the ass." Naofumi frowned, "Also, mine's not really a weapon."
"Can't we just use other weapons until these become available?" asked Motoyasu, who began waving his spear like a showoff in an attempt at impressing Asuka. Unfortunately, the sole female Cardinal Hero only made an unimpressed face, much to his despair. She had seen more graceful displays of skill in weaponry, especially from Ikaruga, who used her family's prized heirloom, the nodachi Hien, like a true master swordswoman. Anything the Spear Hero could do wouldn't be as impressive.
"If that were the case, it'd be too easy." said Asuka, "Our best shot is to learn how effective our weapons are on the field and how to improve on them as we go quests and fight. In other words, we need to start training ASAP!"
"That means we got tons of work to do, huh? That sucks…" said Naofumi, slumping his arms down.
"Don't worry, we can figure this out together, Naofumi-kun. I'm sure it'll be worth it after developing and adjusting to these weapons to unlock new abilities as we go. With all that in mind, I'd say we have a lot of training ahead of us!" Asuka smiled, excited by the thought of training with her new weapon, which she held up.
"We'll have to level up hard and fast," said Itsuki, holding up his bow.
"Yeah, we got this!" Motoyasu chimed in, raising his spear.
Naofumi raised his shield, "Right, and once the four of us think we're ready, we can party up and-"
"One moment, brave Heroes!" the King's advisor interrupted, "I neglected to mention this, but I'm afraid you'll have to recruit allies and to go on adventures separately."
This news surprised the Four Heroes.
"And why is that?" asked Itsuki.
"According to legend, the Legendary Weapons repel one another. If you try to work together, it will hinder their progress."
As he said this, the Heroes see a prompt on the status menu, stating |When two or more wielders of the Legendary Weapons work together, it causes an adverse reaction to the Weapons. Working separately is highly advised|
"That sort of information should have been mentioned from the start," Asuka replied. It didn't take long to deduce the negative implications of this aspect to the weapons. Because the Legendary Weapons negate experience gain and force the Heroes to explore and fight on their own, they were actively discouraging cooperation between them. This was going to be a major hurdle if the Waves of Catastrophe were as difficult to deal with as King Aultcray described. Asuka was certain of that.
"My apologies. I'll do better to provide adequate information next time."
Still, having a party to show her the ropes of this world was a definite helpful plus in her book. Additionally, exploring this new world separately from the others could help her training improve. She could cover more ground on her own too. One problem, though. Asuka was used to handling her fights on her own, and in the case of a team effort, she always fought alongside her friends in Hanzo, so working with complete strangers was something she wasn't accustomed to. That raised the question of how she was going to work with them.
"At any rate, he's telling the truth. Plus, the weapons are translating the visual information into Japanese for us," said Naofumi.
Asuka didn't think about that. Sure, the words on the screen were using Japanese Kanji, but what was mystifying of all was that they could understand and speak whatever language the people of this world were saying. That was weird. Motoyasu and Itsuki probably drew the same conclusion but haven't questioned a thing so far. "I guess it's an Isekai thing."
"Since the sun is setting, you all should rest in preparation for your guests tomorrow." spoke Aultcray, "In the meantime, we'll gather the best of the best to be members of your respective parties."
A noblewoman approached the heroes, "We have prepared rooms for you brave heroes. Please, follow me."
[-Later That Night in the Castle-]
Later that night, the Four Heroes relaxed in a lavish private room after a banquet held in their honor.
Motoyasu sat on the edge of the large bed, while Naofumi sat on the couch, Itsuki sat in one of the chairs, and Asuka leaned against a nearby wall.
"I guess when you're a hero, you get special privileges." said Motoyasu, quite satisfied by the treatment he was receiving, "That server girl was super cute! Of course, not as cute as you, Asuka-chan!"
"Uh-huh…" Asuka rebuffed testily. Motoyasu was starting to remind her of Katsuragi, except, much to her amazement, he was more annoying than Katsuragi, and he only touched her once on the shoulder. It was most likely because of the constant flirting that Asuka began to consider him annoying. He was a lot like the persistent flirts with cheesy pick-up lines that sometimes followed her around town. "You'd think by now that guys like him would get the hint that I'm not interested."
"The food was unusual in taste, but it was quite sumptuous," said Itsuki.
"I guess it's because we're in another country their food tastes different than what we're used to." Asuka said to Itsuki, before sighing, "Ahh... I wish I had a futomaki roll to snack on."
"Futomaki? You mean the sushi roll?" asked Naofumi.
"Yeah! My grandpa makes them nice and thick! They're so big and juicy, and delicious! I just love fitting them into my mouth!" Asuka cheerfully made gestures with her hands like she was holding something to her mouth.
An awkward silence ensued after that. All the boys looked at her with beat red faces.
"Huh? What's wrong, guys?" Asuka asked, completely unaware of the innuendo she just made.
"Asuka, don't go saying stuff like that in public..." said Naofumi with a straight expression.
"Yeah. You should watch your phrasing and how you make hand gestures too..." said Itsuki, also sporting a straight face.
"You are just adorable!" Motoyasu said with a goofy face.
"Huh? What?" Asuka failed to understand why the guys were acting so strangely.
"Anyway..." Naofumi sighed, "Doesn't this whole thing feel like a video game to you guys?" he asked while checking over his stats from HUD. He didn't seem entirely happy with them, especially since being given a Shield for a weapon meant he was incapable of attack anything, so his leveling progress will heavily depend on the competence of his party. At least he had a high defense stat if that counted for anything.
"Like a video game? We are in a video game, dude! This is just like Emerald Online!" Motoyasu boasted.
"Emerald Online? What's that?" Asuka asked. She didn't keep up with all the current events, but she could have sworn she would have heard Hibari talk about such a game since playing video games was her hobby, and she'd know more about it.
"It's huge! You're not gonna tell me you've never played it, Asuka-chan?"
"Um, should I have…?"
"Actually, I've never heard of this game either," Naofumi added.
"You're kidding…" Motoyasu was dumbfounded. How could these two not have heard of the most popular online game ever?
"Don't confuse them, Motoyasu-san." Itsuki chinned in, "This isn't some online game. This is clearly inspired by Dimension Web, a console game I'm playing."
"Dimension Web?" Asuka repeated, more confused than before, "W-Wait a minute! You guys seriously think this is some game?"
"Well, how else would explain this scenario? Everything from the weapons, the story, and status screens, adventuring, and leveling up... it all reeks of a brand new video game," said Motoyasu.
"I-I guess that makes some sense… with these RPG mechanics, it's not hard to think of it as a game." muttered Asuka, "It sort of ran like that back home now I think about it."
"Back home?" Motoyasu raised an eyebrow.
"You have to have played a game like this before, right, Asuka-san? You were pretty on the nose when it came to the stats and weapons, so I'm guessing you have gaming experience," said Itsuki.
"Ah!" Asuka gasped, "Crap! That was because of my Shinobi training! Aside from a few two-player or party games I played with Hibari-chan and Yagyu-chan, I don't know that much about video games!"
It was clear that Motoyasu and Itsuki were video game otaku, so maybe their ingrained gaming logic was why they were chosen by their Legendary Weapons. They knew the ins and outs of this RPG mechanics world. But, what about her and Naofumi? She didn't know about the Shield Hero, but she knew for a fact that her knowledge of gaming was lacking at best outside of the party games and two-player games she sometimes played and admittedly wasn't very good at most of the time.
Come to think of it, life as a Shinobi kind of felt like a video game at times because the more you fight and gain experience, the more you level up and gain access to new abilities and combos later on. Was that why she was chosen by the Legendary Sword? Because of her own video game-like world and her proficiency with swords?
"So, what kind of game do you think this is?" asked Motoyasu.
"U-Um, well… it's not entirely similar to this world, b-but, there is this VRMMO my friends and I are playing called… Shinobi Brave Star Online. We play as ninjas, go on various missions, and fight enemies, and to top it all off, the mechanics here are pretty similar to this world too!"
That was a bad cover story, but even if this was another world, she couldn't tell them about her identity as a Shinobi. The VRMMO thing came from a light novel she heard about. SAO or something like that.
"VRMMO?" asked Naofumi.
"Okay, let's sort this out." Motoyasu spoke, standing up from the bed, and for once, he turned with a serious gaze toward Asuka, "First off, Asuka-chan, when you say VRMMO, you're completely serious about it, right? An actual, literal VRMMO?"
"Y-Yeah…"
"And you guys understand what that means, right?" the Spear Hero asked the other two.
"A sci-fi game I played explored the concept of it," answered Itsuki.
"I've read about them in light novels, and virtual reality games have just started to fill the shelves. Nothing close to real VRMMOs, though," replied Naofumi.
"Wait, so apart from those things in fiction and VR games just now becoming a thing, VRMMOs don't exist where you guys come from?" Asuka asked, somewhat relieved they bought her cover story. She just had to keep it up and improvise as she went.
"The plot thickens. Now to be absolutely sure, let's compare general knowledge… whose face is on the 1000 yen bill? Ready and…"
Following the wave of his spear, the four Heroes shouted the answer to a 1000 yen bill question, but unexpectedly, the answers from each other came out differently, all in unison and not matching at all. It didn't take long for the four to begin asking other random general facts, like which country won World War II, who was the current Prime Minister of Japan, among other things.
It took a while to sort through the information that didn't make sense. Sadly, none of it made sense to any of the Heroes.
"There's only one way to explain it. I didn't think it was possible, but it seems we're all from different versions of Japan," concluded Itsuki.
"Yeah, and they don't sound alike in the slightest," Motoyasu said.
Naofumi plopped back on the couch, now thoroughly confused, "So there are parallel worlds with different Japan's?"
"I was thinking we were from different eras in time, but that doesn't appear to be the case," Motoyasu replied.
Meanwhile, Asuka was getting dizzy trying to process this new information, as evident by the swirls in her eyes while rubbing her temples with her index fingers, "Oh man… I'm so confused right now… my head's spinning!"
"There, there. At the very least, it looks like yours and Naofumi-san's world sound pretty similar to each other, so that should at least bring you some comfort, Asuka-san," said Itsuki.
"Y-Yeah, I guess…"
"So, we're from different worlds. Now begs the question as to how we all got summoned here." pondered Motoyasu.
"Huh? Weren't we brought here by those cultists?" asked Asuka.
"Yeah, but, what I want to know is what happened that caused us to be summoned in the first place."
"I was wondering about that too." Naofumi said, "Before I was summoned to Melromarc, I found a book in the library. It talked about the Four Heroes. The next thing I knew, I blacked out, and I suddenly found myself here with the Legendary Shield practically fused to my wrist,"
He discovered that he could move the Legendary Shield around his body, but he couldn't remove it. The other Heroes found that they could also place their respective weapons on their backs or waists, and thankfully the weapons do no harm to them in any way.
"So you got summoned because of some book? That's boring!" Motoyasu scoffed.
"Did you honestly think his story would be exciting?" asked an indifferent Itsuki.
"Oh yeah! And what about you guys?!" Naofumi asked, annoyed by his fellow Hero's response to his claim.
Motoyasu was the first to speak, albeit hesitantly, "I, uh... think I died to get here."
"You what?!" blanched Naofumi.
"You died...?" Asuka asked, also turning pale.
"Yeah. Got stabbed to death." Motoyasu answered, absentmindedly rubbing his stomach.
"Motoyasu-kun, are you okay?! W-Where are the stab wounds?! Do we need to treat them right away?!" Asuka panicked, standing up from her seat in worry for the Spear Hero.
"W-Whoa, take it easy, I'm fine!" Motoyasu assured the girl, "I don't feel a thing. I checked myself over, and I don't have any scars, nor does my body hurt in any way."
"R-Really?"
"Yeah. So, don't worry." smiled the Spear Hero.
"Of course, she's going to worry. You said you got stabbed to death, which is horrifying. How did that even happen?" asked Naofumi.
"W-Well, you see, I had a lot of girlfriends back in my world." Motoyasu casually revealed, to the silent surprise and disgust of the other three Heroes. "Two of them got violent, and well..."
"They stabbed you because of your two-timing?" asked a disgusted Naofumi, "The way you went out just went from horrifying to utterly humiliating."
"Hey, you don't know the full story, okay!" an offended Motoyasu stated, before settling down with a confident grin, "You know, you may not be at my level, but you're not bad looking by any means. Although, something tells me you're not very popular with the ladies, Naofumi,"
"T-That's none of your business!" Naofumi blurted while blushing.
"Speaking of humiliating..." said Itsuki with a cheerful face, "On my way home from school, I got ran over by a garbage truck in broad daylight. The next thing I knew, I woke up with the Legendary Bow in my hands!"
"Yikes, I'd sure hate to be you." Motoyasu chuckled, "I can't tell if this is the afterlife or a dream, but being in a world inside a video game makes up for it! Haha!"
"I couldn't agree more. The only downside is starting from level 1!" chuckled Itsuki.
"You guys are nuts..." muttered Naofumi, feeling very put off by how casually Motoyasu and Itsuki were treating their respective deaths and their current situations.
He wasn't the only one. Asuka was visibly uncomfortable about the subject of death at the moment and how the other Heroes were treating it. In addition to those of friends, the trauma of her own death was still very fresh in her mind, and it was difficult to shake, let alone speak about aloud.
"Hey, Asuka-chan! What about you?"
"Eh?"
"Did you get summoned through a book, or did you die to get summoned here?" casually asked Motoyasu. All eyes were on the Sword Hero, which she did not find comforting in the slightest.
She sat back down, with her head hanging downward depressively, "I... don't want to talk about that." Asuka turned her head away, averting eye contact with the others.
"Asuka-chan...?" Motoyasu had a mix of concern and guilt in expression as he observed Asuka's reaction. He wondered if he was too insensitive?
"Whatever happened to her must've been more traumatizing than us. We shouldn't pry," said Itsuki.
"Yeah. It's pretty weird talking about things like death in such a casual manner, anyway," said Naofumi.
"Sorry to bring the mood down, guys..." said Asuka.
"Hey, it's my fault for getting too personal." waved Motoyasu, "Every girl's got her secrets. When you're ready, feel free to talk about it,"
Asuka smiled, thankful for Motoyasu's understanding of her plight.
Meanwhile, Naofumi seemed perplexed about something, "Still… Motoyasu has Emerald Online, Itsuki has Dimension Web, and Asuka has this Shinobi Star Online thing… I know Asuka's game isn't entirely related, but I can't believe guys have played games that are so much like this world, but I'm like the only one who knows nothing about it. Why is that?"
"I don't know about it either. My game is about ninjas, remember? It has some fantasy elements to it, but nothing to this extent. This is Medieval European stuff we're talking about." Asuka replied.
That was when Motoyasu and Itsuki gave Asuka and Naofumi pitting looks. More specifically to Naofumi.
"What gives?" Naofumi asked.
"Oh Nothing, but… I was thinking it was because you're the Shield Hero," answered Itsuki.
"Hah! You too!" Motoyasu laughed.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Asuka asked with a frown and raised an eyebrow.
"Y-Yeah, is there something wrong with the shield?" Naofumi asked desperately.
"Alright, calm down. As the oldest of the group, let me handle this." Motoyasu said with an authoritative tone, "I'm pretty sure we chalk Asuka-chan up as being new to the medieval fantasy genre of RPGs, which is why she knows so little about this game. Isn't that right?"
"Um, yeah…" Asuka replied.
"But, in your case Naofumi…" Motoyasu's gaze fell to Naofumi, "You got saddled with the Shield class, which sucks super bad. You can't attack using a shield because it's only capable of defense. And as far I know, no true player ever plays it because the Shield class is meant for losers."
"What?! NOOOOO!" Naofumi howled in frustration before turning to Asuka and Itsuki. "What about you two?!"
"U-Um… the players from my game sometimes wield heavy weapons and act as tanks, but I don't think I've seen a shield user before. Sorry." Asuka answered, feeling bad about letting Naofumi down.
"I think the Shield Class is boring," Itsuki said bluntly.
"Aww!" Naofumi fell over on the couch, completely flabbergasted.
"Hey, did you guys have to be so blunt about it? We don't know if this Shield class is really that bad here!" Asuka scolded.
"It was the best way to break it to him, if you ask me," Motoyasu said with a shrug.
"Yeah, it's the sad truth. There's no denying that," said Itsuki.
Asuka didn't seem convinced. After all, every weapon, shield included, can be used differently, depending on how the user wielded it. She preferably used her twin wakizashi for fast attacks and movement, and thanks to her natural speed, she could mow down enemies quickly. Even if he could potentially only use defensive techniques, Naofumi could find that his shield was more versatile than any of them think.
Motoyasu and Itsuki didn't seem to care, so they started strategizing for this "game".
Ignoring the other two Heroes, the Sword Heroine walked over to Naofumi in concern for him, "Are you okay, Naofumi-kun?"
"I'm fine… it just sucks that I got the shield, now that I know that only losers who can only defend would play it…" Naofumi grumbled, staring vacantly into nothing.
"Don't look so crestfallen. We won't know what our weapons can do until we start adventuring tomorrow." Asuka smiled, "I don't know too much about this game thing, but for all we know, that shield of yours might have some super cool abilities that can help you defend your party! Your party will have to depend on you to tank the damage coming their way, while you depend on them to deal damage. Isn't that right?"
Naofumi looked up at Asuka, who had a genuinely encouraging and cheerful smile on her face, contrasting to when he first met her. Admittedly, it was very difficult not to look below the younger girl's neck, the embarrassing accidental pervert incident earlier being a factor too, but he saw that she was genuinely trying to cheer him up, so he refrained. Even though she had her own troubles, she was willing to console him, which he appreciated enough to get his prior energy back.
"Yeah, you're right… So what if I'm weak? I can still depend on my party." Naofumi said with renewed hope, as he sat up from the coach, "I can defend them from devastating attacks. That's the shield's role, to begin with, so they'll still depend on me."
"Yeah, take pride in that, and you'll be fine!" Asuka said.
"And who knows, I might have a few girls in my party!" Naofumi said, mostly to himself.
"Huh?"
"My love life back home was lacking, but here, I just might meet the one!" Naofumi said with cheer.
Asuka was not expecting him to comment on that. At least he got his fire back, so it was probably a good thing.
"Yeah, it'll be fine. I was chosen for this, after all. My success is guaranteed. Look out world, 'cause here I come!" Naofumi declared, pumping his fists enthusiastically.
"I, uh… don't know about the love life part, but you have my support 100%!" Asuka declared, extending her hand to the Shield Hero.
"Huh? Oh yeah! Thanks, Asuka." Naofumi smiled, as he shook hands with Asuka.
"No problem!" Asuka nodded as she parted hands with the Shield Hero.
Motoyasu and Itsuki, who spotted them chatting about Naofumi's shield, smile at the interaction. While Motoyasu was a little jealous that Asuka was giving more attention to Naofumi, he knew that girls like her were naturals at keeping moral together, so letting her cheer up Naofumi was a small price to pay.
"Alright. Our adventures start tomorrow, so we should rest up in our rooms now and wake up bright and early." the Spear Hero said.
"Sounds like a plan!" said Itsuki.
Soon after that meeting, the Four Heroes split off to their separate bed chambers.
[-Castle: Asuka's Guest Room-]
Asuka was finally alone in her separate guest room. The room was large. It included a huge bed, a wardrobe, and even a private changing room and bath.
She chose to take a dip in the bath first.
She changed from her uniform into a long elegant pink nightgown. Due to her large bust, the top couldn't completely cover her cleavage.
"Why am I not surprised?" she groaned while letting down her hair. At least no one was around to ogle her, especially not Motoyasu, who discreetly snuck lecherous looks at her from time to time. She pretended not to notice, so there wouldn't be any more awkwardness between them. At least Naofumi tried to be less transparent and looked away like a gentleman. It was one of the reasons she didn't hold the accidental groping against him.
She let out a long sigh as she laid down on the large bed. Because of its large size, it felt kind of uncomfortable for her to have so much room.
Today's confusing and extraordinary events did not help the discomfort. The last attack of Orochi was still fresh in her mind, as was getting burnt alive. And then next thing she knew after her death, she was summoned to this strange new world and was given the title of Sword Hero.
She wondered if this was a really long dream.
"Motoyasu-kun and the others said this was a video game, but…" Asuka muttered, remembering her conversation with the other heroes regarding this world, "It feels pretty real to me… it's no dream, and it's not heaven either. I'm alive in a new world, and I'm all alone."
The other three seemed to take this Isekai thing in stride, and they even likened this world to a video game, going so far as to treat their respective deaths as a blessing in disguise so they could go on adventures in said game, in the case of Motoyasu and Itsuki. But, deep down, Asuka knew better than to tread lightly on this new land. She was chosen to be the Cardinal Sword Hero, but what did that mean? Was she supposed to abandon her old way of life and adopt a new one with these strange new surroundings? Could she shoulder forward with her new role and forget the traumatic experience of her final battle and death?
But then, the blood-curdling howl of the beast rang in her ears, forcing her back into reality.
Sweat broke out all over her petrified face, and she trembled controllably.
There was no forgetting the agonizing feeling of dying in an inferno. Nor was there a way to forget the images of all of her friends' deaths by Orochi's claws. Not even watching Homura become the core of that beast's existence. That monster took everything from her; her life and future, her friends, and quite possibly the rest of her family. Yet, by some twisted miracle, she was permitted life again in another world, with no friends or family, and Orochi was probably still running amok back in her world.
"I shouldn't worry. I'm sure Grandpa, Grandma, Kiriya-sensei, and Daidouji-senpai can handle Orochi without me. I completely failed, but if it's them, they can beat it, and I know how strong they are!" she said, trying to sound upbeat, followed by melancholy silence.
It wouldn't be a few minutes before her pitiful attempt at holding it together utterly crumbles.
"Grandpa… Grandma… I could sure use your advice right about now… and Futomaki…" tears began to form in Asuka's eyes as memories of her family began to flood into her fragile mind, "Mom, Dad… I wonder how you guys are doing… I hope you're safe. I'm sure Grandpa has everything… under control…"
Following her family, the memories of her friends back in Hanzo Academy came. The cool and elegant big sister, Ikaruga. The perverted but good-hearted Katsuragi. The stern and serious Yagyu. The innocent and bubbly Hibari. Her comrades, whom she spent the better part of three years bonding with, training together, and learning the way of the Shinobi… were all gone… right before her eyes.
"Ikaruga-san… Katsu-nee… Yagyu-chan… Hibari-chan… Everyone… I'm sorry… it's… all my fault that you're all…!" Asuka curled up into a ball and silently wept throughout the night. The tears she held back for so long burst out. Her new life and duty as the Sword Hero of this world did nothing to soothe the guilt, pain, and loneliness she felt, for this night, despair consumed her.
And then there was Homura, someone she considered her first rival and true best friend. Their final clash shouldn't have ended with her being pulled into Orochi's being. Homura wanted to protect those dear to her. To be stripped of her free will and goal so abruptly was cruelty on a grand scale. And worst of all, Asuka couldn't do a damn thing to save her. She failed to save Homura and her friends, and she lost her life for it.
"Homura-chan, I'm sorry…! I'm such a failure!" Asuka continued to weep as the night slowly passed by for the next day to arrive.
Lyall the Werewolf: Here we go again. I thank you all for your patience. I hope to do better than before on this one.
I took a few cues from the novel version of Rising of the Shield Hero and added them here.
Let me know what you think of the new title in the reviews.
Chapter 02 is on its way. See you there.