BEN 10: RISING OF THE SHIELD HERO
Fans: What's the worst title you can give to a chapter?
Chris Chronos: Yes.
Thanks for reading and writing reviews on my chapter. Without further ado,…
Outside. A giant Ultraman is seen standing just next to the supposedly dead tortoise as he answers the questions the queen of Melromarc and the other leaders of the alliance ask. He assures them that everything is under control until it isn't.
Inside the tortoise. In the chamber of the tortoise's core. My party and I were dramatically and patiently listening to a mad villain's speech that isn't worth a cent. It's just a waste of time. I wanna punch the heck out of him already for all the crimes he did.
Transforming our arms into blades, Rex and I (as Diamondhead) charge toward the villain. I take the lead so that I can block the explosions from the "sheets of paper" the villain has thrown at us.
This guy… unlike many other villains I've encountered throughout my hero history, this guy is different. I can't find the good in him. The more I think, the faster the hate in my heart grows.
"You heroes are really naive… You were sticking with the answer all this time…" he starts talking again. "You could just end that all by killing her."
"What is he talking about?" Rex wonders out loud.
Immediately, I knew what he meant. But I don't— I shouldn't care. Whatever the answer is, I have my answer. I am standing here to change the answer and to rewrite fate.
"Don't bother," I assure Rex and L'Arc who look back at me with doubts. "He is talking nonsense."
"Aw, you knew, right?" The villain says. "You knew it and still… you tried to sacrifice more to protect a single person… That's naive, man."
"I sacrificed nothing… more."
I create a crystal shield to block all the explosions from the three of us. "But I am making sure everyone is safe."
I am going at it again.
What is the greatest challenge of a hero? Beating as many villains as one can? Or making a Guinness Record in saving people? The true goal is even bigger than that. And I'm doing it because I am powerful.
"Everyone… huh…"
"Of course," my freaky voice says to the villain who is seriously frightened. "Everyone."
He turns around only to see the owner of the voice, my Ghostfreak form. My skin is semi-transparent due to intangibility. He freaks out and hurls the pages from his book at me, only for them to pass through my body and hit the crystal containers where the three stooges are in.
The crystal surfaces start to crack as the impact of explosions damages them.
"Wh-what kind of monster are you!?"
"Exactly," my hands reach my torso starting to peel my pale skin. "I am your worst nightmare."
The tentacles emerge from my peeled torso, together with my phantomish internal organs. And the face of the frightened villain who crawls on his back is also oddly satisfying.
"I pity you," my cycloptic eye moved in the grooves on my body, looking at him from different angles. "You are weak, man. Just who the heck are you?"
"I… I am Kyo—"
"Ben!" I hear Rex's voice so I quickly retract my tentacles and close my skin. Damn, it's even terrifying for me.
"I'm okay, Rex."
Rex and L'Arc come out from behind the crystal shield and see "Kyo" defeated.
"Oh…" L'Arc flinches at my appearance. "Sorry."
"I don't mind," I reply and look down at Kyo. "So… do we have to destroy this core, right?"
"Uh, wait—" Kyo gasps in horror as I float toward the crystal core of the tortoise. "I'm not LETTING IT HAPPEN!"
Suddenly, the crystal glows brightly… and Rex and L'Arc drop to the ground… as if they are pulled by some forces to the floor.
"What did you do?!" I freakily yell at Kyo but I notice this attack doesn't affect me for some reason.
He lets out a burst of evil laughter. "The spirit tortoise's favorite! Gravity attack— Wait, why aren't you affected?!"
Gravity, huh? That's all I had to hear. "Oh…"
My hand smacks the Omnitrix insignia on my torso. After transforming with a flash of green light, I am not enthusiastic enough to say the name out loud. "Thanks for the tip." I become Gravattack.
I hold out my hands, one catching Kyo and another creating a gravitational force that cancels out the spirit tortoise attack.
"Why do you have a solution for everything!?" Kyo screams.
"No, I don't," I pull my hand back to throw him away. "I just happen to be every shape and size."
He is thrown like a piece of rag, hitting the wall. He falls to the ground, vomiting blood. For some reason, I feel no pity for him as I glare at him.
"Ben…" Rex warns me. I give him a nod in understanding as I float toward the crystal walls, transforming into Humungousaur. Everyone watches me in silence as I shatter the walls with a punch, getting the three heroes out of there.
"I knew it…" Kyo says as he weakly gets up from the floor. "I can't beat you, after all."
He then laughs like a mad scientist. He is laughing although he has been beaten. It pisses me off.
"My hard work… It's a waste," he mutters with a miserable face. Still, I feel nothing true about it. He is, like, constantly evil in my eyes. He would do any evil action to achieve his goal. "Why, go ahead, destroy the core. Why aren't you doing it already?"
"Stop talking," a large blade appears just before his neck. It's Rex's big fat sword. "And you, Ben, why aren't you destroying the core?"
L'Arc, Therese, and Glass stare at me in silence. Rex looks more serious than he has ever been.
If I explain, will they accept the fact that their leader went this far to protect a single person?
"He didn't even choose an easier path," Kyo laughs. "He could have solved everything by killing that woman—"
Oh, crap…
"Killing whom?" Rex's voice becomes dark. Kyo flinches, he certainly underestimated Rex.
"The… avatar of Spirt Tortoise."
Rex narrows his eyes and looks back at the crystal wall behind which are my party members and Ost Horai — and I quickly understand who he is searching for.
"Rex, look," I intervened. "I have a plan, okay? We don't need to kill anyone."
"So you knew that Ost Horai is the avatar of Spirit tortoise, why didn't you tell us?" He questions me.
I don't think this is the right time to bother with it. L'Arc, Therese, and Glass also stare at me in disbelief. I cancel my transformation, attempting to calm them.
"I… knew. I found out in her memories. BUT she doesn't know it. She doesn't know she is… the Tortoise."
Hopefully, the crystal wall must be soundproof.
"And? Even if I knew," Rex sighs. "I wouldn't kill her. You… didn't trust me, dude."
"It's mean, lad," L'Arc shakes his head, nudging my shoulder. "But… anyway, you must have a reason, right? You have the plan. It means you know the alternative. If you need help with that, we will hear you out."
He kinda lights up the gloomy mood.
"Too bad…" Kyo says, jumping back away from Rex and us. "You guys are so nice I can puke. Anyway…"
He takes out a bottle and opens it, pouring some sort of glowing liquid on the floor.
"What are you doing!?"
I rush toward him, only to be bounced back by an energy shield that looks like a turtle shell.
"Shit… FOUR ARMS!"
I angrily punch the shield with my four fists, but it's really tough even for Four Arms. A dark hole-like circle appears in front of him, surrounded by blue flames.
"I like that reaction… Whoa…" he raises the bottle. "Too bad, I kept the bare minimum here in case… I couldn't beat you."
"Souls…" I mutter, panting heavily.
"Bingo. Now then, I'll be going."
"You are not going anywhere!" Rex also punches the shield with smack hands, and kicks it with punk busters but… the shield doesn't even move.
"Shield Hero… and that freakshow, whatever you are, remember… I am going to kill you. Have fun until then."
I transform into Ghostfreak and pass through the shield to stop him from escaping. But he smirks and drops himself into the hole.
"Wait—"
He barely escapes my hands… but he is nowhere to be seen now.
"Shit…" I grit my teeth and transform again into Chromastone to absorb the energy shield.
"So… what are we gonna do?" Rex asks the question he asked me again and again before.
L'Arc and his teammates examine the portal. "Kiddo…"
"I think… this hole is connected to our world," Therese explains. "But it's about to close."
"The rest is our job now…" Glass says. "We will defeat Kyo and bring the souls back to this world."
"Yeah…" L'Arc says with a smile on his face. "Leave the rest to us."
And they also jump into the hole.
Uh, shit… what am I supposed to do?
"We will follow him," I answer Rex and float toward the hole, only to be stopped by a Warning sign that appears on my screen.
(CAUTION)
Forbidden Action
The four cardinal heroes cannot invade another world.
"Aw, man…"
"What is it?" (Rex)
"Uh… well…" I don't have words. I am frustrated.
"Partner, find a solution."
As I call for help, I transform into Diamondhead to let my members and Ost Horai escape. Horai is surprised to see the core still alive.
"I wish you'd get a pass from the gods of this world just because you are nice, ha," Partner jokingly says. "I think asking the Tortoise herself will help."
"The tortoise huh…"
Ost Horai. At first, claimed to be the servant of the Spirit Tortoise.
When the headaches pained her, it was actually her memories returning. The closer she got to the tortoise, the faster the memories returned to her. And when I tried to cure her via energy manipulation, I accidentally found her memories. (I had personal principles to not read other people's memories, 'cause it's kinda creepy and I'd feel bad if a person whose mind I read, unfortunately, hated me.)
She was, yeah, though I was surprised, the spirit tortoise herself. Maybe being away from the main body for a long time causes the bond between the two bodies to faint, and her memories to fade away. It's just a hypothesis — I just happened to have mind-reading and energy manipulation powers, and it doesn't mean I am a specialist in this field.
And gradually, her memories returned from time to time, only to be sealed away by me. I didn't delete them because I believed there would be a time I could unseal the memories again to let her know of everything.
Among her memories, I found her identity and a way to seal the spirit tortoise — and a way to completely kill the beast.
And I chose otherwise.
From time to time, her memories would randomly pop up as we went inside the tortoise — at first, I thought of leaving her outside. But coming across something, I decided to take her on our little adventure into the body of the tortoise.
Using her memories to my advantage. I feel like a villain for doing it to her but… It's also for her own good. I took a long time to figure out how to defeat the tortoise without sacrificing her and… Thankfully…
"She is the guardian beast of this world after all," Partner rubs his chin. "Maybe she knows some way to get to another world."
I subconsciously nod at Partner and assume the form of Deejay Emcee.
First… I need to ask Ost to give me a way to travel to another world through this hole, which I believe is made from the souls collected by the spirit tortoise herself.
"Ost..."
"Y-yeah..." she looks up at me, confused at my serious face. "How can I be of help?"
"I need you to give me special permission to get to another world."
The room is silent.
"Excuse me?" (Horai)
Somehow, I managed to convince her to give me permission. At the time, a wild Ben appears. My clone who has been a way to sever the head of the tortoise and look over the dead monster returns to us.
"The holy heroes must protect this world. They are not allowed to invade other worlds. That is the role of the vassal weapons."
That isn't the same as I knew. I thought vassal wielders were supposed to be the assistants of holy heroes.
Special request approved. The holy heroes may now conditionally invade other worlds.
Thankfully, Partner's assumption was right.
"Hey, is everything alright?"
He is in Big Chill form.
"Yeah... Ben," I subconsciously addressed him by my name. "Uh, sorry, anyway, I have a job for you."
"You can trust me," he rolls his eyes. "Basically, everything you can do, I can also do."
He isn't wrong, but in a way, he is indirectly questioning my capability.
"Mm, yeah," I look back at Ost, then point at the core of the tortoise. "Do what you have to."
We are two parts of the same person so he knows what I mean. He returns me a nod and an assuring smile.
"Guys, my clone here will take care of her and the tortoise…" I turn toward my party who are looking at me with questioning eyes. "So don't worry…"
"Master…" Filo approaches me. "Will Ost die?"
I take a deep breath. "No…" I replied calmly. "I won't allow her to."
Rex laughs at me, nudging my back. "Hahaha, man, you really manipulate people."
"Yeah, perhaps I do… Alright!" I raise their morale again, shooting a glance at a speechless Ost Horai. "Let's go after them!"
"Roger!" "Yes, Master!"
"What about me?" Rishia says. I shoot a glance at the three heroes lying on the floor, still unconscious.
"I thought you'd want to stay with Itsuki," I quickly read her face— she is eager to come with us for some reason. "Do what you like."
"Thanks, Sir Ben."
We walk toward the portal leaving Ost Horai. She turns toward her new caretaker — my clone. "You are really kind— uh, I don't know which one is you anymore," she flutters.
"He is like a father to me."
I flinch, hearing my clone say that. But Rex pushes me into the hole… and…
CHAPTER 29: THE OMNITRIX HERO IN ANOTHER's ANOTHER WORLD
Kyo Ethnina… The despicable culprit of—
Hmm… what am I thinking? My mind is blank… My body feels heavy.
"... Ben!... Sir Ben! Wake up!"
No, my body is shaking… Someone is—
"Please, mom, let me sleep five more minutes— Ouch!"
Someone assaulted my hips! I mean, they slapped me with something. Agh, shit, it hurts.
"Agh, Mom!?" I scream, awakened from sleep. As I sit up, I see Rishia and Aria just beside me. Rishia seems worried, her hands reaching Aria who is holding a wooden plank. I guess she hit me with that thing. "So… it's just you."
"Oh… Thank goodness, Sir Ben," Rishia looks like an angel compared to Aria.
I shake off my dizziness and look around to examine where I am. Still, I feel like half my life force is sucked out.
"Where… are the others? Rex and Filo."
Damn… I don't remember what happened after entering that portal. "Where are we?"
"I . . . I don't really know. Uh, Rex is…"
I look around the room. It is a small dark room, with walls built of stone — very dank and depressing. Behind me is a pile of damp straws on the ground. A crude bed lies in the other corner and iron grating forms the far wall.
"Did we get arrested for trespassing?"
Man, jail cells, seriously? It reminds me of that time I was securely detained by the Royal Guards after I got accused to be a Shield Devil. Laughable, isn't it?
I think I forgot to take my ID card. Hope it doesn't cause me problems in New York. Wait, I am American, right? Hope the government doesn't identify me as an alien, damn…
"Oh, Rex, man…"
Rex is still asleep, snoring smoothly on the straw bed. Aria drags her wooden plank toward him.
"AGHHHH!"
Gotta pretend I didn't see it. That aside, where are we? This place is totally… a prison cell. Hmm… We enter the world of L'Arc and the gang, right?
I get up from the floor and walk toward the metal bars.
"Er, the door isn't locked…" When I push the door, it opens easily. "Guys."
"Tsk… Hmm, Ben, Aria, Rishia…" Rex finally speaks, half awake. "Where are we? What is this place?"
"This reminds me of torture rooms back at my home," Aria nonchalantly says.
"Are… we gonna be tortured!?" Rishia freaks out.
"Don't say horrible things!" I sweatdropped. "Anyway, the door is not locked. We can get out— wait, where is Filo?"
"We don't know," Rishia answers, worried.
"Yes, sir Ben, since we woke up, we haven't seen her."
It's easy for them to say but Filo is my daughter. *sobs*
"Why. Don't worry, dude," Rex yawns. "She will be fine."
Fine… fine… Hmm, my status. Hold up. What's up with my shield!? It's a weird-looking rectangular shield with a weird color scheme, something isn't right.
Benjamin Kirby Tennyson
Job class: (other world) Shield Hero
Level: 1
Equipment: beginner's Small Shield (legendary weapon) ○▼◆x type 2
Beginner's Small Shield
Abilities locked; equip bonus: defense 3
I freak out and look down at my other wrist, thankfully the Omnitrix isn't leveled down.
"Aw, guys, it seems we've degraded back to level 1."
The room has been overtaken by the silence of confusion.
"But… does it really matter to us?" Rex asks, rubbing the back of his head. "I mean, no matter what your level was, you solved everything by wrecking things so…"
"Well, I'm not that aggressive. What kind of person do you take me for?" I roll my eyes, annoyed. "Filo isn't here. I hope she is safe… Let's get outta here."
It's really a prison. An underground prison? A dungeon prison? Many jail cells are found along our way out. But…
Judging from objects we find here and there, this is rather an a someone's house or accommodation. There is also a storeroom (which is a prison chamber) with kitchen tools. Kitchen tools — stove and fuel. I don't think whoever lives here burns straws for fuel.
"I got it, Sir Ben," Aria suddenly says.
"You get what?"
"This must be a domesticated prison!"
"Oh, what a great name," and it weirds me out.
"Will Miss Horai be okay?" Rishia asks.
"Don't worry," I assure her. "My clone is there, after all."
Beginner's Small Shield
Abilities locked; equip bonus: defense 3
And then there I find a lot of locked shields in the list. It doesn't really matter since I fight with my body by transforming. But…
"Uh, Partner? Can you do something about that?"
"No," Partner replies coldly. "But I can re-unlock your alien shields."
"Thanks…"
Level: 1
I better be careful.
We meet no one in the way. It's like a maze. Though I have companions, it's scary to explore an empty underground prison — possibly a torture center!
AGHH! Enough, I am not that patient. And I don't wanna tire my teammates either.
"Guys, wait here, I'll look for the exit. XLR8!"
"Um, what— wait—" (Rex)
After a flash of green light, I become a blur and disappear from their sight. I start running at a super high-speed to find the exit.
"Hmm, I thought the shape of the alien shields would also change," I mumble as I run in the empty corridors.
"Because these shields are made by yours truly," Partner proudly points at himself. "They are different from any other shield."
Yeah, yeah, I know.
After 3 seconds, I finally find a door. "Oh, this door…"
"Yeah, it is weird…" Rex mutters, leaning forward to examine the door knob.
"Hmm… Wait, how did you get here?!" I freak out, turning toward him.
And turns out he and others are standing just in front of the door.
"We've been standing here… and you disappeared, and returned in a blink."
I cover my blue face with clawed hand, embarrassed. Damn, I wasted three seconds to explore the whole prison only to find out the only doorway is just next to the former position.
"Alright, let's get outta here…" my ripsy voice replies weakly.
As the door opens, I am the first one to step out. And Rex follows me. Rishia is hesitating as she clings to Aria. So she grabs Rishia's arm and pulls through the doorway with her.
On the other side…
"What the . . . ?" Rex and I are speechless. We are standing on a white sand beach. The sun blazes overhead in a clear blue sky, while waves roll on in the distance. I turn back to where we came from and see the doorway standing behind us in the sand.
"Oh…"
"I think…" Rex cups his chin, making a face that screams he has figured it out.
"What?"
"We are stuck in the Doraemon's world!"
"Who is Doraemon?" (Rishia)
"What is Doraemon?" (Aria)
"Why is Doraemon's? Aren't we in L'Arc Berg's world?" I ask. His expression looks fakely confident.
"It's a famous Anime character! Every child's friend!"
"Never heard of," I believe Doraemon isn't a character from Sumo Slammers. "Do they live on a beach? That Dora Mon, or Doraemon person…"
"Uh, no," Rex seems disappointed. "I mean, this doorway looks like Doraemon's Anywhere door."
"Oh…"
My sonic-speed brain thinks for a while to figure out whatever the damn Anywhere Door means.
And in front of me is a never-ending ocean.
"Give me a second!" I shout at them and start running on the surface of the water at a fastest speed I can run on the water surface.
"Again!?" Rishia exclaims.
"Oh, yeah… never ending… Wait, seriously?" I begin to wonder after a long run. The ocean isn't ending at the horizon.
So I decided to turn around since I couldn't find the end of the ocean after half an hour.
"We are totally on a deserted island, guys."
In my mind, I've been willing to look for Filo, first. Maybe I am overprotective… but I couldn't help worrying for her.
"Come on, Ben…" Rex says, uninterested in my findings.
Rex is carrying a dead monster over his shoulder. Aria is setting up a fireplace, and Rishia is collecting wood pieces and sticks for fuel.
"Huh, what are you guys doing?" I ask, canceling my transformation.
"Isn't it obvious?" Aria nonchalantly says as she starts a fire. "We are making dinner. Don't slack off, come give us a hand here."
"O… oh…"
They don't really worry?
So I rush toward Rishia and help her carry the sticks and dry leaves.
"It's still noon, why dinner?"
"We are tired and hungry…" Rex says, skewering the meat he found in the forest. "So we will have some sleep after eating."
Man, they are hopeless.
"Shouldn't… we worry about Filo? Or perhaps we will never get out of here."
"No… even if we are on a deserted island, we will find some way out," Aria says. "We have you after all."
Thanks, it sure encourages me—
I give in and sit beside Aria as the fire begins to roast the meat. Rishia throws some sticks into the fire. The flames are powered up and burn even brighter.
"Let's enter the forest and explore this place after this."
"I don't wanna…"
"Why?"
A yawn escapes Rex's mouth. "I want to sleep already."
How sleep-deprived can you be!?
"Uh, whatever, Aria, are you in?"
"No, count me out."
"Rishia?"
Rishia almost jumps with joy. "Roger! Sir Ben!"
"Why are you getting all excited over his invitation?" Rex asks her.
"I… didn't get to do anything helpful to you guys. Also, you all are exhausted but I'm… not that tired. So I think I want to help Sir Ben, too."
"See, you guys," I give her a thumbs-up as I lecture Rex and Aria. "She has a good heart."
"She really didn't do anything after all," Aria says with a monotonous voice.
"How mean of you!?"
And so after the meal, Rex and Aria went into the underground prison again through the "Doraemon's" doorway.
"See you later, guys," Rex says. He yawns and finally disappears from our side.
"Ha…" I let out a sigh. "Partner. Are you there?"
The holographic Partner shows up on my screen. "Present, Sergeant Ben!"
"Are you mocking me? Anyway, mark this place on the map, will you?"
"Roger! Pleased to serve you, Sergeant!"
I don't remember joining the military. "Thanks…"
When I check the map, there is a landmark called "Anywhere Door" here where I am standing at. Damn… that frog.
"Rishia… let's go." "Yes!"
Strangely enough, the grass field and the forest look normal for a deserted island. I let Rishia walk before me so that I can act fast enough when a threat appears. A lot of tall coconut palm trees are found here and there on either side of the pathway.
"Sir Ben…" Rishia alerts me when she hears something from the bush nearby.
And a white box jumps out of the bush, surprising Rishia.
"Rishia, fall back!" I say, subconsciously transforming into Four Arms.
"Y… yea…" Rishia jumps back as I charge at the white box. I don't know if it's a threat or— Yes, it is! It is not cute white cardboard. When it opens its flaps, two glowing red eyes bulge out and a disgusting tongue slips out.
WHITE BOX
It is… a monster… I've never seen before.
It hops on the ground for a while before leaping into the air. And then, as I expected, it flies for us.
Only to be grabbed by one of my upper hands. I can make a pun— I've got the upper hand!
"Yo, Rishia, it's still alive. Wanna slay this guy?"
"Sir… Sir Ben…" Rishia shakes her head as she stares at the struggling bizarre creature in my hand but she isn't denying my offer. "Roger!"
She runs up to me and swings her sword at the creature… slicing it into two. And the remains are mere cardboard pieces. It didn't turn into a grotesque scene.
"Nice job, Rishia… Though, you should put more strength in your sword."
I remark on her sword skill as the blade gently collides with my palm. My skin is so tough the sword can't hurt me.
"I… I was afraid if I would accidentally hurt you…"
"Chin up, woman. I am not called Ben Tennyson for no reason… Forget it, let's go."
Well, it's not like I'm worried about her… She is already a remarkable student of Lady Grilaroc (old lady)... Hmm, it seems only specifically skilled swordsmen can cut through my skin.
We got some experience points and improved to level 2. Great.
I pick up some remains of the White Box and let my shield absorb them…
BEGINNER'S SMALL WHITE SHIELD
The way the magic of this world works is also similar to that of the last world. So we shouldn't encounter any problem leveling. I am the powerhouse player of the party and there is likely no one who can overpower me — that must be why my party members remain so lax.
Sigh.
As we proceed with our expedition, we find other otherworldly monsters. But their constitution isn't much different from that of the monsters of the previous world. I allow Rishia to take the leave as we go on.
When we reach a lake in the middle of the forest…
"Sir, can I drink some water? I am thirsty…"
"Oh, go ahead…" indeed, I am also a little thirsty. I can just create water out of nowhere but I'd rather not do that. Hmm, this can be a great opportunity to make my teammates rely on themselves more. "Let's test if it's drinkable. I will drink some, too."
She gives me a nod. Then I kneel on the bank and touch the water surface. It's real water, I suppose.
"Partner."
The holograph galvan shows up immediately as I call him out. With a smug.
"I thought you were going to make her rely on herself."
"Shut up. Just do it."
Understanding my command, Partner bursts out laughing as stats of the water appear on the screen.
"Oh, let me warn you, sergeant. There are monsters in the lake."
I facepalm at his warning. Knowing there are damned monsters in the water, no way I can drink it—
"So, sir, I will go ahead."
And so Rishia follows my order to "go ahead" and drink it! No, Rishia, no!
A monster with white hair and a reptilian body suddenly emerges out of the water surprising Rishia. The monster overall looks like a naked old man with a short tail. Adding to its scary appearance, it has a turtle-like shell on its back.
"Sir—"
"Don't call my name every f**king time… RIPJAWS!"
Sorry pal, you're gonna meet the aquatic king!
I drop into the lake and transform my legs into a fishtail with triangular lines and fly toward where the monster is.
It squeals as it notices my movements in the lake… but its reflexes are slow enough to give me time to strike it off its balance with my tail.
Come forth! Ripjaws Shield!
Unavailable at present
Oh, damn it. Partner!
"I haven't finished analyzing all the shields. Sorry, Sergeant."
Forget it.
I grab at the old-man monster's head, stopping it from biting me… but its claws scratch my skin, somehow hurting me enough to bleed.
Here goes nothing! I open my mouth wide and bite off its head, immediately spitting it away afterward. It is even more gruesome than my bleeding.
"Done," I proudly jump out of water and cancel my transformation as I pose a superhero landing on the bank.
Rishia cautiously looks past me at the lake.
"Sir… Ben…"
"Hmm, what?" When I turn around, I see a couple of monsters swarming in the lake.
"Oh, my, just where did these guys come out!?"
Those old-man monsters suddenly show up and jump at me… I know that I can't escape this time.
"Grr! FOUR ARMS!"
But the monsters never reach me…
"Blood Flower Strike!" A young girlie voice says.
When I look back, they are all suspended in the air, tangled up in the strings.
"A spider monster!?" I exclaim preparing all my arms for combat.
"How rude…" the same voice replies. I recognize it's not Rishia's voice. "I am not a monster."
Suddenly, there was a flash of light and the monsters caught in the strings collapsed into a bloody pile…
Reveals someone on the island in the center of the lake.
It is a girl who is as tall as a middle schooler. Her brown hair is long and pulled up into two pigtails on either side of her head, and she wears very feminine clothes that seem to contradict her powerful and confident carriage. She wore a gothic dress and covered it with a Japanese-style coat. Her eyes are brown. Her appearance overall looks like a Japanese middle schooler.
And in her hand is a fishing rod…
My four eyes stare at the little girl… and then look around… to look for her parents.
"Where are your parents? Shall I take you home?"
"Your rudeness has no limits, stranger!"
Rishia nervously warns me. "Sir Ben, please stop."
"Hmm, stop what?"
"Just ask her who she is!" She whispers.
"Uh, okay," I look back at the middle schooler. Now I realize that she is the same size as Filo– Don't tell me,... she is the SAME AGE AS FILO!?
"Sorry, Miss. May I know who you are?"
She isn't freaked out by my (Four Arms) appearance. Strange for a middle schooler. Perhaps the middle schoolers of this world are used to seeing Tetramands on an everyday basis?
"Hehe, "I've been watching out for you since you guys fell out of the sky. The name is Kizuna Kazayama, and I'm one of the four holy heroes—the Hunting Hero, to be exact."
She retracts the fishing rod and attaches it to her waist. "I gave you my name. Now give me yours."
Meeting one of the holy heroes of this world… on a deserted island?! How lucky one can be! Though, it's unbelievable that this little girl is a holy hero. Well, appearance can be deceiving.
"I am also one of the four holy heroes… but from another world."
Ha, while I don't know many babysitting methods, I guess I can tease a middle schooler.
"Another… world?"
"Yes. The name is Ben Tennyson. The Hero of the Shield."
She raises her brows and jumps onto the bank I am standing on. Then she approaches me to look at my red-skinned biceps.
"Is your body real? Or can you just take the form of monsters? I've never seen this kind of setting in games."
"I. Am. Real. This is just a transformation."
She pulls back her fist and punches my arms. I barely felt her strength… but I quickly understood that she isn't just an ordinary kid.
"How interesting…"
"Fall back."
As she moves away, I cancel my transformation to reveal my human form. But… she isn't surprised.
"I've already seen your human form, indeed."
"Aw, so…"
This is how we met the hunting hero, Kizuna Kazayama.
"... A middle schooler can also be summoned as a holy hero, huh…"
"How rude! I am 18! Eighteen!"
END OF CHAPTER (29).
Thanks for reading. I took too long to update this story. Sorry, everyone.
Christopher Paradox Chronos.