Beta Read by: KobeNiku

(Melromarc - Royal Castle)

King Aultcray Melromarc XXXII had been restless for the last week. He'd been on edge since the summoning of the four cardinal heroes and the subsequent disappearance of the Shield Hero, known alternatively as the Slayer. He'd initially viewed the man with disdain due to him being the Shield Hero, but now he couldn't help but feel afraid. The Slayer had so casually walked out as if the threat of the waves was but a mere inconvenience, nearly silencing Aultcray's protest with a mere glare.

The worst part, as far as Aultcray was concerned, was that the Shield Hero hadn't vanished entirely. There were reported sightings of him in the days after, each one too impossible to be accurate and largely unconfirmed sans the one reported by the Spear Hero. Yet it painted a vivid picture that the Shield Hero was well and genuinely uncontrollable, which was simply unacceptable by the doctrines of Melromarc's faith and to Aultcray personally.

King Aultcray sat in an armchair in his grandiose bed chambers, tension refusing to leave his tired muscles. The plush lining of his seat did nothing to relax him, nor did the sweet scent of the red cherry wine he was nursing comfort him as it did during other times of crisis. He stared numbly at the crimson velvet tapestries that decorated the walls, his mind occupied by the terror the Shield Hero's presence left in his wake. He dreaded the consequences if the Shield Hero couldn't be controlled and kept under Melromarc's boot.

An advisor entered King Aultcray's room, "Your Majesty, High Priest Balmus has arrived; he is waiting for you."

King Aultcray nodded in acknowledgment, "Very well, you may leave." he said, waving his hand in a shooing motion.

King Aultcray reached for the crystal glass of red cherry wine that sat on the polished mahogany stand with indents of pure gold. He clutched the crystal glass' narrow stem between his fingers, swirling the alcohol as he stared off into space, lost in dark thought. Taking a long sip from the wine glass, letting the alcohol slide down his throat, he breathed in, collected his wits, and stood up.

Leaving the wine behind on the mahogany stand, he left his bedroom to meet with the High Priest of the Three Heroes Church. He put away his dread and personal grudge and donned his kingly persona.

-DOOM-

High Priest Biscus T. Balmus, the head priest of the Three Heroes Church of Melromarc, sat at the center of a meeting hall commonly used by the royal family when seeking counsel from advisors and territorial governors. For today's purposes, it was the meeting place where he and the King would discuss their collusion, and he would judge the King's reaction to certain information, the will of the true gods, and his servants rode on the success of his faithful church.

Balmus' head snapped over to the door as he heard the creak of its hinges. He witnessed King Aultcray enter the room with a dour look; it wasn't tough for Balmus to guess why the King was in such a dour mood.

The Shield Hero, more commonly called the Devil of the Shield in Melromarc, and his sudden disappearance from the throne room. An unexpected and troubling development, the Devil of the Shield running free didn't bode well for the nation's goals. Yet Balmus wasn't concerned by the fact yet. The rules of the Legendary weapons were absolute, and not even the Slayer could overcome them. It was only a matter of time before the Devil of the Shield would come back to them.

And once he did, the First Princess could get her scheme back on track. It was the will of the true gods of the Spear, Bow, and Sword that the Devil of the Shield be ostracized and kept weak under the boot of the one true church, the Three Heroes Church, his church.

King Aultcray sauntered to the table with all the haughtiness Balmus would expect from a royal who defined himself through his arrogance. Yet, Balmus knew well that Aulcray was secretly frightened by the unexpected development with the Devil of the Shield. Something the prideful king was far too stubborn to admit to anyone.

"You wished to discuss our current predicament?" Aultcray asked sharply.

Balmus gave a soft smile that masked all intentions. He elected to cut straight to the point, as he knew this was not a topic Aultcray would want to linger on more than was necessary. "I assume you already have some thoughts on the matter?" He gently adjusted his spectacles as he asked.

King Aultcray sighed, "I shall confess, I do not know what I think. The Shield Devil has done something unprecedented, and I am at an utter loss for once! He is just one man! The Shield Devil! What tools does he possess that allow him to walk away unopposed?"

Balmus measured King Aultcray's rant. It was as he'd suspected; the unforeseen chain of events had shattered the man's already fragile beliefs. Still, Balmus warmly smiled at his old friend, "Unprecedented, yes, but the will of God is absolute. Not even this Slayer can overcome it. It is only a matter of time before he crawls back to us, seeking the way."

"I suppose then; the question is, how long can he resist?"

"Not forever," Balmus raised his hand as if he was going to address a congregation, "We must merely be patient. Simply wait, and God will bring the Shield Devil back to us. And then, we can get our other agenda underway."

The was a subtle yet noticeable change in Aultcray's posture that betrayed hesitancy. "You seem troubled." Balmus stated, not asked.

King Aultcray was hesitant in his answer, "I… do not know if I wish for my daughter to assist us in our plans. The Slayer is too much of an unknown variable."

Balmus took note of Aultcray's use of the word Slayer, referring to the man behind the title Shield Devil. Balmus could understand the hesitance of a parent who desires to shield their child from harm. Yet the very fact that the Shield Devil was this much of a wild card made the need to control and ostracize him all the more important. Balmus placed a placating hand on Aultcray's shoulder, "Fret not, old friend. God will protect your child from harm."

Balmus' hollow promise of divine protection didn't dissuade Aultray's fears. "What measure can such assurance bring if we put my daughter squarely at the Shield Devil's mercy?"

"When our plan is complete, old friend, you won't have to worry about Malty following the same fate as your dear fallen sister."

The desired effect of this statement was achieved when Aultcray bristled at Balmus' statement.

"That is exactly why I hesitate, Balmus. How do we know that portal didn't take the Shield Devil to Siltvelt? How do we know he won't simply take her there once she's in his party?"

Balmus let his frown show. He would silently admit that that hadn't occurred to him. If the first princess was either taken as a political hostage or flat-out killed by Siltvelt, a second Melromarc-Siltvelt war would be the inevitable outcome. And while war and subjugation of Siltvelt was a long-term goal, war at the current moment was very counterproductive. Perhaps the king had retained a piece of wisdom after all.

Then Balmus smiled once more. "Then perhaps, there are other ways to ensure the Shield Devil's fall."

-DOOM-

The meeting with High Priest Balmus ended on a decidedly mediocre note for Aultcray. No later than they had finished discussing their most important issues a church knight, identifiable by the three heroes faith pendant hanging in front of their chest plate, had come in and handed Balmus an envelope sealed with a sigil too alien for Aultcray to recognize. Aultcray didn't see the contents of the letter but he could guess its nature from the way Balmus frowned when reading it. Then without warning, he told Aultcray that he had pressing and personal business to attend to that couldn't be postponed. Although he was taken aback by the sudden news, Aultcray bid his old friend goodbye and reviewed their meeting as the High Priest left the chamber.

Their plan to frame the Shield Devil for raping the first princess had been put aside indefinitely. It was a plan the King favored from the moment Balmus brought the idea to him since it would put the Shield Devil in a position where he could be easily controlled and eliminated without much incident. But once he'd met the Slayer and basked a mere second in his aura of ravenous fury, he found himself unable to go forth with the plan willingly.

No, the Slayer's evident abilities simply made that plan too risky. What a shame, all that set up, and now he had to explain to Malty that Balmus had told him what she was planning and secretly helped them coordinate.

Yet with their main conspiracy now out of commission, they needed a new plan to put the Shield Devil down. Many ideas were suggested, from creating publicity stunts to twisting false rumors about the Shield Devil's deeds. Unfortunately, for any of that to work, they needed the Shield Devil to be under their boot and in a position where they could take everything from him. While Balmus was confident in his belief that God would bring the Shield Devil back to them so they could bring divine justice down on him, Aultcray still felt as if the Shield Devil's return to the Melromarc fold was not guaranteed. Perhaps he would be seen around, but the chances of him sticking around long enough for them to get control felt slim. The Shield Devil, the Slayer, was the physical embodiment of a wild card. And that scared Aultcray more than anything else in the world.

Aultcray's thoughts drifted far into the past, to an era long before he married into the Melromarc family. It was a time before even the Melromarc-Siltvelt War, before everything was taken from him. Back then, he was a young prince who was thirteenth in line for the throne of Faubrey. He lived in relative peace, without a care in the world, yet he kept himself busy by caring for his younger sister Lucia.

The younger girl had suffered from a near-debilitating illness at birth that had robbed her of her eyesight. And if that wasn't enough, the sickly state she was left in had made her the black sheep of the family; Aultcray was the only one of their family who would raise a hand to care for her.

It was an arduous task that earned him scorn from the more arrogant Faubrian nobles and drove a slight wedge between him and his parents. Yet over time, that wedge loosened and fell away, and his parents eventually came to care for Lucia as well, even if they couldn't show it.

It was soon after Lucia had won their parents over with her kind and broadminded personality that life took a downward spiral. On a day when Lucia and Aultcray weren't home, an assassination plot unfolded, killing their parents and other siblings. It was soon uncovered that the culprits were officials of the hakuko tribe of Siltvelt, but nothing could be done due to Faubrey's political neutrality.

From there, Aultcray abdicated the throne and ran away, not to protect Lucia, but to join the Melromarc army and fight in their war against Siltvelt. It was not long before the conflict would claim Lucia too.

-DOOM-

Aultcray pulled his mind back to the present before the memories overwhelmed him. He once again thought of the Shield Devil, the Slayer. An image of the Shield Devil standing atop the ruins of the castle, the bloodied bodies of his family strewn about haphazardly as the Shield Devil moved on to drown the kingdom of Melromarc in a wave of absolute subjugation under the armies of Siltvelt flashed across his mind. The Shield Devil's armor burned with nightmarish hellfire at the greaves, gauntlets, and neck guard, and the helmet's visor glowed with a red highlight. The legendary shield was forged from jagged black metal and adorned with red draconic markings. A horde of demi-human soldiers wreathed in fire and shadow tore past the Shield Devil with reckless abandon as the screams of Castle Town's citizens were drowned out by the barbarous cackling of Siltvelt's armies.

Aultcray breathed in deeply as he forcibly pushed the dark thought away, a trill of cold dread traveling through his bones. Silently, he vowed to make sure the Shield Devil was ground under his boot, that he would take any action necessary to deprive the Shield Devil of everything. He swore to bend the very kingdom he led to keep the Shield Devil a penniless street beggar and to enslave and imprison all party members he would acquire. And above all else, he promised to make sure the Shield Devil never made it to Siltvelt.

Unfortunately for King Aultcray, he would've had better luck making the sun turn cold.

DOOM: Waves of Armageddon

-Edge of Catastrophe I: Disruption-

Ren and Itsuki sat across from one another at the oval table. The two teens fidgeted uncomfortably as they both knew what this meeting was about and the inevitable elephant in the room neither of them wanted to address. The wait for the king's arrival left them both on edge, as the subject of the absent Slayer was one they were both knowledgeable about and ignorant of.

Slayer, not Shield Hero. The Slayer himself wasn't going to dignify the title of Shield Hero, and the two teens silently agreed they shouldn't either.

The Spear Hero Motoyasu sat furthest from the doors to the room at the far end of the oval table and had his attention pulled by the exemplary tapestries of past heroes that hung from the stone walls, oblivious to the tension and unease of his fellow cardinal heroes.

King Aultcray entered the room and took his place at the head of the oval table closest to the door. He sat ramrod straight; fingers interlocked between themselves on the table in front of him. Itsuki observed King Aultcray closely; he took note that the king was as on edge as they were.

"Heroes," Aultcray began, "by now, I hope you have learned of the true depth of danger the waves present. I have called you three here to discuss a strategy to combat the threat effectively."

After fidgeting in place for an awkward second Itsuki asked the first question of the meeting, "So you mentioned after the summoning that there is a Dragon Hourglass that keeps track of when the wave will hit. Do we know where in the kingdom it will hit?"

King Aultcray shook his head, "While the interface on the Dragon Hourglass tells anyone when a wave will occur, the only way to know where it will hit is when it gets here. Fortunately, there is a way to respond quickly when the wave arrives."

"And what would that be?" asked Itsuki.

Ren and Motoyasu turned to the king, fully expecting an answer. King Aultcray nodded, "The Dragon Hourglass has a secondary function that allows you to be registered to fight in the wave. You may recall I told the Shield Hero on our first meeting that they would be teleported to the wave when it started. That was only partially true. In truth, you must register at the Dragon Hourglass to be teleported to the wave when it starts."

"I see."

"Moreover," Aultcray added, "while it likely won't become relevant until after the upcoming wave, your party members will be held back by a level limit that will prevent further growth. They will need the Dragon Hourglass to get past that limitation."

"Is there a particular reason this wasn't discussed at the first meeting after the summoning?" Ren asked, his tone a little more accusatory than he had intended.

If the king had noticed he didn't show, "It was getting late in the day, and I had assumed you three would be tired."

"Um, is there a plan to get this information to the Slayer?" Motoyasu asked, finally addressing the unpleasantly massive elephant in the room.

Ren and Itsuki both tensed, the unspoken agreement to not speak about the Slayer now broken by the dense blond. A flash of anger manifested on the King's face for the briefest of seconds before going neutral. "We do not need the Shield Hero, he was merely summoned because we couldn't summon the heroes individually."

Itsuki thought back to King Aultcray's exact words from the day of the summoning, 'We realized we needed the four Cardinal Heroes to counter them. So we followed the legend and summoned you four'. "Are you sure? You made it sound like the kingdom needs all four heroes to repel the waves."

Aultcray suppressed another flash of anger, handwaving Itsuki's concern after he did. "The Shield is useless in an open fight. The Shield Hero is dead weight to your crusade, nothing more."

Memories of the Slayer ripping and tearing through cultists and their pet super-heavy demon pushed to the forefront of Ren's mind, translating into annoyance and causing Ren's mouth to act before his mind. "Then why are you so desperate to bring the Slayer back?"

King Aultcray did not suppress his anger this time. He glared at Ren with the fury of a hundred war-drunk knights. "Sword Hero you may be, yet you would be wise to watch your tone, boy." King Aultcray growled lowly.

Ren felt the chill down his spine yet stubbornly stood by his statement, much to King Aultcray's frustration. Itsuki read the room, and compelled by fear interjected himself into the standoff.

"Well, technically, Ren, the Shield wouldn't have any attack power. It won't have any real combat applications if the goal is to kill monsters as fast as possible. So his majesty kinda has a point." the Bow Hero said nervously, the escalating argument pushing closer to the edge.

Instead of standing down, Ren shifted his ire onto Itsuki with a single silent glare. A glare that carried the weight of the bloody memory of that night in Lute Village. "Sure," Ren deadpanned, his tone laced with subtle sarcasm, "the Shield doesn't have any combat applications."

Itsuki swallowed the lump in his throat as he too was slammed with the visceral memories of the carnage the Slayer left in his wake at Lute Village. Aultcray observed the interaction and realized the two young heroes did indeed know something about the Shield Devil's whereabouts. As much as he desired to interrogate the heroes for answers, he knew doing so now would only validate the Sword Hero on top of derailing the true purpose of the meeting. King Aultcray clenched his jaw and swallowed his anger; there were more important things to address.

The only one who remained oblivious to the weight of the room was the Spear Hero Motoyasu. The blonde clad in red and white robes had simply sat there twiddling his thumbs awkwardly; he silently questioned why they were discussing something so obvious. The Spear Hero cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the king and his fellow cardinal heroes. "So, Your Majesty, do you know any good grinding spots? I kinda wanna make sure I'm as strong as I can be before the next wave."

There was a collective groan from the other three, with Ren wondering how Motoyasu could be so dense that the tension went right over his head.

King Aultcray pinched the bridge of his nose, frustrated at the way the meeting had unfolded thus far. "Right, well then," Aultcray groaned, "monsters tend to gather near villages and settlements, however, they are too chaotic and disorganized to hunt by conventional means. Instead, monster sightings and impending crises are reported to the Adventurer's Guild, who in turn hand out the information as quests. You will need to collaborate with them to find your 'grinding spots,' Hero Kitamura."

Motoyasu nodded. "Okay. I got it. Thank you."

Itsuki let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in as he sank back into his chair. Ren slouched over, visibly deflating as the topic mercifully moved away from the Slayer. King Aultcray drifted through the meeting with no desire to discuss the Shield Hero at the table anymore. On the other hand, once the meeting was over he fully intended to try and see what it was the Sword and Bow heroes were hiding about the man. Yet with how cagey and defensive they were, Aultcray wasn't sure how far he could take it before they openly turned on him. As if whatever it was they knew put them on edge when the man was brought up.

The tension never left the room for the duration of the meeting. The King, Sword, and Bow remained cordial with one another despite the looming dread keeping them all on edge. Ren did his best to not visibly squirm whenever King Aultcray looked in his direction and Itsuki quickly fell into the habit of deflecting probing or accusatory questions. King Aultcray meanwhile struggled to keep his temper in check.

Aside from how best to work with the guild, Aultcray ensured the heroes learned of the different knight contingents the kingdom had at their disposal, the most efficient ways to cast magic, and a brief rundown on Melromarc's history.

Most importantly, King Aultcray ensured that the three heroes learned nothing of how the waves of calamity affected other nations, especially Siltvelt. With this, he guaranteed that the three holy heroes would go forth believing the waves only affected Melromarc. As such, they would stay in Melromarc, leaving the other countries, especially Siltvelt, in a weakened position and placing Melromarc as the dominant power in the world.

All this, done for his family both past and present. His wife, his daughters…

Lucia

Another intrusive thought of the elusive Shield Devil crossed Aultcray's mind forcing his muscles to tense up. Even now he couldn't shake the lingering fear the Shield Devil left in his wake.

Nor could he shake the fear of what the Shield Devil could do to unravel his ambitions.

-DOOM-

Sometime after the meeting had ended, King Aultcray found himself wandering the halls of the royal castle alone in a search for where the Sword and Bow heroes had disappeared to when they left the room. The Spear Hero had gone off into the capital town below the castle, his daughter Malty practically attaching herself to his arm right out of the door. Aultcray felt mixed about his eldest daughter's newfound attraction to the Spear Hero.

On the one hand, in the short time, the king had known him, Motoyasu had proven himself to be protective, brave, and loyal to a fault, if perhaps a little dense and far from the sharpest tool in the shed. Yet since Motoyasu was the Spear Hero, if Malty were to bed or marry him, it would significantly boost the morale of the country and the church. King Aultcray would admit that the thought of his eldest daughter Malty marrying the Spear Hero into Melromarc's royal family brought a smile to his face. Not only would that grant validation to the Church of the Three Heroes; but it could also be used to taunt the wretched council of Siltvelt and hurt their morale.

On the other hand, however, ever since Malty had returned from that academy in Faubrey her mother had sent her to, many a foul wretch had tried to lay a wicked hand on her. Many a morning, Malty would come crying to him about another lecherous young man she had crossed paths with. He'd sentenced them all to death in short order; their heads in baskets in under an hour. And given how Motoyasu had a subtle perverted streak, it made him more than a little nervous.

Yet so far, the Spear Hero had been nothing except courteous with him and his daughter Malty. 'Perhaps Motoyasu could finally be the one Malty can be with?' Aultcray thought to himself.

Shaking away the thoughts, King Aultcray resumed his search for the Sword and Bow heroes. With the meeting of the Cardinal Heroes long over, King Aultcray had shifted his focus to the task of extracting information regarding the Shield Devil from the two youngest heroes. After rounding another corner in the orderly labyrinth of the castle's halls, King Aultcray finally found the Sword Hero, Ren Amaki, sitting slumped over on a bench below a massive window. The morning sun shined through the glass panes casting soft warmth and bright light into the corridor illuminating the brownstone walls.

In Ren's hands and held close to his face was a small brown cloth-bound hardcover book. There wasn't any title that Aultcray could see on the little book yet the front and back covers were decorated by ornate colored borders to break up the flat color. The only indicator the King could see that hinted at the book's contents was the golden cross on the front cover.

Aultcray filed away the book as unimportant, he stood up straight, his kingly persona returning in total as his face hardened into a stoic expression. "Sword Hero."

Ren gave the King a passing glance, his face morphing into a slight scowl, "What? I thought the meeting was over?"

King Aultcray bristled slightly; evidently, Ren Amaki's foul mood hadn't entirely gone away yet. "There is something I must speak with you about."

Ren sighed, "And you didn't bring it up during the meeting?"

"You weren't in the best of attitudes when the subject came up." Aultcray replied.

"Neither were you." Ren retorted.

Aultcray let out a slow breath. If he wanted to glean any information from the boy, losing his temper wasn't going to help. "I'll admit, my conduct in there wasn't as it is normally. The Shield Hero's disappearance has left me on edge."

Ren paused before turning back to his book, "Do you really want the Slayer back, or is he unnecessary to fight the waves? Because you're sending mixed messages. The last few days you were clamoring to get the Slayer back into the fold, and then suddenly, he's unimportant. So which is it?"

Aultcray tensed, "As it was said in the meeting, the shield isn't helpful in an open fight, yet it is folly to let the Shield freely roam unatten-."

"Ok, just stop!" Ren suddenly snapped, his head whipping in the King's direction, the small cloth-bound book slamming closed, "You are brazenly dodging the question, why? What is it about the Slayer that has you so scared? Is it the armor? That perpetual scowl behind the helmet? Or is it the fact he has the one option me and the other two don't have and went home!?"

It occurred to the king that the main issue with the Sword Hero wasn't the Shield Devil, but a lack of trust and feelings of bitterness towards himself and his country. This would not do. He was a cardinal hero, an honor most would kill for. He would have to accept that eventually.

Still, Aultcray realized that the Sword Hero's mood stemmed from having the responsibility of a cardinal hero thrust upon him, so perhaps it would be a better idea to build rapport with the Sword Hero. And Aultcray would admit, he was curious about the book with the cross on its cover that was in Ren's hands.

"That book, I've never seen one like it. Did you bring it from your world?"

"Yes." Ren answered plainly.

"Well?" King Aultcray asked, "What is it?"

"It's my copy of the Bible."

Aultcray tilted his head, "And what is the Bible?" he asked.

Ren groaned, not wanting to speak to the older man very much, "It's the holy book of Christianity. My family has been devout followers for generations."

King Aultcray nodded, yet internally he found himself worried. "And? Do you follow this, Christianity, too?"

Ren gave Aultcray an offended glare, "Do you think I would be sitting here, reading my religion's holy scripture if I wasn't?"

Aultcray's face didn't show it, but the fact that one of the Cardinal Heroes belonged to another religion was concerning. If he were forced to choose between Melromarc and his faith, chances were he would choose his faith. Maybe it would be possible to convert the boy?

"That is fascinating," Aultcray spoke, smiling at Ren full of false interest, "Perhaps, sir Sword Hero you would be interested in learning about Melromarc's religion while you're here?"

Ren couldn't determine if King Aultcray was being genuine or if he was subtly trying to convert him to Melromarc's religion; either way, he wasn't taking the bait. The last thing Ren remembered before awakening in Melromarc was being carted into an Ambulance with a stab wound in his stomach. At first, he'd wondered if he was dead and if this was his judgment, but that thought was dashed when they entered the throne room. When the king began to talk about the Waves of Calamity and he'd taken notice of the Legendary Sword's HUD, he then concluded that he was in a hospital, hooked up to some VRMMO machine to keep him distracted. After all, if an object looks like an apple, feels like an apple, and tastes like an apple, then why wouldn't it be an apple?

Then Lute Village happened. Nothing had gone the way it would in any other game. Ren struggled against what would be an early-game enemy; a mechanic that wasn't unheard of, but then the Slayer arrived and curb-stomped the entire cult and their pet monster in minutes. Then came the harsh lesson, there were no underlying game mechanics; stolen loot would stay stolen unless you went to retrieve it yourself. Kidnapped victims would stay kidnapped unless you rescued them. No win condition would automatically undo the damage that was done; no resets, no respawns, and no second chances. The Slayer had to go rescue the children that the cult had taken, and even then he was only partially successful.

The emotion that night felt too natural, too raw. The sight was too much for Ren, in his mind he repeated the mantra It's just a game, it's just a game, it's just a game, but it didn't work. He walked into the meeting unsure of what was going on and left it even more confused.

Ren had no clue if anything was real or not, turning to his Bible for any guidance it could give. Now that King Aultcray was trying to steer toward Melromarc's religion? He elected not to take the risk, "Some other time," he told King Aultcray.

Aultcray showed no reaction to the Sword Hero's no thank you to his request. Instead choosing to reverse the conversation. "Very well. Tell me then, what is your religion like?"

Ren wondered if he should answer that inquiry. After debating with himself he concluded he was probably screwed either way and decided to give an abridged rundown of Christian history and beliefs.

"In my world's ancient days, God sent his son to the mortal world. In his life, he performed many miracles and spread the word of the Lord, teaching the ways of kindness and forgiveness. However, the leading government at the time viewed God's son as a threat to their power and had him crucified."

Ren paused for breath, "They sealed him in a tomb with a large round stone, thinking that was the end of it. But three days later, they found the tomb opened from the inside, and the son of God nowhere to be found."

In contrast to his concern for the Sword Hero's loyalties, King Aultcray did find this interesting; something he elected to keep to himself.

"He had resurrected, and before ascending to Heaven he gave his disciples one last set of instructions. Fast forward multiple thousands of years and Christians are doing their best to follow in his footsteps and live by the word of God."

Ren held up his copy of the Bible. "And everything a good Christian needs to know is contained in the pages of this book."

A small smile graced Aultcray's lips, "Well, it is pleasant to know the grace of God has touched a world other than ours."

Ren tilted his head slightly, "God is known here too?" The superficial similarities were piling further and it put Ren further on edge.

Aultcray took Ren's sudden interest as a victory. Perhaps converting the boy would be easier than he thought. "Yes, in the three heroes faith, it is told that the Maykrs, the servants of God gifted the Legendary Weapon to the first heroes, tasking them to destroy the enemies of man, the wicked and the unruly beasts. When the waves first arrived the first heroes joined with the Maykrs in battle. As the generations passed and the holy heroes came and went, the Maykrs preached the word of God to all in Melromarc."

Ren shifted slightly, keeping his face neutral, that was not what he expected to hear. And why was their faith called Three Heroes Faith when there were clearly four heroes? Was it a political thing or something?

"When the Three Heroes Faith was founded and Melromarc built up centuries ago, the Maykrs helped structure the church and designed our slave system. They taught us how to use the slave crests to keep the wicked and unruly obedient. And above all else, they laid down the path to heaven for us, that we must follow the will of God, and bend the demi-humans and beast-men to the needs of humanity, lest they overrun and conquer our kind!"

As Aultcray continued to speak, his voice grew in volume and conviction. Until his posture and speech matched that of a true believer. In turn, Ren grew ever more uncomfortable, his body going stiff to hide his discomfort. If he didn't want to speak with the king before, now he didn't want to be in the same room as him. It was obvious to the boy that Aultcray was indeed trying to convert him to Melromarc's religion of false idols and fallen angels. The way Aultcray spoke of the Maykrs made them sound less like angels and more like demons, which lent a terrifying amount of credence to the idea that this was a test of faith before the afterlife.

Ren stood up, pocketing his copy of the Bible in his coat, "That's, fascinating," he lied plainly, "but I'm going to go now."

Ren began to walk away. Altcray called from behind him, "Perhaps someday you could sit in on a sermon and see how similar your Christianity is to our Three Heroes Faith?"

The old man wasn't even trying to hide the attempt now; that blasphemous statement hurt Ren's soul ever-so-slightly. Ren paused, "Our two religions are nothing alike," he stated, looking away from King Aultcray, "Please don't compare them. I respect that you don't follow my religion, so please respect that I don't follow yours."

Ren walked away quickly, putting as much distance between himself and the king as possible before his stoic facade finally broke. 'What have I been pulled into?' he thought to himself.

Ren finally exhaled the breath he had been holding in in an empty hallway on the other side of the castle. His shoulders slumped, his head drooped, and despair made its way to his face. Ren leaned against a new window, the morning sun heating his dark clothes. The king's vitriol had put the boy further on edge turning it into a feeling that now wouldn't go away.

"Whatever you did to change the game, if this even is one, you may have had the right idea, Slayer."

-DOOM-

Later that day, the Bow Hero Itsuki Kawasumi stood at the shooting line of the castle's archery range. He'd been there since the end of the meeting; the tension and edge left behind by that stand-off he and Ren shared against the king refusing to leave his tired muscles. He'd chosen to come to the archery range for no other reason than because he needed something else to focus on. The king's mixed messages regarding the elusive Slayer had thrown Itsuki off, on top of causing his anxiety to mount.

Itsuki wondered if it was worth the effort to get the Slayer to acquiesce to King Aultray's request to return to the castle and obey the king's will. Yet, the violent memories of the gored cultist bodies the Slayer left behind in Lute Village, and the story of what happened there gave the boy pause. The Slayer's uncompromising and steadfast determination to fight the battle his way combined with the king's vitriolic and rigid attitude made it feel like he choosing between an unstoppable force or an immovable object. Two options that felt like he would get hurt either way.

And that was something else. The Slayer had broken the system beyond using a cheat code or installing a mod. It was like the man was playing a different game altogether. And although it would take the force of a hundred angry grizzly bears to make him admit it, he couldn't help but envy the Slayer's martial prowess. He didn't find it surprising, one look at the hulking armored man was all it took to know he was a soldier who had been through some things, but that didn't change the fact that Itsuki felt put out by the power gap. To Itsuki, it felt like a reminder of how things were in his old world.

His old world was one of strange powers and even stranger people. There was a subset of people back home, himself included, that possessed extra-sensory perception abilities. At first, his ability to make any ranged junk accurate made him feel special, but as time dragged on and he interacted with other ESPers, he learned the hard way that accuracy wasn't as impressive as he first thought. He still had nightmares from the maddening ridicule he'd received for it over the first year of high school from his peers.

When he first learned of the waves, and his role as a hero, he'd seen it as validation; proof that his accuracy ESP ability was superior. After all, why would he be given the Legendary Bow if not for his accuracy ESP ability?

That feeling of superiority didn't last long, not next to the Slayer. A man with experience and superior technology all bound in an aura of death. Lute Village had cemented the Slayer's title as a legendary hero. The man's drive to end the cultists and return all the missing children ensured that people saw him as the superior hero.

It irked Itsuki. It irked him that the Slayer accomplished all that in less than a week. And it irked Itsuki that the Slayer had the power to choose how he fought the waves, that he could simply sidestep whatever restriction they tried to place on him and carry on the battle as he saw fit. But what could he do about it? The Slayer was a trained soldier; if Itsuki had to guess, the Slayer concluded that if the waves were the threat the king claimed they were, then it didn't matter how the waves were fought, just that they were beaten quickly and efficiently. And if that meant discarding the title of "Legendary Hero" in favor of more efficient pre-established combative abilities, then that was that; if anyone had a problem with it, then fuck them.

The worst part, Itsuki felt, was that the Slayer was justified in that choice. Gory brutality aside, the Slayer was exceptionally good at putting down bad guys.

But that didn't mean he needed to compete with the man. The Slayer had cast aside the mantle of Legendary Hero, which meant the general public didn't know he was ever a hero; meaning Itsuki didn't have to worry about other people saying he was a better hero. Regardless of how the Slayer felt about the title, the fact Itsuki was a Legendary Hero garnered respect from the populace on principle alone.

With that thought, Itsuki finally found himself able to focus on his personal plans for the new world he was in, plans that were separate from the Slayer or the waves. Back home people picked on him for being the little boy with the crappy power. Here, however? He'd prove his accuracy power was better than all their fancier abilities! He'd prove himself special, a true hero of justice!

Finally, after two and a half years of abuse and bullying, he would get the attention he craved.

Itsuki pulled back on the Legendary Bow's string, an arrow of pure mana manifesting between the nocking points and on the arrow rest. With almost callus aim he fired in the general direction of the target; the arrow flew, and observers who knew the art of archery predicted the arrow would miss the target by a narrow margin. Yet thanks to Itsuki invoking his accuracy, the arrow hit the target dead center.

There was almost no reaction, as every mana arrow Itsuki had fired had been a perfect bullseye. His observers, consisting mainly of his party and knights who were there for personal practice had quickly become desensitized to Itsuki's perfect accuracy. The only one to offer any real reaction was the brutish and thoroughly sycophantic nobleman Mald.

"Another fine and perfectly straight and true arrow, great and noble Bow Hero!" the mustached thug in damaged knight armor praised, "Truly, you are a great hero of justice like you claim to be!"

Mald then nursed his sword arm, which Mald had gotten healed via a healing spell shortly after the Slayer left Lute Village, "Unlike that vile barbarian."

Everyone, including Itsuki, groaned. It was as if Mald was trying to give the Slayer a reason to rip his spine out through his ribcage. Not to mention, it was getting very grating to hear the rowdy knight complain about an injury that they fixed with magic every five minutes.

"Oh, my, God!" the party's mage Welst groaned, "We healed that two nights back! Just let it go!"

"I shall not!" Mald roared in misplaced anger, "I will not tolerate such an insult to myself and the great and noble Bow Hero by some bloodthirsty barbarian!"

This time Itsuki reacted, "For the love of all that is holy, Mald, shut up!"

Mald looked at Itsuki, "Forgive me, great and noble Bow Hero," Mald gave a bow of respect, "but surely, you understand my plight? That I cannot just let an insult from some lowly barbarian go?"

Itsuki groaned, "Mald, I, like the rest of the party have grown tired of your incessant whining over a mild inconvenience that was long since resolved. So shut up."

Mald grumbled but ultimately complied. 'Why do I keep this guy around?' Itsuki thought to himself.

"Well, you are superior to some lowly barbarian, great and noble Bow Hero. Perhaps letting that go will prove your superiority."

Itsuki paused, 'eh… I'm sure he'll have a use later on.' he rationalized internally.

He pulled the bowstring back one more time, another arrow forming in place. He thought about how he could start his quest. Open-world games typically had side quests outside the main quests that could be found by talking to random NPCs. Sure, the king had mentioned working with a guild, however, that was the main-quest stuff. Things Itsuki needed to do to advance the world's plot. Itsuki wanted more than just the main quest; he wanted to achieve 100%.

'I guess I'll just have to find a person that's gossiping' Itsuki thought plainly, 'I hope you have fun with your direct approach Slayer. Because I'm gonna uphold my title and become the great Bow Hero of Justice!'

-DOOM-

By afternoon, Motoyasu found himself strutting down the central street of Melromarc's capital of Castle Town with a pleasant feeling in his heart. He felt far more relaxed now that the awkward meeting was over. Clinging to his left arm was the first princess Malty S. Melromarc, smiling and walking alongside the way Motoyasu believed a cute princess would. On both sides of the street, the citizens of Melromarc looked at him with awe and admiration. As was the status of the Legendary Hero of the Spear he would be revered by the people whose religion made him their god. Of course, that little tidbit flew so high over his head that it was practically in space; as far as he was concerned the people worshipped the ground he stood on because it was their role as NPCs to do so.

Still, he couldn't deny the level of immersion the game world had. Everything was nailed perfectly! The textures of the people, the buildings, and even the ground beneath his feet looked and felt so real! He could clearly hear the dirt road crunching beneath his feet and the hushed unintelligible whispers of the surrounding people. He could feel the warmth of Myne's bosom against his arm and the breeze against his face. The scents of fresh bread and dust floated in the air.

If Motoyasu didn't know any better, he would say the world around him was real, but it was simply too perfect to be anything other than a game. Which, quite frankly felt needed after his two girlfriends went full yandere on him and stabbed him. Repeatedly. In uncomfortable places. All while they professed their love for him and disdain for the other girl. He wasn't sure if had been traumatized or aroused by the whole experience.

Eh, it probably wasn't important. Because he netted himself a sexy redhead princess in this game who wasn't a yandere so far.

And aside from the princess his team was made up of two other cute girls. One witch and another redhead who was friends with Myne.

Hopefully, they weren't yanderes either.

Motoyasu had become a superhero with a harem, and he couldn't help but wonder why the Slayer had chosen to forgo this in favor of his way of fighting. Whatever that was.

Ah well, he had other things to do today.

-DOOM-

Sometime later, Motoyasu found himself haggling with some street vendors over some wares. Malty stood back and out of the way enough that the Spear Hero couldn't hear her speaking to her confidant, the other redhead in the group Lesty. The subject of their conversation? The princess' derailed plan to frame the Shield Hero and their new roles as companions of the Spear Hero.

"What is the Shield Hero's deal anyway?" was Lesty's question.

Malty's index and middle fingers traced roughly against her forehead; her face scrunched up in annoyance. Her cheeks felt sore putting on that smile she only used for public appearances; which she was beginning to realize was going to be more common going forward, adding to her ire.

"I dunno," grumbled Malty, "Normally men immediately jump on the proposition to join me in bed. Yet he turned down my advance!"

"You even used your best seductive tone," Lesty put a contemplative finger to her chin, "Perhaps it is because his heart belongs to another?"

"What other?" Malty scowled, "What woman in this world or his would willingly lay with the Devil of the Shield?"

Lesty notably went silent. Malty shot her one friend an intense glare.

"In my defense," Lesty deflected, "He has the build of a war hero. The kind of war hero every noblewoman in Melromarc would court as a trophy husband."

"He's the Shield Devil." was Malty's retort.

Lesty leaned in with a slightly contemptuous glare. With a barely audible whisper, she bit back with one question, "Since when did you buy into the Three Heroes Church drivel?"

Malty rolled her eyes, and with a whisper of her own, "Since they promised to make me the next queen is when."

Lesty stared into Malty's eyes intently, then moved on, "So you're gonna try and get your plan back on track?"

"Probably not. Accusing the Shield Hero would just be too much effort now." Malty scoffed, "And I've already seduced the Spear Hero." she added with an air of bitterness.

Lesty could feel the double-edged blade from that last statement. "Surely he's not that terrible in the sheets?"

"On the contrary, Sir Motoyasu is far from the inexperienced, though he's far from the best I've had. It's his flirtatious nature I find irritating."

Malty glared in the direction of the Spear Hero. Lesty tilted her head, wondering what had earned the princess' ire this moment. Once she followed Malty's gaze it became clear.

"I suppose," Lesty cringed, "The issue with controlling a promiscuous idiot through seduction and sex is that he is still a promiscuous idiot."

The princess and her noblewoman friend looked on in disdain as the Spear Hero flirted with a peasant around his age. A pretty girl with blonde-tinted-green hair and naive blue eyes. Neither of them could understand why a noble hero would waste his time on some lowly peasant girl when they already had the princess. And to make the matter more galling to them, the peasant girl responded favorably to the Spear Hero's advances. As if she was an equal to the Spear Hero.

"Who is this little wench to think she can just casually talk to a cardinal hero?" asked Lesty to no one in particular.

Malty scowled hard. It was an unspoken law among the nobles that peasants were not equals. Especially to cardinal heroes.

"God, this fool's flirtatious nature is grating my nerves. I would rather relive the week we were lost in the forests of the royal hunting grounds."

Lesty smirked, "I remember that week a little differently than you do."

Before Malty could make a witty comeback to her friend's comment, Motoyasu returned to the pair. An all too pleased smile on his face. Malty and Lesty faux brightened their expressions to match. "Oh, sir Motoyasu!"

"Hey, girls! Great news!" Motoyasu declared, "We have a new party member!" he stepped aside to reveal the peasant girl he had been talking to earlier.

Malty had to struggle to keep the despairing infuriating out of her face. The peasant girl, as naive as her blue eyes suggested smiled and waved; her other hand twirled a cluster of her blond-tinted-green hair. "Hello." she sweetly introduced herself.

'I am going to dispose of this peasant slut and everything she holds dear.' was Malty's only thought.

"So, this is Rino," Motoyasu spoke, the now-named Rino politely waved once more to the princess, "and she asked to join us on our travels."

'I will hunt your bloodline to the edges of Junia, Rino. And I will make your family suffer.' was Malty's internal response.

Externally, however, Malty kept up her pleasant smile and greeted Rino kindly. "Hello, Rino, it is pleasant to meet you."

"Anyways, I'm planning to take Rino down to the blacksmith to get them a sword, can you girls wait at the inn for us?" Motoyasu asked.

'I will savor your screams as you learn your place, peasant bitch.' was Malty's last thought before she jumped to regain control of the Spear Hero.

"But sir Motoyasu, what about me?" Malty asked, taking hold of Motoyasu's arm and pressing his bicep to her cleavage to the best of her ability courtesy of her armor, she placed her other hand against his chest.

The desired effect was achieved as Motoyasu blushed, "Well, er. Um… I don't want Rino to be left out?"

Malty pouted although internally she was seething. Her control of the Spear Hero was waning because Motoyasu couldn't help but flirt and proposition every woman with an ample bosom under the sun. An attitude she was confident was going to get him stabbed in the heart eventually; hopefully sometime after the waves were concluded.

"Oh, that can be done later. You promised to spend the day with me, remember?" Malty moaned as she leaned further onto the Spear Hero, "Remember what I promised you?" she whispered into his ear.

Motoyasu was silent and blushing, and still resisting Malty's seduction. It was then that Lesty took Motoyasu's other arm and leaned against his other shoulder. Her pose mirrored Malty's, however, she found a bit more success in her attempts to press up against Motoyasu since at Malty's behest she forewent armor in favor of far skimpier adventuring gear.

With a crop top that hugged her moderate bosom and a loose-hanging double-split skirt combo that exposed her shapely legs, paired with sandals and ornate leather bracers and anklets, it was easy to mistake Lesty for a dancer or a servant.

Lesty traced a finger in circles around Motoyasu's chest as she pushed one of her legs behind the Spear Hero, the blonde man flinching from the sultry move. She allowed Motoyasu's arm to brush against her slim and bare midriff as he leaned on his shoulder.

"Come now, sir Motoyasu, great and powerful Spear Hero, the newbie can get her gear on her own at any old time. Why waste your strength on such a trivial matter…"

Lesty whispered into Motoyasu's ear, "...When you have two beautiful noble women craving your affection here and now?"

Motoyasu found he couldn't resist his teammates' advances anymore. He looked blankly at Rino, who had observed the whole interaction with confusion. "Sorry Rino," he mumbled, "but I have things to do today."

"It's okay," Rino brushed off the concern, "We can always get me equipment another day."

'Go pout, we win.' Thought Lesty.

Malty smirked in victory as Rino walked away with shoulders slumped, 'I knew there was a reason I kept you around Lesty!' At this point, it hit her what Lesty had just done. 'Wait a minute.'

Lesty simply continued to tease the Spear Hero.

"Oh, sir Motoyasu?" Malty asked.

"Er, yes?" Motoyasu responded dumbly.

"Perhaps you could finish our errands on your own?"

Motoyaus's face matched a tomato in color as the blood rushed to his face. "Ok…" he squeaked.

The Spear Hero hobbled down the street in the direction of the next shop. Once he was out of sight she turned to her supposed friend, who was now the current target of her ire. She grabbed Lesty's wrist just below her bracer and dragged her off, searching for the nearest out-of-the-way ally. The force of her grip caused Lesty to flinch.

"Ow! Malty, that hurts!" Lesty squeaked, unsure what the issue was, but aware she was now squarely the target of the first princess' anger.

-DOOM-

Malty slammed Lesty against the wall, pining her by the wrist with one hand and by the neck with her other.

"Malty, what…? Ahh!" squealed a distressed Lesty.

"What was that?"

The question was asked in a low venomous tone. It occurred to Lesty that Malty may have been upset that she had laid a hand on Motoyasu at all, despite the fact it was an action she made for the first princess' benefit.

"I thought you agreed! That sir Motoyasu is too much of a promiscuous idiot for you to control alone!"

Malty tightened her grip around Lesty's wrist and throat. The pressure was just short of completely cutting off her breath yet was enough that Lesty struggled to breathe.

"That doesn't mean you have permission to move in on him. Or did you forget your role here?"

"Malty…"

"Yes?" the first princess asked in a sharply low tone.

"Are you truly offended by this?" Lesty asked though labored panting.

Malty's scowl turned into an amused smile, her grip mercifully loosened. "Offended?" Malty echoed humorously, "No. The threesome idea I actually like. I'm not so much offended as I am angry you thought to exert your own control over the Fool of the Spear."

The first princess' brows furrowed and the scowl returned, "Or the situation in general, for that matter."

Lesty's eyes became downcast, "My only desire was to help you, princess."

Malty didn't wholly believe that statement, as there was no way Lesty wasn't partially motivated to take a piece of the Spear Hero for herself, but she didn't voice that disbelief. "Then don't do so in a way that supersedes my authority."

Malty let go of Lesty's neck and with her newly free hand jabbed her index finger just below the nape of Lesty's neck. Her nail jabbed Lesty's skin enough to leave a red mark. "You know I don't like it when people try to take my prizes from me."

Lesty flinched as Malty began to trace a circle down her chest and across her breasts. Lesty couldn't hide her pain as Malty's nail scratched her skin. The implied threat was all too clear to the noblewoman.

"But you are right," Malty conceded with a condescending smile, releasing Lesty's wrist and placing her other hand on Lesty's cheek, confident she wasn't going to move, "I can't control the Fool of the Spear on my own. And I can't stay mad at you."

Malty stroked Lesty's face with one hand while she continued to trace soft circles across her chest and bosom, "You serve me so loyally, and I think it's high time you were rewarded for your efforts. Waddya say we head to the royal spa and ready ourselves for that evening you promised the Spear Hero?"

Lesty nodded. It had slipped her mind that Malty reacted badly whenever someone stepped on her current desires. Her status as Malty's friend earned her a little leniency, but that only went so far. Luckily for her, this was as far as Malty would take it with her. Once the first princess calmed down she would likely forget this moment, and she and Lesty would go right back to their normal routine.

It likely also helped that Lesty knew going in that Malty was enough of a shameless hedonist that she would've been on board with her idea for them to simultaneously seduce the Spear Hero either way. It would not have been the first time the two of them had done so with someone. Although looking back, Lesty realized, it was always Malty who roped her into those nights. It was always Malty who initiated, though considering the pleasures that usually followed, Lesty hadn't cared.

As the two women made their way to the royal family's private spa and bathhouse with Malty in the lead, Lesty nearly forgot the first princess' apoplectic rage toward her, as Malty had likely forgotten it as well. It was not the first time the first princess had been angry at her, it certainly wouldn't be the last. But alas that was just the price of friendship with her. It had been that way since they met, and it would always be that way. While Lesty was Malty's only friend, likewise Malty was also Lesty's only friend.

-DOOM-

Sometime after the two women had left the private spa, Malty was taken aside by an official of the Three Heroes Church for a meeting with Biscus Balmus. Malty instructed Lesty to return to the inn and await her return. In the room she, Malty, and the Spear Hero would eventually share she sat on the single large bed. She adjusted her crop top to cover the red mark Malty had scratched on her chest and breasts. The bruises on her neck and wrist had gone away courtesy of a lesser healing potion, but the scratch inexplicably remained. Odd, but not unheard of.

A light breeze came through the window, brushing against her exposed abdomen. She moved the front of her double-split skirt to protect her smooth legs from the cold breeze and folded her arms over her bare midriff in place of a coat.

The door of the room creaked, drawing Lesty's attention. It slowly opened, pushed by Princess Malty. There was a cheery smile on her face; an indicator she'd forgotten their argument in the ally. One of her hands was obscured behind their back; Lesty suspected it was a small gift from the princess.

"Le~esty!" Malty spoke eagerly in a playfully teasing tone.

Lesty adjusted her posture so she was sitting straight; appearance was everything to the princess. And more to the point, she'd already irked the princess enough for today. "Yes, Malty?" she asked.

"I saw something I thought would look cute on you coming back from my meeting with the High Priest."

Lesty tilted her head, "Really?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah," Malty swooped into the space left of Lesty, keeping the item in her hand hidden behind her, "It also matches your bracers perfectly!"

She leaned against Lesty's side in a way that could be seen as affection as she revealed the object behind her back. Lesty's eyes widened at the sight of a beautiful yet simple golden armband that, true to Malty's word looked to pair perfectly with her bracers and anklets.

Lesty tentatively took the armband in her hands. She held it as if it were a fragile summer flower. "This is beautiful," she mumbled.

Malty took the armband back and gave Lesty a single instruction, "Show me your arm."

Lesty eagerly held out her left arm, which Malty snatched at the elbow. With little care, she slid the armband onto Lesty's left arm. With a click a fastener snapped closed, securing the armband to Lesty's body.

Lesty inspected the new piece of jewelry eagerly. Typically whenever Malty doted on her it was with fancy jewelry and fine clothes. The princess had been the one who gave her her bracers and anklets, and it was the princess who had convinced them to don their unusually skimpy adventurer's garb.

However, Lesty had trust in Princess Malty. She had had trust in her since they became friends back in their childhood. For the greater part of her life, Malty had been her only real friend, and most other nobles would scarcely give her the time of day and she never understood why. Then one day Malty told her of the many rumors that the other nobles believed of her, though she didn't know how they started.

Ever since then, the princess was a shoulder Lesty could rely on. And over the years they had grown closer than Lesty would've thought possible.

"Thank you, Myne." Lesty smiled gratefully as she embraced the first princess in an all-encompassing hug.

Malty returned the hug, one hand gently stroking Lesty's silky braided hair and the other poking the side of her chest. There was an insidious smile on Malty's face obscured from Lesty's vision, "You're welcome, my lovely Lesty. I saw that armband and just knew I had to get it for you."

Although the first princess had left out the part where she had held onto the armband for months already and had been waiting to gift it to her, and that it was part of a set the princess had been systematically giving in pieces.

Not even those who were friends of the First Princess of Melromarc were safe from her desires.

-DOOM-

(Sanctum of the Enlightened)

The Overseer stormed through the stone and metal halls of the ancient fortress castle with infuriated vigor. The news that his herd had twice failed their basic tasks had fouled his previously good mood and now he wanted answers.

Twice! His followers were thwarted twice! The Overseer wasn't certain what to say to that. How did his herd, which had carried out the will of God and his servant the Khan Maykr for decades without fail suddenly and spectacularly lose control of two simple tasks in a row? As he had heard, the Sword Hero had been present for the raid on Lute, yet he was confident that boy wasn't the reason for this. It was simply too soon for the Legendary Heroes to be a threat to his flock.

A pair of metal doors screeched open and gave way to the Sanctum's dungeon. The Overseer entered the dungeon, the doors closing behind him unprompted. He passed by the uncounted cells of Demi-humans, heretics, and non-believers awaiting their brutal judgment; everyone scurrying to the backs of their cells at the mere sight of the Overseer's agitated scowl. Echoing throughout the long hall of the dungeon came the screams of those receiving judgment through torture from the opened chamber that was adjacent. A terror tactic for sure, leaving the other room out of sight but open to the main dungeon so that the filth in their cells could listen in but not see their fate; but it was a tactic the Overseer and his followers relished in.

On a normal day, the Overseer would come here to offer some unfortunate soul being judged a chance at salvation through joining their cult, but today was not normal. Instead, he turned in the direction opposite that room and went to the other end of the hall. Passing another door the Overseer entered a section of the dungeon reserved for indoctrination of non-heretics and interrogation of special prisoners. "Special" in this case meant someone who knows what the hell happened in Lute Village.

The first room he passed by had a door made from a metal frame and a transparent alloy that looked and functioned like glass yet was reinforced with a honeycomb pattern. Out of the corner of his eye, the Overseer saw a cult priest delivering a sermon to the seventeen children successfully collected from Lute Village. Not a single child looked happy to be receiving the lessons from the faithful priest, but the Overseer knew this would fade over time. After all, punish misbehavior enough and eventually misbehavior would go away.

He walked down to the end of the hall where he entered into the last chamber in the hall. The chamber was nearly empty, except for the mayor of Lute Village, stripped down to a sash for modesty and restrained to an upright-facing surgery table. Deep bloody gashes and stab marks lined his body. Signs of injections went up his arms and burns from heated acid splotched his stomach. Pentagrams were burned into their wrists and ankles. Red-hot metal flatchets pierced the man's body like vile jewelry. An eye was gouged out and fingers were missing. The man had been gored and profanely mutilated in ways even the queen of Meromarc would find sickening. To the mayor's two sides were his assigned jailors and torturers who stood ramrod still as the Overseer approached.

The mayor stared at the Overseer with his one remaining eye. His eye was wild and mad from the torture but it did little to mask the abject fear in the mayor's soul. The Overseer stopped one foot away and asked one question, "Do you wish to know why you are here?"

The mayor said nothing and showed no reaction. He didn't even blink. The jailors may have gone a little overboard. The Overseer sighed. "You are here because I demand to know what happened to my faithful followers in your village. I sent a hundred on a holy mission to deliver salvation and only three came back. Why?"

A croak left the crippled mayor's throat but still offered no reaction. "You have one chance to end your suffering. But if I leave this room with no answer, your suffering will be legendary even to our standards."

A little more croaking but otherwise nothing. The Overseer began to turn around.

"Green armor…"

The Overseer turned back to the mayor. There was visible surprise on his wrinkled face. "What did you say?" he asked.

"Green armor man… killed… followers."

So, the Shield Devil hadn't gone far after all. Perhaps there were limitations to his travel capabilities after all. This was good, it meant they could stop him from leaving Melromarc.

"Sword Hero… called him… Slayer."

That strange figure had made waves through the royal court. Nothing was known about the man outside of his standing as a soldier and access to foreign magics.

But wait! How could it have been the Shield Devil? The Legendary Shield had no attack stat. Yet the only way the former mayor could possibly know of him was if the Shield Devil was involved; and more to the point, why didn't he refer to him by his proper title as the Shield Devil? Perhaps this mayor was a heretic after all.

"Please… No more…" the mayor begged softly.

"Take him away and execute him by slow torture." the Overseer ordered without even acknowledging the mayor's feeble plea.

The mayor couldn't even muster the strength to cry as the jailors unstrapped him from the table and carted him off to the torture area of the dungeon. The Overseer stood alone, pondering the mystery. "Shield Devil, who are you?" he asked no one in particular.

There was much knowledge the Khan Maykr had decreed sacrilegious for mortals to know. What the cult knew of Hell and how to use its power came straight from the holy queen of angels herself. Being a good follower of God's will, the Overseer nor any of the cult's ranks pushed the matter beyond what they needed to know. The cult followed the teachings of the Khan Maykr and saw any deviation as heresy deserving of punishment.

But right now, the Overseer was running blind. The Shield Devil was an enigma that ran outside what he knew. Communication with the Khan Maykr had gone silent and no one knew why. He needed answers, and chances were he would have to stoop to meeting the forbidden forces to find them.

"Shield Devil, you are a rather curious thing. Aren't you?"

-DOOM-

Codex Entry - Personnel: Aultcray Melromarc XXXII

-OPEN REPORT-

Name: Aultcray Melromarc 32nd (Allegedly)

Age: Unknown, suspected to be over 60

Physical Description: Long grey hair, mid-trim beard. Signs of advanced age. The facial structure is predominantly sharp and rectangular. His physique is squared though is affected by age.

Medical History: Owing to a long history of aggressive combat during the Melromarc-Siltvelt war, Aultcray's physical health is remarkably great. In contrast, Aultcray's mental health shows signs of depression and severe anxiety stemming from currently unknown events predating the war.

Doctor's Notes: Whatever is happening in Melromarc, Aultcray Melromarc seems to be sitting at the dead center of it. Although I suspect he is not aware of it. Overall, he appears to be ignorant of the many gears of conspiracy that are actively turning around him. Given his unnatural aggression toward you, Slayer, I cannot attest to what his true motive is.

Slayer's Notes: So much for being the "Sage King of Melromarc". I mean, I know this guy was a brilliant tactician in his youth, but looking at his history and his self-proclaimed "motive", I'm not seeing it. Moreover, if he's too fucking stupid to notice that his child is a vile brat, then I doubt he'll be much of a threat to us.

-END REPORT-

-Page Directory-

Codex Entry - Personnel: Malty S. Melromarc 1

-OPEN REPORT-

Name: Malty Sophia Melromarc (Alias: Myne Sophia)

Species: Human (Anomalous)

Age: 20

Physical Description: Long-ish crimson hair that is usually tied back. Emerald green eyes. Facial structure predominantly possesses sharp features. Physique is overall slim with distinct curves at the hips. Preferred attire tends to emphasize their ample chest and show an impractical amount of skin.

Medical Profile: The princess displays patterns consistent with clinical ASPD (alternatively known as psychopathy). Archived records gathered by VEGA drones from Melromarc vaults show signs of amoral behavior, a lack of empathy, zero remorse for crimes committed, and a disturbing track record for pathological lying. Data gathered from interactions with their close associate Lesty A. Lasedi (see file for more details) displays consistent manipulative/abusive behavior and a complete lack of regard for others.

Doctor's Notes: It is most fortunate, that you decided not to cooperate with the king when you first arrived, Slayer. I suspect the princess had designs for the Shield Hero she would've carried out if you had stayed. Designs that would have led to predictably bloody results.

Slayer's notes: Seriously, not even the most corrupt nobles in my court during my reign as king of the Argenta were this bad. No, I am not counting the Deagic Council, they were always a separate entity. This is why I typically stay out of politics. There's always that one amoral prick waiting to fuck you over for their personal gain regardless of cost.

-END REPORT-

-Page Directory-

Codex Entry - Personnel: Lesty A. Lasedi 1

-OPEN REPORT-

Name: Lesty Alcina Lasedi

Species: Human

Age: 20

Physical Description: Light red mid-back length hair. Pale red eyes. Facial structure is predominantly sharp. Overall physique is slim with subtle curves at the hips. Preferred attire leans more on the revealing side with a tight-fitting copped top that emphasizes yet doesn't expose their moderate chest.

Medical Profile: Lesty A. Lasedi shares a horrifically toxic relationship with Princess Malty based solely on tactics of gaslighting and systematic rewards and punishment; with Lesty being nearly completely subservient to Malty. Given Princess Malty's psychopathy, this is likely intentional on her part.

Doctor's Notes: Archived records from royal archives indicate that Lesty shares superficial personality traits with Princess Malty. And it is these similarities that brought them together. However, in light of the true nature of their relationship, I find it more likely that the girl's current personality is a result of the princess' direct influence. So far there are no records of Lesty A. Lasedi's personality prior to meeting the first princess.

Slayer's Notes: I honestly didn't believe this girl was a noblewoman until I read this file. Casual reminder; Cock-brain of the Spear is involved with Princess Malicious Snake. And if she was able to make a noblewoman into her pet, then regardless of threat level, her ties to the Spear Hero are going to be our concern. Don't know how yet, but they will be.

-END REPORT-

-DOOM-

(A/N):

No Slayer in this chapter. Next chapter though we see how Doom Slayer handles the aftermath of the wave and what Raphtalia was up to. As well as tie off a couple of other loose ends from the previous arc I had deliberately left open. This chapter is all about the other three heroes and our current human villains.

Remember WAY back in chapter 7 when I said Min Nori wasn't Demi-Human Malty? Well, here's the payoff to that: It's because Rakshas Nori was Demi-human Malty; sort of. Allow me to explain…

Rakshas from the get-go was envisioned to be the physical embodiment of every main trait the first few villains of Shield hero canon had as their MO. He had Malty's psychopathy, Aultray's bigotry, Biscus Balmus' fanaticism, Kyo's "intelligence" and Takt's overly inflated ego. And in a setting where DOOM's lore controls the backdrop, there straight up wasn't a version of him where he didn't have ties with the Maykrs or extensive knowledge of Hell and Argent Energy.

Although for more immediate purposes, Rakshas is also a direct foil of Malty. Both are psychopaths who will remorselessly trample anyone in their way of what they want. Both manipulate and gaslight people into doing things they want. Where they diverge however is in their MOs. Rakshas was very brazen in his approach and wholeheartedly believed in his religion, whereas Malty doesn't believe in Melromarc's religion and is far less brazen in her approach.

Here's something else to think about: In Shield Hero canon, how much of Malty's control over the Spear Hero was owed to her framing of Naofumi granting her the ability to play the victim card with him, and how much of it was through seduction, and sex?

And following that: in a timeline where the framing of the Shield Hero never happens, how much more does Malty have to do to control the Spear Hero if he has an overall positive opinion of the Shield Hero?

My answer is this: In canon, Motoyasu's sexist tendencies worked in Myne's favor because the accusation convinced him that Myne was a deeply traumatized victim who needed constant special attention. As such, Myne didn't need to put in much effort to control him.

In the DOOM: WoA timeline: since the accusation never happened and won't happen, Motoyasu is trucking along as he did in his old world (i.e. flirting with every pretty girl he meets and getting into countless trysts without a mind for the consequences) Malty has to exert more control over him. But as Lesty pointed out, the problem with trying to control a promiscuous idiot through seduction alone is that your target is still a promiscuous idiot.

Speaking of Lesty…

This is where we start delving further into the AU aspects of this universe. According to Wiki sources, Lesty is just discount Malty (The main difference is that Lesty is less confident than Malty). And Malty is mostly just dismissive of her. Honestly, I don't want to write a discount Malty when regular Malty is already in the scene, and Malty being manipulative but ultimately dismissive doesn't work for what I had in mind for Malty in this story.

Now, Lesty is a foil to Mina, a person who was corrupted into evil. The key divergence is that Mina was an active monster and her abuser had been curb-stomped off the census, and Lesty is a less active monster whose abuser is still an active threat. More to the point, Malty is far more malicious in her intentions with Lesty in this universe.

Speaking of AU aspects, Ren also has a slight overhaul. The idea had been bouncing around for a while, and Ren is the only character this could work with. Ren is Christian, and he believes the world is a game because he can't cope with the idea he died and might be receiving final judgment. The general idea is: How does a religious person who's never seen Hell or demons, or know of the Maykrs react to the true nature of the universe?

Later down the road, other characters will get reinterpreted to better fit the DOOM lore. Particularly characters who were connected to the waves in canon.

Man, for a story about an armored demi-god that kills demons and trains a protege, this story is getting complex.

Anyways, as an apology for the long wait and the dark turn, have a funny omake:

4-Bore Rifle:

The Doom Slayer had acquired another gun. Although this one likely wouldn't be useful in scenarios where you needed as many bullets fired as possible. The trade-off, however, was that it hit the way Raphtalia expected a crashing spaceship traveling at ludicrous speed to hit; hard enough to put a hole through a Dread Knight. Raphtalia was ignorant of overall firearm physics, but she knew enough to know that big numbers meant a big impact. A two thousand one-hundred-fifty grain, one-inch diameter lead slug, firing with enough force to generate over 200 pounds of felt recoil; she was fairly certain the only hand-held weapon that hit harder than that was the UAC standard Gauss Cannon.

"So, why exactly did you acquire this thing?" Raphtalia asked plainly.

The Doom Slayer, who was inspecting the 4-bore rifle, only offered a grunt and a subtle head gesture. To anyone else, the gesture would've been meaningless, but Raphtalia had long since learned to perfectly translate the Doom Slayer's exceptionally subtle ways of casual communication.

"Because reasons?" Raphtalia asked, unsurprised by the Slayer's straightforward non-reasoning.

The two were out in the forest planetside. They were standing outside the mine where they had encountered the Empusa nest previously. With the mine cleared out, the Slayer saw fit to turn the outside of the mine into a makeshift shooting range. Complete with targets made from captured monsters. The Slayer loaded the can-sized bullet into the 4-bore. Raphtallia wisely decided to stick the noise cancellers in her ears.

-DOOM-

Over in Lute Village, the people had long grown used to the fact the Slayer tested explosive devices by the old mine. As such they didn't flinch when the obnoxiously loud bang echoed through the forest.

-DOOM-

Raphtalia looked impressed, the 4-bore had ripped through a dozen of the lined-up targets and blasted a chunk out of the cliff face behind them.

"Ok," a manic grin spread on Raphtalia's face, "Now I get it."

-DOOM-

It was the day of the wave and the three heroes were running towards the wave boss.

"OK, guys! Let's kill the boss!" declared Motoyasu.

"Yeah!" was the response from the Bow and Sword heroes.

Their ambition would be cut off by a loud boom. They rounded a corner and their weapons drooped. Before them was the wave boss, dead. Its head was torn apart by the rigorous force of the one-inch slug. Next to it stood the Slayer holding the smoking 4-bore rifle.

The three heroes stood stupified. "Can I copy that?" asked Itsuki.

The Slayer grunted and slipgated away. Itsuki's shoulders slumped, "I wanted a 4-bore." he moaned.

The heroes of the sword and spear stared at Itsuki in disbelief. Itsuki looked at them in confusion.

"What?"

-DOOM-

Raphtalia was keeling over with laughter. She knew the Doom Slayer could take the piss out of anything aligned with the forces of evil. But watching the Slayer end a wave in seconds by use of an oversized lever rifle was something else. The monsters that had tormented her in her dreams went down in seconds. Truly, a gun worthy of the title of BFG. Still behind the UAC BFG9000, but still impressive nonetheless.

The Slayer appeared on the bridge, 4-bore rifle slung over his shoulder. Raphtalia got off the floor and ran up to him. Her tail wagged behind her, "Okay, ended a wave in seconds? Best gun ever!"

The Doom Slayer gave Raphtalia a pat on her head. He knew that getting a 4-bore rifle was a good idea.

-DOOM-

The only thing crazier than a 4-bore is a punt gun. Google it.