Arc 3: The Heroes' Resolution
Chapter 11: A Hidden Gem
"..."
The king sat silently as he waited for the news from his knights. Sweat falls from his face to the ground as he's worried about his daughter's safety.
Slam*
"Your highness!" A knight captain, along with his squad, slammed the door open.
"What is it?! Have you finally rescued my daughter from that demon's hands?!" Seems like the king isn't the happiest right now.
"No, but we have some news to give to you." The captain then put a Crystal Orb on the ground.
"What are you…"
"Your highness, this is news that you might not want to hear…"
The crystal ball started projecting itself.
"YOU!!! I KNEW THAT THERE'S A REASON AS TO WHY I NEED YOU TO DIED FROM THE START! I THOUGHT IT WILL BE EASY TO JOIN YOUR PARTY AT THE TIME AND RUINED YOUR LIFE. BUT THOSE STUPID CHURCH PEOPLE SAID THEY HAD BETTER PLANS FOR YOU!
"AND THAT PLAN SUCKS! NOT ONLY YOU WERE ALIVE, BUT YOU GOTTEN STRONG! THAT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE ANY SENSE! MY PLAN WAS SIMPLE ENOUGH! TO BLAME YOU FOR RAPE CHARGES! IT WAS A GOOD PLAN, ONLY FOR YOU, TO RUIN IT!"
" From the start? Damn, what kind of grudge do you have with me?"
"I PLAN EVERYTHING MYSELF, AND EVERYONE DECIDED TO RUIN IT! ESPECIALLY THE CHURCH! THOSE PEOPLE IS OBSESSED WITH KILLING YOU THAT THEY THROUGH EVERY KIND OF LOGIC AND SENSE OUT OF THE WINDOW! I THOUGHT WITH THAT BLONDIE SUPPORT, I COULD BECOME THE QUEEN. BUT HE'S AN IDIOT WHO TRIES TO DO EVERY BY HIMSELF AND FAILED MISERABLE WHEN IT'S IMPORTANT. I EVEN WENT A LENGTH TO PLEASE HIM. WHY EVERYONE IS SO F*CKING USELESS!!!"
" Heh, what a lame plan that was." Tomori gave a smirk at her.
"BUT YOU…! YOU'RE THE ONE THAT MAKES ME LIKE THIS. THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! YOU REFUSE TO DIE!"
" Of course, I am. Who's going to die just because you said so? You even wanted to kill your sister. I wonder who's a demon now?"
"THAT LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT DESERVES TO DIE! EVERYONE WHO GETS IN MY WAY WILL DIE! MY FAMILY?! F*CK THEM! THE HEROES?! THEY'RE F*CKING USELESS! ESPECIALLY TADASHI! ALL HE HAD IS HIS LOOKS AND THAT IS IT! HE'S WEAK! HE EVEN CAN'T DEFEAT A PIECE OF SH*T LIKE YOU! WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE, YOU'RE GOING TO EXPERIENCE PAIN! A PAIN THAT WILL LINGER IN YOUR HEART UNTIL YOU DIED! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
The projection then stops right there.
"The recording stopped here. It must be a shadow's doing." The captain explained.
"W-What…" The king is flabbergasted to see and hear that. To see her daughter in that state. "What kind of lies did you show me here?! Maia isn't like that! Do you wish to have your heads-"
"Your highness!" The captain shouted at him. "This is not a lie. She's been like that since she was a child. And can't you think as to why her majesty makes Princess Miya as the next heir to the throne rather than Princess Maia?"
The captain then walked forward and grabbed the orb.
"As for the Blade Hero, you have heard from the princess herself. She blamed him for a rape charges. He's innocent from the start. As for the murder charges, I don't know if that's the doing of the church or he himself did the deeds. But what I know, he's a person who protected my parents during the wave on Brighton Territory. Why would a demon protect the others if he's bad from the start?"
"That's…" The king can't think of any good reason for that as he's still shocked from seeing the projection from the orb.
"Please, your highness… No, the Wisest Mage of Them All! We need your strength to counter the church's mischief!"
That name… The king hasn't heard that since he lost his right as the wielder of "that" weapon. As he was trying to make his decision, something terrible happened.
"Argh?!!!" A blade pierced through the captain's chest.
Shatter*
He also let go of the orb, which shattered after hitting the ground.
"What?!" The king is shocked to see this.
"Gah!!!"
"Guh?!"
"Ah!!!"
Many screams can be heard as the knights fall down,one by one.
"Shadows…!" The king then grabbed the wand that's on his waist. He pointed at the sky. " High Anti Concealment!"
The spell that he cast revealed all of the shadows that's hiding.
" All High Lightning Chain!"
The king then casts a spell that instantly hits all of the shadows. Despite not having "that" weapon, his power and experience as a mage is still superb.
"What's going on here…" The king muttered to himself.
Clap* Clap* Clap*
Someone is clapping their hands as they go inside the royal chamber.
"You…" The king knew the person well enough. "Basilus…"
The pope walked towards the king with the church's royal knights accompanying him.
"My old friend, Alexander… Or should I Luke? It doesn't even matter as you're no longer the king of this country anymore." The pope said while smiling.
"Why, my friend? Why are you doing this?! We have fought together ever since the war!" The king exclaimed.
"Why? It's simple, really…" The pope raised both of his hands up. "It's the god will. He had ordered me to take control of this country. After all, the royalty are too incompetent to even take the head of the Blade Demon. Such shame, considering you are the Wisest Mage of Them All. But look at you now… There's no projection of the man that was feared by many demi-humans in front of me right now-"
" Creation Magic: Lightning Blade!"
The king used his wand to create a lightning sword and head straight towards the pope. The knight then stood in front of the church to protect him.
" High Lightning Speed!"
The king zapped to the sides and knocked out the other knights on the left.
"What-"
The other knights then thrust their spear onto the king's behind.
" High Lightning Shield!"
A shield made out if lightning appears behind the king, protecting him from being thrust by the knight.
"Argh!!!"
In addition to that, the shield zapped the knight back, causing him to pass out.
"As expected. Even though you have lost your weapon, you're still as powerful as ever. However, will you be able to overcome this?"
"Hey…" Ivaran spoke up. "Is it me… Or the knights that have been knocked out have disappeared?"
"Yeah… It's weird." Reika agreed.
"Maybe they're scared and want to retreat or something." Rylon speculated.
"As if they do that. They are keen on killing us. There must be something they're planning…" Flan said while thinking what could they have done.
Suddenly, Riri started shouting.
"Oh no! We need to leave, NOW!" She then started pushing Ivaran towards the gate.
"What happened, Riri?" He asked.
"There's a big attack coming towards us from the sky!"
"What?!"
"She's not lying. I felt an immense mana concentration just now from up there. If I'm not mistaken, they're going to cast a Ritual Magic, Judgment, on us." Akira explained.
"What?! Here?! Are they crazy?! It's going to affect the civilians as well!" Lowri exclaimed.
"They won't care as long as we die in the process." Thea spoke up.
"What should we do?!" Emil shouted. "There's no time to run! The magic could hit any second now!"
"If that's the case, we need to defend ourselves! Orb Prison!" Akira summoned a giant green sphere that protects them. "Used every defensive magic that you have!"
"Alright!" Those who were capable of that shouted out loud.
" Low Earth Barrier!"
" L-Low Flame Barrier!"
" Low Shadow Barrier!"
" High Shadow Barrier!"
" High Aqua Barrier!"
" High Shock Barrier!"
Six magic barriers overlay with Akira's skill.
"I don't think this is enough to withstand the Ritual Magic…" Emil muttered under his breath.
"Don't say it like that! It will bring bad luck!" Rylon exclaimed.
"It's coming…" Riri said while preparing herself. Her tail erected as she waited for the magic to hit.
The rest of them either sweated themselves or gulped. Miys clasps her hands together, hoping they survive the attack.
"Here it comes!"
Crack* Boom*
The air vibrated as the magic came down towards them.
"AH!!!" Rylon screamed like a girl.
Out of the sudden, all of them were teleported somewhere else.
"What?!" The king looks outside the royal chamber.
The buildings close to the magic are either on fire or disintegrating. Lots of people are running towards the safe location from the after effects of the magic.
"Anyone who gets in the way of our god will receive the Judgement." The pope said as he walked towards the king. "Whether they be commoners or royalties, all of them shall receive it."
"What…? Do you mean…?!" The king's body started shaking uncontrollably. He dropped his wand to the ground, and later, knelt down to the ground. "No… Not again…!"
The former king, Luke, slammed his fists to the ground.
"NOOOOOOOOO!!!"
He failed yet again. Failed to protect his love's ones. His tears dropped as he clenched his fists. Shadows appear besides him and chain his neck and limbs with shackles that block mana flows.
"Bring him to the dungeons." The pope ordered. "You're lucky that your life has its purpose, my old friend. As the retribution towards our gods."
The shadows dragged the former king to the dungeons, while the pope took a seat at the throne, smiling as everything went as he planned. All he had to do now is to "purify" the heroes and demons. Then, summon the new heroes, without the demon of course.
Vadge's Shop
"They really did it, huh…" Vadge muttered as he packed his stuff into his luggage. He knew that the church would target him as he already helped Tomori. "I hope Terry had an empty room for me to stay awhile…"
After he finished, he brought out an old crate from under his bed. He opened it, revealing the old armor and warhammer during his adventuring days.
"Never thought that I would use you again, especially in this situation…" He wears the armor and grabs the warhammer to put it onto his waist. Then, he carried the luggage on his shoulder and went downstairs to take a look at the interior of his own shop before he left. "I hope these guys don't burn this place to the ground…"
Vadge went out from his shop through the back door, and sprinted towards the exit of this town.
Somewhere, inside the woods near the east border of Welle…
Tomori teleported all of them to a safer place near Welle's East Border.
"AH!!!" Rylon continued to scream. He slowly opened his eyes, wondering why he didn't feel anything. And what he saw was the whole group staring at him, with a weirded out face.
"Okay… What you guys faced to the point that he had to scream… Like that?" Tomori asked.
"Ugh…" All of them, except Tomori, dropped to the ground while sighing in relief.
"Um… Did anything to you guys when I'm trying to get us out of here?"
"Really?! You didn't notice anything?!" Miya exclaimed.
"Calm your horses, princess. I'm running for my life when I'm trying to teleport us."
"Don't call me princess!"
Oh, boy. Here we go again…
"Wait, how about Tadashi?" Akira asked. "Did you…"
"Nah, nothing much happened. Let's just say that he won't trouble us in the near future. Don't worry too much about it."
"You're the reason that makes me worry all the time, Tomori…"
"Whatever…" He rolled his eyes at Akira's comment.
"But really, what happened to him?" Reika asked.
" Sigh* The dumb red haired princess exposed herself in front of me and him. Now that he knows about her true self, Tadashi decided to be alone for a while." Tomori explained to them.
"Why can't you say that in the first place?!" Akira retorted.
"I thought if I said that, it won't sound cool as before."
"Why do you care so much about that?!"
"Hey… I'm a dude. Of course I wanted to look cool, especially in front of girls." Tomori said while winking his eyes.
"Ugh… You started to sound like Tadashi… Nevermind, I'm going to take a nap…" She then moves closer under a tree and lays out a thick blanket that she can lay down on.
"Wait, I'm going to cook dinner-"
"I'll eat it when I'm feeling hungry." She quickly replied.
"Alright, suit yourself…" Tomori pulled out his cooking equipment that the maids in Rheat's mansion let him borrow. He then pulled off his gloves. "Ivaran, can you collect a bunch of branches and gather them here?"
"Yes." The half-elf quickly went to the side to pick up some branches laying down on the ground and put them down in an empty area.
Tomori then switches to the Flame Hydra Sword and uses its special effect, Flame Blade, to light up the branches on fire.
"You used your sword's ability… To light up the branches?" Reika asked.
"Yeah. Is there anything weird with it?" Tomori asked while making sure the fire wasn't going to be big.
"Well… I never used my skills to do anything simple like that. I mean, you can use a flint and iron to light up a fire, right?"
"It's much easier this way, it only costs a few digits of SP. Not a big deal to me."
"Right… So, what are you cooking?" Reika asked.
"Maybe a beef soup for tonight. It's almost midnight, and I definitely wouldn't want to eat something heavy. I still have some of the Honey Tea Leaves that the maids gave me."
A Few Minutes Later…
"Everything's done. All of you can take a bowl and dig in." Tomori said as he lay down a couple of bowls, mugs and some utensils on the wooden mat that he laid down a few minutes ago.
"Yay! I'm first!" Riri storms through and arrives in front of Tomori.
"Alright, here you go." Tomori poured the beef shop onto Riri's bowl using a ladle. "Next!"
This whole experience reminded him of the time when he's on cooking duty during his Elementary School's day. Everyone would hurry up to taste anything that Tomori made, even the vegetables that they didn't like.
Tomori himself didn't understand why people said his cooking was delicious. He thought that his cooking was normal like the rest. After all, he learnt how to cook by observing his mother doing it when he was a kid. Then, he would watch some cooking videos to learn more. He had done many trials and errors to at least be decent at cooking.
"Eh?" Tomori stopped as he saw Akira, who seemed to have just woken up, with a bowl on her hands.
"I said I will eat if I'm hungry, right?"
"Yeah…"
He pours her some soup and then Akira goes off to group up with the others.
"And lastly, we have the prin-"
"Mmm…!"
"I mean, Miya…"
Now Tomori is afraid to call her 'princess' again. He poured her bowl with soup and shushed her off.
" Sigh* So tired… A good ol' soup and a hot tea would help me sleep…" Tomori wanted to pick up his bowl, but he couldn't find it. "I remember that I put it here…"
"Can I have some of that too?"
Tomori heard an unfamiliar voice. He looked in front, and saw a person shorter than him with full plate armor and a helmet to cover their face. And from their voice, it seems like they are a "she".
"Shit!" Tomori backed down and quickly changed his weapon to TBKDCS. " Chain Bind!"
A set of chains quickly binds the armored women.
"Huh?! What happened-" Reika turned around and saw Tomori facing the armored woman. "An enemy?!"
She also changed to her main weapon. The others also stood up to surround the armored women.
"How does she get here without me sensing…" Mizune muttered to herself.
"How can a person hide their mana?" Rylon asked.
"Usually, they used an advanced level of Illusion Magic along with a support item. This person here might also have used this method as well…" Emil explained.
"Damnit, when I'm enjoying my time after being blasted off by a Ritual Magic as well… Can't I have my share of rest?!" Lowri retorted.
"You're not the only one who wanted to rest, Lowri…" Thea muttered.
"This person here isn't from Welle. Her armor design is fairly different from what I've seen." Flan commented as he observed from afar.
"I agreed. I have never seen this kind of armor before…" Miya commented as well.
"Is it me or her armor is VASTLY similar to what the Mandalorians are wearing? Are we entering the Star Wars phase right now?! Why is everything surprising me?!" Tomori thought to himself.
"Wait…" Riri had realised something. "Ah!"
It seems like she had figured it out. She quickly stood in front of Tomori.
"Riri? What is it?" He asked.
"Tomori! This is the person that I'm talking about! She's the one who dragged you into the depth of the forest back then!" She exclaimed
"What?!" Tomori gasped. He then turned his head towards the armored woman.
"Yes, what she said is true, Blade Hero." The armored women responded. "I'm the one who dragged you back then."
"I see… Are you also the one who gave me the weapon guide?"
"Oh, yes. It seems like it has helped you a lot." The woman said, as if she's also smiling behind the helmet.
"Who are you?" Tomori asked the important question.
"I'm Audrey Forgefall. As for my occupation, you may as well refer to me as a blacksmith. And I'm from the great country of Armorian. It's a pleasure to meet three of the Holy Heroes at once." She bowed down.
"Wait, Armorian?!" Miya exclaimed. "Isn't Armonian a country that focuses on Agriculture Farming?"
"You know where she comes from?" Tomori asked.
"Yes. Armorian is the only human country that has a relationship with Klinge, as they exported fruits and vegetables to Klinge at a very low cost. Not only that, they also used a very different currency than the rest of the world called 'Credits'."
"... I'm so done with this world. They even ripped off the currency?! Who the fuck founded that country?! It must be a Star Wars fan or some sh*t!" Thankfully, Tomori is also a Star Wars fan as well.
"As expected from the next heir to Welle's throne. You're pretty knowledgeable about my country, even though you never stepped into it." The armored woman praised Miya. "However, that's only a surface of information that you know about us."
"What do you mean by that?"
What are the things that she doesn't even know off?
"Princess Miya, I think she might be lying." Flan spoke up. "The armor that she's currently wearing… It's fully made out of Pure Mithril. There's no way a country like Armorian can acquire something like this without a fortune of gold."
"Mister Swordsman is right. Let me explain everything. But first… Please let me out of these chains? And also, can I have some of the soup as well?" Audrey asked.
"Right…" Tomori cut down the chains and poured down some soup. He gives it to the armor woman.
"Alright!" She then sits down and pulls off her helmet, revealing her ash blonde hair and blue eyes. "What are guys standing for? Sit down. I have a story to tell!"
All of them then sat down as she ordered.
"Okay, as I said before, Armorian is not only a country that focuses on farming. To explain things further, we have to move back to the past. Where things all began.
"Around 10 centuries ago or so, Armorian didn't even exist yet, and so did countries like Welle and Klinge. It used to be Knivald, a country filled with every kind of demi-humans."
"Wait, it used to be a demi-human country?" Miya asked.
"Yes, it was and technically still."
"What?" Miya is so confused right now.
"Let me continue. The beginning of Armorian began when the Founder was summoned."
"Founder? Who's this founder?" Tomori asked as he wanted to know who this Star Wars fan was.
"The Founder is the same as you, Blade Hero." Audrey said to him.
"Wait… He's a Blade Hero… Like me?"
Holy sh*t! What a plot twist! Betcha didn't see that coming!
"Yes. From the history of Klinge, he was a fearsome hero who led an army of demi-humans to fight off the waves during the past. However…
Her face suddenly went grim.
"In reality, according to Armorian history, he's a person who whines countlessly all the time. It is also stated that he always screamed 'Ora, Ora, Ora' or 'Muda, Muda, Muda' when he's training."
" Cough* Cough* Cough*" Tomori is suddenly coughing.
"What's wrong, Tomori-san?" Ivaran asked.
"Oh… Nothing." He replied. "Damnit! This guy right here is definitely from my world! And I'm happy that he's a JoJo fan as well, but don't be too cringe, bruv!"
Tomori is having a mixed reaction as he hears stories about his predecessor.
"Even like that, his bravery has saved many lives from the waves. I'm proud to say that he's my ancestor."
"Wait…" What did she say again?
"You're his descendant?!" All of them, except Tomori, exclaimed.
"Guys! Quiet down! Do you remember where we're at now?!" Tomori said to them.
"Oh, yeah… Sorry about that." Reika apologies. "Please continue, Audrey.
"Right. Not only are his achievements incredible, he's also a person who contributed to Armorian the most. By inventing the Absorver System."
"Wait… Absorver?!" Tomori knew that word.
"Yes, the very weapon that you use countless times is a technology from our country. The Sword of Absorver that you copied is Version 2. Great for those who're capable with close combat and magic. However, it has one drawback. Which is that it costs too much MP to use. In the end, all of the SoA Ver. 2 is distributed to Eclipse Minotaur as a weapon to guard Armorian at the time."
"I see… Now it makes sense… No wonder SoA is strong from the start."
"After the Founder died because of old age, Knivald decided to summon the next Blade Hero, who later became the Practitioner, as she was responsible for many martial arts and sword arts techniques that exist today.
"After she died because of old age as well, Knivald also proceeded to summon the next Blade Hero, the Honour. But he died within a few years after a civil war had erupted with Imperian, and the Magic Hero."
"My predecessor?" Akira spoke up.
"Yes. Imperian back then was more fearsome than it is now. Well… It still does now. Anyway, after both of the heroes died fighting each other, Armorian and Imperian formed a peace treaty as the safety of the world is more important than starting a war. After a while, a new wave appeared, and both countries agreed to summon a new set of heroes."
"Wait…" Reika raised her hand up. "Where's Projectile Hero and Shaft Hero?"
"As for that, I didn't know. The documents that I read don't even mention their names or their agendas."
"I see… Go on." Reika lowered her hands as she's feeling something weird from the story that Audrey tells them.
"Thus, the new Blade Hero was summoned, the Captivator. She's the swiftest Blade Hero ever recorded in history. But sadly, she died during the last wave. Many decades go by without the waves happening. That is also the time where Knivald decided to change their name to Armorian. As for the reason, it's to honor the Armor Hero that fought alongside the Founder."
Reika then went closer to Tomori.
"This Armor Hero is not a part of the Six Progression Heroes, right? Akira told me about them, but she hasn't mentioned the Armor Hero at all."
"Yeah. Maybe something happened with him to the point that he isn't even included in the ranks. Let's hear more about it."
Both of them turned their heads back to Audrey.
"After a few months the Magic Hero died of old age, a new wave appeared, and also a new batch of heroes were summoned. The new Blade Hero is the Inventor, the person who took up the draft that was left by the Founder and decided to revise a new version of the Absorver System, the Absorver System S.
"By working alongside the Magic Hero, who's also interested in the Absorver System, they have created so many weapons and vehicles within a year that can be used by both countries. Unfortunately, both of them were killed by something that both of the countries can't identify during the second year since they were summoned.
"And to put salt on the wound, Imperian decided to break off the peace treaty and decided to take over the world, while the wave is happening. The first action that they do is to summon the Magic Hero without Armorian. In response, Armorian decided to summon the new Blade Hero.
"And sadly, I need to end the story as of now because there's only a few individuals who knew the next part of the story.
"Aww, come on! Continue the story! I need to know how it ends!" Lowri retorted.
"Yeah! Come on! Continue!" Rylon also joined in. Mizune then smacked his head. "Hey! What's that for?!"
"For being yourself."
"Huh?! What's that even mean?!"
"Guys… Please calm down…" Emil walked forward to calm Rylon down.
"Hahaha! Don't worry. You can hear the story after you persuade the person who knows them. But I'll tell you first, it's really hard to get them to like you, you know?" Audrey explained. She finished her soup and tea, and then stood up while wearing her helmet. "Alright, can you clean all your stuff, Blade Hero?"
"Huh? Why?" He asked.
"We're going to Armorian now."
"...Come again?" Tomori didn't hear that right.
"Now? The journey to Armorian took around a week, you know? How do you expect us to go there now?" Miya asked.
"Simple." Audrey then pulled something out from her belt buckle, which was oddly similar to the heroes' gemstone. The thing that she's holding looks like a transmitter. "I can teleport us there."
"What?! Isn't Teleportation skill only used by heroes?" Reika exclaimed.
"Yes. But we have the technology to replicate that. However, it's a one way trip and this thing right here will instantly lose its charge. It needs around six hours of rest before I can use it again."
"I guess it's acceptable if the charge is taking that long." Tomori thought to himself. "Alright, Akira and Reika, can you get closer to me?"
Both of the female heroes followed what Tomori said.
"Okay, do you guys agree to go to this 'Armorian'?" Tomori asked them.
"Well, I have my suspicions about her, but when I think about it, it is clearly better than to be stuck here when the church wants our heads." Reika said.
"I agreed with Reika. And besides that, Audrey seems like a good person. Chances that this is a trap is low."
"Akira… Remember what I said a month ago? Not all people who are nice to us are good."
"And yet, look at Tomori. And to go even further, look at Rheat. I know what you said is true, Reika. But I wanted to believe that these people are good in their heart."
"Well… Nevermind that. It seems like you already agreed to go. How about you, Tomori?" Reika asked him.
"Me? I don't mind it. As long as I don't get backstab again."
"Alright! Seems like we have come to an agreement then!" Akira clasped her hand together.
"Yeah, yeah. Let me clean up my stuff a bit."
After Tomori clean and packed up his cooking equipment, the heroes proceed to discuss this matter with their companions. Half of them agreed to come, while the other half was hesitant.
"If this is a trap, then Princess Miya's life would be in danger." Flan said. "Not only that, but a royalty can't just enter the Armorian without the country's permission."
"Oh, regarding that." Audrey spoke up. "We can technically say that Princess Miya entered Armorian as his companion instead of the Royalty of Welle."
"Are you sure it's as easy as that?" Miya asked her.
"Yes. Our leader didn't mind that." Audrey then clapped her hands. "Alright, is everyone ready?"
The heroes look at their companions. Ivaran, Mizune, Emil, Thea and Flan are the ones who oppose going to Armorian, fearing that it was a trap. However, since their heroes are confident about trusting the armored women, they also trusted the heroes' instict as well.
Tomori, Akira and Reika give her a thumbs up, indicating that they are ready.
"Okay then…" Audrey raised the device up to the sky. " Open Gate! Teleport, Hidden Main Gate!"
Suddenly, a large magic circle appears on the ground. With a bright light, all of them then teleported to the place that Audrey said.
Armorian, Hidden Main Gate
"Ugh…" All of them closed their eyes due to the bright light.
"Okay, we have arrived! Welcome to Armorian Military Headquarters!" Audrey explained.
Tomori slowly opened his eyes. And his mouth opened agape, as he saw the switch from fantasy world to a sci-fi world.
"...Okay, the founder here is definitely a hard core Star Wars fan."
There's a few ships that the clones from Star Wars always ride when they go into battle. Along with armored people attending those ships.
"I remember that ship's name is LAAT. But compared to the original, it doesn't have any weapons at all. I guess its main focus is to transport people. And talking about people…" Tomori saw that this place isn't packed, considering its a military headquarters. "Maybe the rest are on a mission or something like that."
While Tomori is monologuing by himself, the others are impressed by this place. The heroes acted a little bit neutral, since they had seen something like this in the media before. But for those like Rylon and Lowri, this place is something new for them.
"Mizune! Emil! Look at that ship! How the hell does it float?!" Rylon shouted as the ship leavitad from the ground.
"Oh, I can explain that, but I'm afraid that you won't understand it." Audrey said to him.
"Are you telling me that I'm an idiot or something?!"
"Yes." Both Emil and Mizune said to him.
"I didn't ask you guys!"
"Now, now. Don't start a fight here. Or these people here will apprehend you. I warn you, all of these people here have their class up and above level 60."
"O-Oh, yeah. I understand." Rylon didn't make any commotion as he and his companion are under level 60 as of now.
"Realy? All of them had their class up?" Flan asked.
"Yes. Unlike some countries that forbid their soldiers from having their class up unless they're higher rank, the requirements for joining the army is they must be level 60."
"60? Isn't the maximum level of a human for class up is 40? How come these people can get their level up to 60 without a class up?"
"About that, let me explain to you guys in my workshop. Follow me." Audrey started walking, and the rest of them followed her from behind. As they walked, the other armored people stared at them.
"Why are they staring at us?" Lowri spoke up.
"I don't think they are staring at us." Thea answered.
"They are staring at me, Akira and Reika." Tomori thought to himself. "Probably because we're outsiders and our gemstone is exposed to the whole damn world to see."
Audrey's Workshop
"Alright! I'm finally back!"
They all arrived at the front of Audrey's workshop.
"Come on! There's a lot of things I wanted to show you!" Audrey walked towards the door, and it slid up.
"What?! The door slid-Ow?!" Rylon spoke up, but then his head got smacked by Tomori.
"Can you stop getting surprised? It's getting bothersome…"
"Right… Sorry…"
"Whatever." Tomori then walked inside the workshop, followed by the rest. "Oh wow…"
There's a lot of weapons hanging on the walls, but most of them are guns or blasters.
"Well, this is RIPPED OFF from Star Wars after all. Can't be more surprising actually…"
But it gets more surprising than that.
"Xceed!" There's a childish voice inside of the workshop.
"Rumbee!" And there's a deep, raspy voice as well.
"Huh?" Tomori turned to the sides. "What the?!"
"Xceed! Xceed!"
"Rumbee!"
The Blade Hero saw Audrey being surrounded by a red motorcycle and a green humvee.
"Xceed!" The motorcycle spun around her.
"Rumbee!" While the humvee hump up and down.
"Akira… Reika… Am I dreaming right now or are there talking vehicles here?" Tomori asked them.
"Tomori… We were summoned as heroes to fight off a catastrophe. And this world has a country that can literally build a spaceship. I guess they can also build talking vehicles as well." Reika answered him.
"Well… For some reason… They looked really cute." Akira commented.
"Huh?!" Reika turned her head towards Akira.
Ignoring both of them, Tomori decided to walk closer to Audrey.
"Aww… You guys! I miss both of you too!" Audrey hugged and kissed the vehicles.
"Umm… Audrey, may I ask what are… them?" He asked her.
"Oh, both of them are a type of golem." She answered.
"Golem?"
"Yes. They are golems that were used during the past. However, due to their high MP usage, they were discontinued and stored in the storage in exchange for the Advance Transport Ship, or ATS for short.
"As for these guys, I found them in storage when looking for some parts a year ago. They were in good shape, but they needed an upgrade. So, I did it for them. Installing the newly updated Absorver Engine on them, and they are ready to ride. But there's one problem…
"There's no people here who would like to use them. I had a person who's interested in them, but he's too busy to visit. Right now, they're a waiting for someone to pick them up."
"Xceed…"
"Rumbee…"
The two vehicles make a sas sound.
"Hmm…" Tomori then walked closer to the red motorcycle.
"Xceed?" The motorcycle wondered as to why Tomori suddenly walked to it.
He turned back to Audrey and pointed at the motorcycle. "Does this one have a name?"
"It has, but it's just a codename. So I decided to call it Xceed, while the other one is Rumbee."
"Is that so…" Tomori continued to inspect the motorcycle. "It's based on a modified NC750X DCT with a lower windshield. It's color is red with a mix of silver lines. And its name is Xceed…"
Tomori squatted down and faced the head of the motorcycle.
"Hey… Do you mind taking me as your new master?" He said to it.
"Xceed?!" It back down as it was surprised to hear that.
"Wait, you wanted it?" Audrey asked.
"Yeah. I have experienced riding a motorcycle like it before. I can handle it." Tomori said. In truth, he just wants to ride the motorcycle. Like, riding a motorcycle, in a fantasy world? That's some Arifureta sh*t right there!
"Are you okay with that, Xceed?" Audrey asked the motorcycle.
"Xceed! Xceed!"
Vroom* Vroom*
It vroomed excitedly.
"Alright then." Audrey then goes to a table and comes back with something new on her hand. She handed the thing to Tomori.
"What is this?" Tomori asked. It looks like the belt buckle that Audrey had.
"It's a Command Buckle Type B. With that, you can register Xceed as your own. Just gripped it and pointed the front towards Xceed." She explained.
"Okay…" Tomori pointed the buckle towards Xceed.
Beep*
A sound appears from both the buckle and Xceed.
You have successfully tamed a monster!
"Monster? Oh yeah, Xceed is a golem. So, technically, he's a monster that looks like a motorcycle."
After that, an option to name Xceed pops up on Tomori's status window.
"Hmm…" Tomori looks at Xceed, and then the status window. "Alright, it's decided."
He entered the name.
"As of today, your name is Blade-XCEEDER. But I'll still call you Xceed. How's that?"
"Xceed!"
It then started spinning around him.
"Seems like that's a yes." Tomori said.
"And also, in order to store him away, you can just put it inside the buckle. Try it now."
"Right." When Tomori pointed his buckle at Xceed, it instantly transferred into the buckle. "It's just like Pòkeball…"
Tomori then put the buckle into his inventory.
"Wow, you just stored Xceed like that after you became his master?" Audrey said to him.
"It's much safer there. And besides that, I wanted to do a test drive tomorrow."
"There's an empty area you can use tomorrow morning for it. But we will talk about that later. Sorry, Rumbee. But I have guests to entertain." Audrey then moved towards the other side of the workshop.
"..." Rumbee watches as they walk away.
Akira stares at it with pity on her eyes.
"Akira-san?" Emil called her.
"Oh, yeah. Be there soon…" She turned her back to follow the rest of the group.
"Okay!" Audrey sits at her office chair and spun around for a while. "Regarding our race, we aren't actually human. You may as well call us a hybrid human."
"Hybrid human?" Miya wondered what that meant.
"Does that mean you have multiple genetics?" Tomori speculated.
"Precisely. My ancestors are one of the alchemists that infused other genetics into her own body. The process of it is tedious, but it's safe to do. The only negative effect is that you will lose your characteristics. For example, a bear demi-humans will lose their bear characteristics and will look like any other human. However, they can still access their powers when they're still demi-human." Audrey explained.
"Ugh… I don't understand…" Rylon groaned as he scratched his head.
"Well, you don't have to understand it, bucket head." Mizune commented.
"Why is everyone on me today?!" He exclaimed.
"If you want to learn more about our race, there's a lecturer that can teach you about that a few doors from here. You can go there if you want to, except the three of you." Audrey pointed at Tomori, Ivaran and Akira.
"Us?" Akira asked. "But why?"
"Simple. I wanted to upgrade your weapons."
"Upgrade?" Ivaran wondered.
"Yes. Obviously, Blade Hero's Sword of Absorver and your Shield of Absorver can be upgraded here. Not only that, it seems like the weapon form of the Magic Hero's can be upgraded as well, but not to an extent of what the older version of Absorver weapons is capable of." Audrey explained. "Care to give me the original weapons so that I can work on them?"
"Well… I don't mind an upgrade." Tomori pulled out his original Sword of Absorver from his inventory and handed it to Audrey.
"An upgrade, huh? Well… Please upgrade it!" Akira also pulled out her original staff that Terry made for her and handed it to Audrey.
"If it's going to make me stronger, then I don't mind either." Ivaran handed his Shield of Absorver to Audrey as well.
"Alright!" Audrey then put the weapons on her table. She then turned to Tomori. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. You know that you can copy the upgraded weapon using the Armor methods, right?"
"Yeah. The methods that I applied will be moved to the new weapon, right?" Tomori responded.
"Yes. However, you will lose all the enhancements that's related to the Spirit Union, as newer Absorver System can't comprehend that kind of power. Your weapon will be much stronger, but those effects will disappear if you decide to copy it. Are you okay with it?"
Tomori thought about it for a while.
"If I copied this upgraded weapon, I would lose the enhancements that's related to Spirit Union. Am I okay with that… Of course I am! I can't just rely solely on Riri's power. I need to channel my own strength rather than relying on her all the time." Tomori turned his head towards Audrey. "Yeah, no probs. Is that alright with you, Riri?"
"If you're fine with it, then I don't have anything to say." She replied.
"Well, that's that."
Seems like every party agreed, except for one person.
"Hey, how about me?" Reika spoke up. "I wanted an upgrade too."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Projectile Hero. If we're talking about heroes' weapons, I'm more experienced with the Blade Hero and Magic Hero choice of weapons, since that is what they taught me during my days in the academy. However, you can copy the selection of blasters displayed on the walls." Audrey said while pointing at the blasters.
"Oh yeah, Reika can copy something like that too."
"No thanks. I preferred bows over those. It's more suited to my style of fighting."
"Really? Blasters are easier as you just pull the trigger than pulling the string on a bow." Tomori said to her.
"Nah. I don't like guns anyways. It brings back… Nevermind. The point is, I wanted a bow. Did you have one?" Reika asked Audrey.
"Well… I don't at the moment, but I can make one from scratch. But it's going to take a while until it's finished."
"I'm fine with it."
"If you said so. Now then…" Audrey stretches her arms. "Need to make some drafts for the upgrade and new bow first. There's an empty room a few doors from the left. You can use those rooms to get a good night's sleep."
She then continued scribbling something on what Tomori can guess as a high tech tablet or whatnot.
"A lot happened today. Especially with the red haired princess and Tadashi." Tomori thought to himself. "And then…"
He takes a glance at his sword.
"Another rank up, huh? The Curse Series is sure something. I unlocked the fourth rank using only my emotions, unlike the third rank, which Azamiere forcibly did so… I really want to avoid using that weapon at any cost, or I'm going to lose control for real."
Bzz* Bzz* Bzz*
A small fly is flying around Tomori's head.
"Huh… How did a fly get into here?" He wiped his hands to make the fly go away. "Need to get some good night sleep for me to prepare for tomorrow's craziness next…"
Tomori followed the group from behind to the room.
Bzz*
The fly continued to stare at him from afar.
Somewhere around Armorian…
"..." A person wearing full plate black armor with beige gemstone embedded on his belt buckle is laying his back on a pillar, watching a projection of what the fly sends to him through a certain device.
"Rusty…" A woman's voice came from the armored person back. "It's not good to stalk people, you know?"
The woman, who has black hair and purple eyes, with a choker that has a purple gemstone embedded on it, walked towards the armored person.
"This is none of your business, Ela. This whole country's protection is under my control. And the fact that Audrey gladly let outsiders enter this country without my permission is unacceptable." The person who the woman called Rusty responded.
"Uh,uh,uh. That's not your job anymore, remember? That's the Grand Armorer job now. Besides that, he's the one who gave the idea to Audrey to invite them in the first place."
"And he tells you about it and not to me…"
"Don't sulk too much, Rusty. He definitely knows that you wouldn't like it anyway, considering what happened the last time you met with a Holy Hero."
"That's because they had succumbed to the Curse Series and went on rampage. And this Blade Hero is just the same. Not only that, I also sense something inside of him."
"Yeah, yeah. Did you forget that I can sense it as well? But don't worry too much about it. Nothing bad is going to happen!"
The woman then put her hands onto the armored person's shoulder.
"You also said that when Klinge decided to revolt against us."
"Oh yeah… I remember that. But we win in the end, right?"
"At the cost of our own people's life, Ela. If it weren't for Klinge revolting against us, we would have plenty of armies to deal with the wave. All of this so that they can have the Blade Hero for themselves…"
The armored person then takes off the woman's hand from his shoulder.
"Everything went downhill after 'she' left us. I thought it would be fine, but no… Countries started a war over a pitiful reason, heroes don't work together as well as before… Nothing has changed for the past centuries."
"Hmm… I don't think so, Rusty." The woman said. "Three out of the four Holy Heroes have been on good terms with each other since the beginning. And not only that, but the Blade Hero seems to resonate the same aura as 'her'. Don't you think so?"
The armored person turned to face the woman.
"Don't be so sure, Ela. Coincidence doesn't exist like that. And if you really think that these 'heroes' are really capable, then I would like to 'test' them. I don't care if the Grand Armorer likes it or not. I need to make sure that these 'heroes' here are strong, both physically and mentally for the future waves."
"And what if they don't pass these criteria?" The woman asked.
"Are you really asking me a question that you already know the answers to?"
"Come on, Rusty. Don't be like that! That's why people are always scared of you, you know?"
"Whatever… Transport Armor!" The armored person then teleported to somewhere else.
"..."
After a few seconds of silence, the woman then lay back on the pillar.
"Rusty, Rusty… Why can't you relax a bit? Just because she tells us to protect the world, doesn't mean that you have to go through these drastic measures… Not like he's going to listen anyway…"
She then looked towards the moon in the sky.
"I know my instincts are right… That Blade Hero is definitely related to Toshika in some way. I hope he can knock some sense on you like she did in the past, Rusty…"
Author Notes:
To be honest with you guys, this chapter is something that I come up with in a day by revisiting the past, past, past draft of Centurion. Yep, there's going to be a lot of stuff throughout the story. Imagine a Gundam suddenly shows up… I already planned that as an Omake, so don't worry about it too much.
Regarding this arc, I don't have any idea as to how exactly to progress through, as I had already planned what the next few arcs are going to be about. To put it up simply, I already made plans for the future arc rather than the current arc. I don't know if this is stupid or not, but I hope it worked out in the end.
Another problem I had is that there's too many characters in a single room. Aside from the heroes, Ivaran and Riri, I can't concentrate on which characters should have the spotlight. Well… That's my fault in the first place. I hope you have some good criticism for me. I don't have much time to write as I have to focus on studies. I can only write during the weekend, which is Friday and Saturday (if my workload isn't flooded).
And PhantomDOX, as for the Tadashi-beating, at first, I wanted to include it. However, I felt like it was something out of character for Tomori to do. For Tomori, I wanted him to become someone who can take a beating, whether it's physically or mentally, and return it tenfold. Which also implies that he's a person who forgives people too easily. I need a lot of materials to make a betrayal arc in the future so that Tomori will suffer even more (but I doubt that will happen because I just want my boy to be happy).
Of course, for the future, future, future arc, he's going to suffer a BIT and let the Curse Series direct his actions. I wonder if I should make the fifth rank curse weapon for him. Maybe put a black, rugged cape on him and called it a day. Who knows… Only the future me knows about it.