I should start out with this: I never made Dou-Lon with the intention to replace Raphtalia as the Katana Hero.
You all should know this by now but in case you don't: Hero weapons summon based on personality traits, not on whether or not you're proficient with that weapon or not. If I'd actually wanted to replace Raphtalia as the Katana Hero, Dou-Lon would have had her exact personality traits. I'm pretty sure those two aren't the same personality-wise.
With that, enjoy the chapter.
Chapter Sixty-One: Confrontation in Central City
It was a clear sunny day, which was most fortunate, as it allowed Filo a chance to stretch her new wings.
The rag-tag bunch of Heroes as well as their companions were traveling along a mostly empty road when Filo came down to land on her Daddy's shoulders in her humming fairy form.
"Everything good, honey?" Naofumi asked his daughter.
"Mmhmm! Filo feels great! Filo just wanted to be near Daddy again!" The little bird said happily as she rubbed her head against the Shield Hero's cheek.
Raph-Chan would have given her signature "Rafu!" from the other shoulder, only, Naofumi was currently carrying her in an ofuda instead of carrying her out in the open like normal.
You see, after making camp yesterday, they'd slept through the rest of the day as well as a good portion of the night. Kizuna had woken up well before anyone else though, and had taken her new niece out into the forest to hunt monsters.
The little angel girl had reached level 23 and entered the second stage of growth for humming fairies thanks to the Hunting Hero's efforts. Filo was just a little bigger than before. And she'd filled out in her torso and wings. But not the crazy amount that she'd grown as a Filolial. Signified by the fact that she could still stand comfortably on her Daddy's shoulder without bothering him.
While Kizuna had been hunting monsters, she'd come across a message board at an intersection of a nearby road. Attached to it were wanted posters for Glass, L'Arc, and Therese; as well as two figures, one small, and one bigger, who had poorly drawn demi-human features that she was only able to notice because of her time with Maya.
And alongside them had been a poster of Naofumi and Raph-Chan.
…
Yeah, it turned out that not being stealthy and making a show of themselves had been a very bad idea. The others had no wanted posters since no one knew they'd been there to begin with. But Naofumi and Raph-Chan were accused of stealing the town's angel as well as torturing the local governor's son in a 'cruel and sadistic manner'.
It was mostly true. But Naofumi would forever argue that the guy had deserved it.
At least he knew how much he was worth in this world now. Around a hundred kinhans or so.
Ha, not bad. Not bad at all.
Anyway, Naofumi and the others eventually came across the message board themselves after breaking camp before dawn. His caricature wasn't very recognizable. But, unfortunately, they did a much better job of Raph-Chan. That meant she had to be stored in an ofuda while Naofumi wore a hood.
It made him irritated… but at least Raph-Chan still looked cute, her paw waving at him through the paper of the ofuda.
Though it didn't feel the same as carrying her around and petting her lustrous, soft, warm fur.
…
Pet.
Yep, the paper felt far too rough and cold. It was nothing like petting the real deal.
The Shield Hero's disappointment was immeasurable and his day was ruined. He resolved to figure out a way to make an ofuda that'd allow him to pet Raph-Chan even while the shikigami was stored away in it.
At least he knew Raphtalia was ok. Raph-Chan had still been pointing out the way before he stored her in the paper talisman. Naofumi also checked his slave menu that morning. And while he still couldn't track Raphtalia or Dou-Lon with it, they were still registered to him. Meaning that they weren't dead at least.
Also, based on the wanted posters, L'Arc, Glass, Therese, Dou-Lon, and Raphtalia were traveling together.
Thank God, they wouldn't have to go off to search for any other stragglers…
Though Naofumi still felt a little salty that he had to store Raph-Chan away while Kizuna held Chris in her grasp. The little penguin was the one that was currently leading them and Kizuna was rubbing the shikigami's head, making it smile and do all sorts of cute things for attention.
Selfish little shikigami. Raph-Chan was far better than this dumb penguin.
"Pen!" Chris glared at Naofumi suspiciously.
'What? I'm right and you know it you stupid bird.' Naofumi didn't hesitate to glare back.
"Daddy? Daddy?"
Naofumi shook his head. He'd been lost in thought for a while there. And Chris hadn't helped in the slightest.
"I'm sorry honey, what were you saying?" He asked his daughter kindly.
"Filo was saying that Filo spotted lots of people on the road up ahead." She gestured with her wing.
Naofumi looked up. Sure enough, there were some wagons on the road ahead of them with people walking alongside them, carrying baskets in their arms or on their heads. It looked like some sort of caravan.
"Do you think they'd recognize Filo?" Naofumi asked Kizuna worriedly.
"Since she's not a chick anymore, she should be fine as long as she doesn't turn into a human… Also, maybe we could see if anyone in that caravan is selling Earth Crystals, just in case you want to raise Filo's level a bit?" Kizuna suddenly suggested.
"Hmmm, that would be helpful, but do we have time?" Naofumi frowned as one hand moved to rub Filo on the back of her head. The humming fairy crooned and leaned into his touch, making him smile a little before he frowned again. "No. Filo's not going to be a frontline fighter anymore. I'd rather not risk it."
"Awww…" Filo looked saddened at her Daddy's words.
"I'm sorry sweetie. But you don't receive any bonuses from the Filolial Series while you're a humming fairy. And your stats aren't geared towards speed and attack like before." Naofumi said gently. "You'll have to act as a supporter while we're in this world."
"Just like Daddy?" Filo cocked her head thoughtfully.
"Yup, just like me." Naofumi gave her a small smile again.
"Hmmmm… Ok! As long as Filo is still able to help Mommy and Daddy out!" Filo agreed happily.
"I'm sure you will honey." Naofumi rubbed her head again, and she rubbed up against his cheek affectionately.
Itsuki watched the display of affection cautiously. It was a little weird for Naofumi to be so calm about his supporter role. Usually, he would go on a tangent about how much he hated it or how he wished he could launch some sort of attack that'd damage or kill his enemies. And while he'd been silent up till then because he didn't want to get teased again, there was something that Kizuna had said that caught the Bow Hero's attention earlier.
"How do you level up from Earth Crystals? Are you saying you get exp from them?" Itsuki asked.
"Oh, didn't I tell you? Apparently, if we use the Earth Crystals they have here to replenish magic power, we get experience instead. And if Kizuna drinks Magic Healing Water from our world, she gets experience too. I gained quite a few levels doing that after we escaped from that Labyrinth." Naofumi shrugged. "Doesn't matter if any heroes are nearby or in the party either. It was really convenient for us early on."
"Huh… I wondered why those Crystals that one guy lent me never restored my magic power." Maya tilted her head curiously. "I thought they were broken or something."
"How didn't you notice the experience notification when you tried to use them?!" Itsuki asked his friend incredulously.
"Me and Aksel were killing monsters left and right. Do you really think I'd notice one more experience notification on top of the rest?" The raccoon girl asked while putting a hand on her hip.
She and the knight looked far more at ease than they had been yesterday. They looked tired, and Maya walked a little strangely, but the pair couldn't stop smiling and seemed to glow with happiness.
Itsuki couldn't hold her gaze and turned his head away from them with a blush. As he did so, Kizuna leaned over and whispered into Rishia's ear.
"Psst. Rishia. That could be you someday." Kizuna gestured to the pair of lovebirds before pointing with a grin at the Bow Hero.
"F…" Rishia clamped her mouth shut and didn't whimper. Instead, she chose to simply blush and look in a different direction.
Itsuki was already regretting that he'd spoken. Couldn't he and Rishia be left alone for one day?
"Yeah, between the crystals and Motoyasu's methods, getting stronger in this world has definitely been a little easier." Naofumi shrugged.
Though it was weird. Looking at his stats, despite being level 53, he still had a strange feeling that they weren't as high as they should have been.
Were his stats just lower in Glass's world? Or was there something from his world he hadn't accounted for?
Before he could think more about it, Itsuki yelled at him in surprise. "Motoyasu's methods- that's right! The recording crystal that he gave you! Did you watch it yet?! How do the rest of his power-ups work?!"
"Oh, I haven't told them to you yet? Whoops." Naofumi chuckled awkwardly.
"No matter, you can tell them to me now, come on!" Itsuki demanded.
"Careful, we're coming up on that group ahead," Kizuna spoke in front of them. "Might want to save the chitchat for later."
Itsuki grumbled but kept silent.
The group continued down the road. They passed by the slow caravan without trouble and continued on from there.
Because Naofumi felt bad, he quietly shared Motoyasu's methods with the Bow Hero. Itsuki believed him, as they appeared on his HUD, but he kept on grumbling about how he couldn't use them right now to get stronger since he had none of the ore that Motoyasu used for his [Smelting] method. And because, since he'd just gotten it, he had no monster souls he could use for the [Spirit Enchantment] method either.
He did use the [Status Enchantment] method on his current Bow since he could use items for it… but he got Defense Up 10%.
"Well… that's just unfortunate." Itsuki sighed in disappointment. Talk about something that was almost completely useless for him.
"What'd you get?" Naofumi asked.
"It's nothing. Forget it…" The Bow Hero continued to sulk along.
At least Naofumi had shared the methods. That had to count for something, right?
Naofumi felt optimistic since they'd left before the sun had even risen. They were well-rested, and well-fed. They were prepared for a battle, possibly a war. Kizuna sent messages to Ethnobalt every now and then to update them on their progress as they traveled.
Yet… there was no sign of Raphtalia or the others. The forest on either side thickened, and the branches interloped overhead. And it started to become more worrying when they noticed more people up ahead lining the sides of the road.
They reached a point when the communication ofudas stopped working. Kizuna frowned, paused the group, then moved back where she'd be in range again before sending Ethnobalt one last message. Then she put her ofuda away and approached the group. "Looks like they're preventing communication in the area. If we get in trouble, I won't be able to contact Ethnobalt to have him bail us out."
"What's going on?" Naofumi asked.
"I'm… not sure yet." Itsuki furrowed his eyebrows. "There's a big line stretching along both sides of the road up ahead. There's a lot of trees in the way up above though, so I can't tell how far the line extends."
They continued forward. And eventually, they were able to hear what people were saying on the sides of the road.
"What do you mean they've closed the road up ahead?"
"That's what I'm hearing. They're not allowing anyone in or out of the city for some reason."
A few farmers with wagons full of produce stood on the side of the road. They talked loud enough for Naofumi and the others to hear them as they walked by.
"Hey, what's going on? What's this line about?" Itsuki approached a pair of traders that were talking to each other. As one of the few people without a bounty poster, along with his casual Japanese archer attire, no one seemed suspicious of the Bow Hero.
"No clue." A portly merchant in a fez shrugged while wiping off some sweat from his brow with a handkerchief. "I've been to the main gates twice already. They're just locked and the guards are telling everyone to wait."
"Wait? How long? Me and my associates are kind of on a schedule." Itsuki grimaced in an over-the-top fashion.
"Hey, who isn't?" A thin gem person trader in a turban shrugged while stroking his goatee. "I thought I'd make some easy money with the extra people traffic that the Vassal selection ceremonies normally bring, but instead I'm sitting here and losing it."
"Don't we all." The portly merchant sighed. "But anyway, the guards didn't give any solid info on how long this will take so I suggest you find somewhere to cool your heels and take it easy, young man. Or maybe I could interest you in some of my wares? I do have some lovely accessories and with the way that the lovely lady over there is looking at you, I can tell you could use one or two."
"Uh, no thank you, I-" Itsuki tried to step back while glancing over his shoulder in embarrassment at where Rishia was. Seriously, even random strangers were going to tease him about this?!
"Nonsense." The thin merchant waved his colleague off. "Look at how they are dressed, they are obviously mercenaries. How about a new weapon instead? I have some quality stock from Lapis with me."
"My accessories are not only beautiful but hold many powerful status enchantments on them! Any mercenary worth his salt would want a few too!" The fez-wearing merchant argued. "Now, how ab- oh, they left."
"Tch." The thin merchant clicked his tongue in annoyance. "You were laying it on too thick and scared him off."
"Me? Who suggests a man in love that they should gift his woman a weapon!?"
"One that cares about her well-being of course!"
While the two traders argued, Itsuki returned to the group and told them what he'd learned.
"So, the front gate is locked, huh?" Naofumi frowned as they walked while Kizuna looked down at Chris. "Is Glass still ok?"
"Pen!" The familiar smiled up at her.
"Yes, she is." Kizuna smiled at Naofumi, but he couldn't really share it. He was tempted to pull out Raph-Chan. But if Glass was ok, Raphtalia was probably ok too, so…
They eventually reached a point where more people were waiting on the sides and in front of a barricade that'd been placed over the road. Soldiers in samurai armor and samurai helmets with large and deadly naginatas in their hands were keeping the peace. Behind them, the road continued to the large walls surrounding Central City.
The city itself was built into the side of a mountain. It reminded Naofumi of the city he, Itsuki, and Ren had failed to protect during the Spirit Tortoise's rampage. Only, it was more amazing in terms of defense and protection.
It wasn't just a Capital. It was a fortress.
And Chris was pointing directly at it.
"Urgh… we should have left even earlier," Aksel muttered.
"Maybe we shouldn't have rested yesterday after all," Itsuki murmured.
"Not like we really had much of a choice there." Kizuna shrugged. "Both you and your girlfriend looked dead on your feet."
"She's not my girlfriend!" Itsuki refuted.
"Fueh…" Rishia did openly whimper this time.
Naofumi frowned. Chris had gradually moved his flipper as they'd traveled that morning. Meaning that Glass and her group hadn't been in the same spot. But he'd thought that meant they were pretty close.
They weren't, apparently. As they'd gone inside and probably sprung the trap waiting for them. Though, it was odd that he couldn't hear or see any commotion happening in the city or anything…
"If they're inside, why aren't there any signs of fighting?" Naofumi asked.
"Perhaps they're hiding?" Kizuna suggested.
"Possibly… but, if that's the case, then how are we going to sneak past the guards and get them out of there?" Naofumi brought up the next issue. "Should we use that combo skill of yours to mask our presence?"
"It's the middle of the day and there are too many soldiers at the gate. We wouldn't be able to press through without someone noticing." Itsuki gestured up ahead beyond the barricade.
"Those walls also look too big to scale." Kizuna thought out loud. "Not without us being seen."
"You've been here before, right? Isn't there a way into the city that you know of?" Itsuki asked the female hero.
"Hmmm… there might be… we'd have to backtrack though so we don't leave the road in front of everyone. That'd definitely look suspicious." Kizuna suggested. "Naofumi, can you ask Filo to fly along the western wall and see if there are any soldiers stationed at the walls there?"
"Sure, Filo-" Naofumi began when the little bird suddenly glued itself to him.
"No, please, Filo doesn't want to get captured again!" Filo cried out.
Naofumi had to hastily quiet down his daughter with so many people around. They'd gotten a couple of odd looks, but everyone only seemed to care about getting into the city.
They were forced to quickly backtrack a mile or so down the road until they were able to go down a side path. Naofumi had to pet and stroke Filo's feathers that whole while as she was shaking and hiding in his cloak's hood.
Partway down the path, Kizuna and Itsuki activated their skills, and Maya started to use her illusion magic to hide their trail.
"Filo?" Naofumi finally asked unsurely.
"Please, Daddy, Filo doesn't want to get captured again!" Filo cried into his neck. "Don't send Filo off on her own!"
"Filo…" Naofumi sighed and looked at the Bow Hero hopefully. "Itsuki, could you use your observation skills or whatever to find what we're looking for?"
"Not quite." Itsuki shrugged helplessly. "I can only see from about fifty feet above me in the air and that isn't high enough to see over the walls."
"It's okay. That'll do. As long as they can't see us anyway." Kizuna replied.
Naofumi thought that they could do it and that they wouldn't have to worry about guards or anything. But as they moved forward through the forest and came near the city wall again, Kizuna halted with a frown.
"On second thought, we're going to have to drop our hiding skills here. They won't help us."
"Why not?!" Itsuki asked angrily.
"Because now that we're closer, I can tell they have a barrier of magic around the outside of the city. If we approach while hidden with illusion magic or hero skills that mimic illusion magic, it'll set off alarms and alert every soldier in the area to our location." Kizuna said seriously.
"... ok, how does that work?" Itsuki asked incredulously. "How could your world possibly have something like that?"
"Because the Demon Dragon and its forces were a very real threat," Kizuna explained with an annoyed sigh. "In more ways than one. If we didn't learn all sorts of ways to counteract that dragon's magic and the magic of its army, Katana and many other countries would have never survived.
"Also, based on what Rishia has told me about the magic systems from your world, they're vastly different from what I've seen used in my world. Of course, the uses of magic here will be different than what you're used to." Kizuna refuted the Bow Hero.
"She has a point." Naofumi shrugged at Itsuki's helpless look. "You should be used to getting kicked in the balls by this world by now."
"I hope this is the last time we go world-hopping." Itsuki rolled his eyes as he sighed. "Relearning the local laws of nature and magic systems every time would get tiresome."
"Yeah. It's really unfortunate that those same things we developed back then are being used against us now." Kizuna grimaced, but she dropped her skill regardless.
"Great." Maya and Itsuki also dropped their skills and magic. "Fine then, Naofumi, I hate to say this, but I won't be able to tell if there are watchmen on the wall or if there's an army waiting for us inside the city or not. Filo's going to have to do that for us."
"Filo said she doesn't want to though," Naofumi responded heatedly. "I'm not going to force her to do something she doesn't want."
"Naofumi…" Itsuki started angrily, then breathed in deeply before locking eyes with the Shield Hero again. "I can cover Filo if necessary. But we need to get into that city without causing an uproar if we can help it. Finding and extracting people out of dangerous locations is hard enough without the entirety of the local law enforcement going after you."
Naofumi grit his teeth at the Bow Hero's stubbornness. "Maybe it'd be better if we got spotted so they'd come after us instead of Raphtalia!"
"Don't be ridiculous! I'm not taking part in another crazy plan like that!" Itsuki rebutted.
"It's not crazy if it works!"
Naofumi was about to say more when Filo rubbed against his cheek again. "It's okay, if Bow Uncle watches out for Filo, Filo won't mind."
"A-Are… are you sure sweetie?" Naofumi said worriedly. "If you're that afraid of being captured, then-"
"Filo would rather Daddy and Bow Uncle don't fight while Mommy needs help," Filo said maturely.
…
The fact that Filo had to say that made Naofumi feel low.
"And Bow Uncle has good aim," Filo added. "Filo's certain that Bow Uncle could take care of any bad guys if somebody tried to capture Filo."
Itsuki grinned as he gave a salute. Finally, he'd won an argument for once!
Naofumi glared at him, silently saying 'you let anything bad happen to my daughter and you'll get a taste of my Wrath.' "Ok, make sure you fly really high then. And, if you need to warn us of anything…" Naofumi began to take a communication ofuda out of his pocket when he remembered that communication out of the city was blocked.
Damn. That would have been convenient.
Wait, did it only block communication out of the city? They still had to be able to send orders to their officers, after all.
He pulled out his ofuda for Kizuna and sent her a quick message. The ofuda at her side buzzed, and the Hunting Hero looked at it. "Why did you just send me a message?"
"Just checking to make sure this would work." Naofumi smiled in relief as he handed the original ofuda to Filo. "Use this to warn us if you notice anything. You should be able to use your magic power to make it work."
"So just like Fishing Auntie was doing earlier. Got it." With that, Filo took to the air.
The group steadily advanced forward again, keeping their voices low and quiet. As the walls became visible through the trees again, Naofumi grimaced as they found they were at a section of wall built on top of a natural mountain.
His communication ofuda buzzed in his pocket. Naofumi took it out to see that Filo had messaged him.
"Bad guys coming near your position daddy."
Naofumi warned the others, and just a few seconds later, Itsuki verified what Filo had said as well. Just a moment after they'd hidden, a patrol ran past and into another part of the forest.
Naofumi sent a message back to Filo. "Good job, sweetie."
A moment later, he received a smiley face as a reply.
Huh. He hadn't even known these things could do that. How Filo had a knack for figuring these things out without instruction was a mystery to him.
But it warmed his heart regardless.
"Ok, now that we're close, what exactly am I looking for?" Itsuki asked as they moved parallel to the wall in the forest. Part of his focus was on Filo high up in the sky.
"There's a hole in the wall that lets canal water flow out of the city," Kizuna replied. "It's a bit of a climb, but the falling water should hide us."
"A canal, huh. So if we keep going right till we come across a stream…" Naofumi muttered.
Itsuki kept watch for soldiers on the ground, and Filo watched for them from above. She didn't message them about finding any watchmen on the wall so far… which Naofumi found suspicious.
Just as they heard the sound of a stream, Itsuki suddenly warned everyone to hide behind trees.
It turned out to not be because of a patrol. And the reason Filo hadn't spotted them was that they weren't in the forest or on the wall.
Itsuki had spotted two people on watch standing on a wooden balcony built into the side of the mountain near the hole in the wall with the canal water flowing from it like a small waterfall. The two men looked down at their area right after the group had taken cover.
Itsuki waited with bated breath. Watching the two with his skill. Then, the two men straightened out and continued to look forward at the forest below.
"This place really does have a handle on its security," Itsuki grumbled. It put everything he'd seen from the Melromarc nobles to shame.
"Yeah, that was too close." Aksel shivered.
"We good Itsuki?" Kizuna asked.
"Yeah, I'm not sure for how long-" Itsuki began to reply.
Kizuna dashed across the open field. Before Itsuki could cry out, she'd already reached the wall and pressed herself against it. After a few seconds, she slid behind the falling waterfall, out of view of the guards patrolling the balcony up above.
Neither of the two had spotted her.
"... I guess we'll follow her lead then." Naofumi looked at Itsuki for confirmation.
Itsuki sighed. He focused on the two guards up above again. After a few seconds, he quickly gestured with his hand.
The rest of the group rushed to the wall. It was a wild dash getting behind the waterfall, but fortunately, they made it. Even Aksel, who almost tripped over his feet in his haste to stay out of sight.
"Alright, that's one step down. Now, how are we going to-" Itsuki turned to ask.
"Like this." Kizuna flicked her fishing pole expertly, and the line traveled all the way up to the large hole gushing water. Miraculously, the hook snagged on something, and when the Hunting Hero tested her weight on it, she was able to support herself easily.
"Okay. Who wants to climb first?" She asked happily.
Naofumi chuckled. "That thing really is useful. I'll go first."
"Fueh. I'll go too." Rishia said. She'd prefer not to be hooked and dragged up like a fish as she had back at the Shinto Shrine.
"Alright, one more… Maya." Kizuna pointed.
"Are you sure you can pull all three of us up?" The raccoon girl asked curiously.
"I could probably pull everyone up, to be honest. But that might make a lot of noise. Especially if I press the lovebirds against each other." Kizuna grinned madly.
Aksel blushed like crazy while Itsuki cocked his head in confusion.
Chris climbed onto Kizuna's head, and Naofumi held on to the small girl from behind while Maya and Rishia gripped her sides. Even with all their weight, the line didn't break. In fact, Kizuna reeled in her line and walked up the sheer cliffside, pulling the four of them up the side of the wall under the waterfall.
A moment later, they reached the water, and after a short plunge when they felt the weight of the canal trying to throw them back down, Kizuna easily pushed through until they were standing safely a dozen feet behind the edge of the waterfall.
"Wow. You are really strong. You and Aksel should do an arm-wrestling match sometime. I'd like to see who'd win." Maya complimented the small girl while wringing her tail of excess water.
"Well, if I'm being honest, it probably won't be your boyfriend," Kizuna whispered as she rubbed her face dry with a handkerchief, before snickering to herself. Maya giggled along with her.
"Oi, you going to grab those two clowns down there or not?" Naofumi asked impatiently.
"Pen!" Naofumi directed another glare at the penguin familiar, who glared back at him.
Kizuna saluted and made sure her hook was secure on the piece of debris it'd hooked on before climbing back down the side again. The three patiently waited, and a moment later, Kizuna reappeared, but with Aksel and Itsuki gripping to her tightly.
"Holy- she's so small! How is she so strong?!" Aksel asked.
"You should know by now that size means nothing when you've got hero stats to boost your ego." Kizuna winked at the knight.
"Man… I wish I was a hero." Aksel said lamely.
"Trust me. It's not all it's cracked up to be." Naofumi said dryly.
"Agreed." Itsuki spoke just as dryly.
"Aw, come on, you two! Don't be such sour grapes! Being a Hero is awesome!" Kizuna pouted.
"Meh, it has its perks, I guess." Naofumi shrugged.
They were a bit wet, but after a short walk, they reached a grate and were able to come out into the city proper.
What immediately became apparent was that Central City was a multi-layered city inside the walls. Each layer was filled with buildings, with those at the bottom being less glamorous than those at the top. But each layer had a wall of its own dividing the parts of the city as you went further up the mountain it was built on.
It was genius in terms of defense. Even if the enemy breached the outer walls, you could retreat to higher ground. And the enemy would have to break through yet another wall if they wanted to get to the defenders. To add to it, the bottom layer, which Naofumi and his group came out on, had the canal going through the bottom part of the city. The wall surrounding the next layer was at least half a mile to their right.
"Wait, the capital of Katana is Whiterun?" Itsuki asked out loud.
"What?" Naofumi looked at Itsuki confusedly.
The Bow Hero shook his head. "Nothing. Forget I said anything."
It reminded him of the city in that one game… if it'd been made to scale, and if the game had been made by Japanese developers. The Bow Hero was almost blown away just like he had been back in that one town. And the Citadel towering over the back of the city looked EPIC!
If not for the severity of their mission, he would have wanted to look all over just to see the ways this city reminded him of Japan. Or that other game he'd enjoyed that wasn't Dimension Wave.
They looked at the canal they were standing in. It would be a hassle for those trying to get over it. Adding an additional layer of defense to what would have been considered the least defendable part of the city should the front walls be breached.
It was all well and good, but when they climbed out of the canal… they saw nobody.
There was no one there. No guards. No civilians. Not even any animals.
Nothing.
"That's weird, you'd think we would have been able to blend into the crowds?" Kizuna pondered out loud.
Naofumi grimaced. "Itsuki, what do you see?"
"I see… there are people in some of the windows. But they look scared and agitated. I don't see any soldiers, at least, none that are nearby in any case."
Naofumi had a bad feeling in his gut. It was only made worse when Filo messaged him. "Daddy, Filo can't see you on the other side of the wall anymore."
He sent back a response. "We're inside the city now. We entered through the canal."
It took a moment, but then Naofumi received a response. "Ah, Filo sees Daddy now." There was a short pause before another message appeared on the ofuda. "There's a bunch of soldiers with weapons to Daddy's left."
Naofumi relayed the message to the rest of the group and they moved closer down a street to avoid detection. After a moment, the soldiers that Filo pointed out finally came within Itsuki's view. "She's right. If we continue down this street, we'll come out right behind a barricade. There's at least two dozen heavily armed soldiers standing in front of it."
"Wait, behind it? Shouldn't we be coming out in front of it?" Naofumi asked.
"I guess. The way they're armed is also strange. Some are holding restraining poles, and others are carrying large metal nets." Itsuki said after a few seconds.
"Are they trying to apprehend someone?" Naofumi narrowed his eyes.
"Pen!" Chris suddenly pointed away from the barricade at somewhere deeper in the lower section of the city.
"There must have been a prison break or something. They wouldn't be wasting their time using tools like that on Glass. Let's find her and the others and lead them to this exit." Kizuna suggested.
Naofumi didn't respond. Their group moved deeper into the city, eventually passing over one of the bridges over the canal.
They had to move carefully, as Itsuki spotted more barricades put up on his Eagle Eye Radar. Filo also messaged them from time to time. But just like the first one, they were all facing the walls of the lower district.
It really was like they were meant to keep something contained.
Or somebody. A group of somebodies.
Naofumi was slowly growing agitated. Despite Kizuna's assurance, he was not convinced that this wasn't related to their friends somehow.
Not with his luck.
And judging by what Itsuki said next, he wasn't convinced either.
"This is a bit weird for a prison break. Shouldn't there be guards patrolling the streets and looking for escapees in addition to all these blockades?" Itsuki brought up.
"But what else could it be? The only other event that was going on today that I know of is the Vassal Katana selection." Kizuna responded. "I really hope something bad didn't happen with that. It'd make this a million times harder than it has to be."
"Pen!" Chris kept on pointing ahead so far. So Glass had to be near.
"How much further do we have to go?" Naofumi asked.
"Pen! Pen!"
Urgh, that wasn't the best indicator. Though, maybe Raphtalia and Dou-Lon were close enough now that their Hero Service Seals could indicate where they were.
Naofumi pulled up his the Slave menu on his HUD. Dou-Lon's name blinked into existence on it.
YES! FINALLY! Now Naofumi could ping his seal to figure out how far away he was… and…
And… …
Where… where was Raphtalia's info… it… it was gone…
IT WAS ALL GONE!
"Naofumi?" Itsuki asked worriedly when he noticed his friend lagging behind him.
The Shield Hero fell to his knees.
The ofuda in Naofumi's hands buzzed once. Then twice. Then a third time.
"Naofumi, what's wrong?" Kizuna asked in a similar tone of concern as the Bow Hero at seeing Naofumi collapse.
The Shield Hero was in shock, however. And didn't respond.
'There's… there's no way… I never received a notification that the contract was broken!'
"Naofumi, come on, say something, what happened?" Kizuna asked him in a more worried tone.
"Naofumi?!" Itsuki shook the Shield Hero's shoulder to try and get his attention. "What happened!?"
…
"… Raphtalia… she's not registered as my slave anymore," Naofumi whispered.
…
The group tensed.
Naofumi's ofuda buzzed again. But Naofumi still didn't look at the new message from Filo.
"Itsuki, what does that mean?" Kizuna asked the Bow Hero.
"T… That means either somebody removed the slave seal from Raphtalia… or… or it could mean…"
Death.
…
Itsuki didn't finish the sentence out loud. But everyone there was thinking the same thing.
Naofumi's hands clenched against the ground. His entire body shook as grief and a host of other negative emotions clouded his vision.
After everything they'd gone through together… after all they'd shared with each other… was…
Was he really too late to save her?
"Daddy!" Filo's voice yelled overhead. "Monsters are about to-"
"Rowrr!"
It was while Naofumi was down that a roar sounded up above. Itsuki quickly turned in shock. "What- monsters!" Because of Naofumi, he hadn't been paying any attention to his skill!
Naofumi didn't respond. He barely registered it when said monster hit the ground right in front of him and with one strike, sent him flying through the side of a building.
He wasn't sure if it was the strike, the crash, or Filo in her human form shaking his shoulders while screaming in his face. But somehow, Naofumi was forced out of the spiraling cloud of grief consuming his mind to stare up at Filo.
"Daddy, please, get up!" Filo cried.
"F… Filo…"
"Filo was trying to warn Daddy, but Daddy wasn't answering! Please, get up Daddy!" Filo cried.
Yet, even though his daughter was crying, Naofumi could barely think.
"Naofumi- ack!"
"Stay back, Itsuki! You saw what it did to the Shield Hero! One hit from these could badly injure you!" Aksel's voice yelled.
"Yeah, and the same could happen to you, so don't you dare take a hit unless it's necessary!" Maya yelled at the tank knight.
"Got it!"
"Blood Flower Strike!" Kizuna's voice yelled. "Wow, these things must be really tough to be able to survive that! At least they bleed!"
"Eagle Piercing Shot!"
"Fuehhhhhh!"
"Pen!"
"Naofumi, hang on! We'll be with you as soon as we're done dealing with this mess!" Itsuki yelled.
It was strange, Naofumi couldn't see the battle going on on the other side of the wrecked building. But he couldn't really bring himself to care.
"Daddy! Please get up!" Filo cried.
If Raphtalia was dead then what was the point? Why had they come here in the first place?
This went beyond Filo being tortured. If coming here for revenge against Kyo had gotten the most important person in his life killed, then-
"Rowr!" A monster plowed through the wreckage of the building with a roar.
"Ahhhhhh!" Filo screamed in terror, yet she stood over her Daddy to protect him to the bitter end.
Seeing the white tiger flying towards his daughter, Naofumi's eyes suddenly snapped back into focus.
"Air Strike Shield!"
The skill shield appeared in front of the monster. Its head slammed against it, shattering it, but it staggered back in surprise.
"Daddy!" Filo yelled happily.
Naofumi's mind cleared a little bit. Even if Raphtalia was dead, he couldn't let their daughter die! He had to get her to safety first, then he could cry over his lot in life!
"Shield Prison!" The ball of chains appeared around the monster, trapping it.
"C-Come on! We need to get back to the others!" Naofumi forced himself to pick Filo up and look for a way back through the wreckage.
However, only two seconds after activating the skill, the monster broke free of it. Looking very pissed off as it lunged for Naofumi.
Naofumi was about to activate another skill shield, but the ofuda on his side glowed, and Raph-Chan popped back into existence. "RAFU!" The shikigami tackled the monster headfirst, and with a surprised "Rowrr!" it flew back into the debris of the building behind them.
"R-Raph-Chan?" Naofumi shuddered in relief. "Thank you-"
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan then jumped onto his shoulder and proceeded to slap Naofumi across the face repeatedly.
"O-Ow! What's that for?!" Naofumi yelled at the familiar.
"Rafu! Rafu Rafu Rafu!" Raph-Chan pointed in the same direction Chris had been indicating earlier.
"Daddy, little Sis is saying that Mommy's still alive!" Filo voiced happily.
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan nodded her head with determination.
"She's…" Naofumi's eyes, which had been in danger of clouding over again, cleared once more. "But… how? That doesn't make sense-" Naofumi began to say.
"Rowrr!" The same monster from before roared again. Compared to before, it looked super pissed off. Raph-Chan jumped off his shoulders as Naofumi set his shield, but this time, it ignored Naofumi and jumped straight for Raph-Chan instead.
The shikigami leaped to the side though, easily avoiding its attack.
The monster leaped again, but Naofumi grabbed it by the tail and tugged hard. "Rowrr!?" Its forward momentum completely halted and it faceplanted into the ground. Yet Naofumi felt like he was holding onto a train.
His mind clearing up some more, Naofumi finally noted the monster's characteristics.
Up close, the monster looked like a white tiger that was much bigger than he was. It had black stripes running along its back and black markings around its eyes and muzzle. Its teeth looked sharper than any blade. Its claws were just as sharp and had high stats to boot as its back paws raked Naofumi's stomach under his shield, drawing thin lines of blood from the Shield Hero in an attempt to break free.
White Tiger Clone: Lv: ?
Clone? Whatever. This thing was clearly strong and Naofumi didn't have the time to think about it now.
Naofumi pushed it away and debated his options when Raph-Chan jumped onto the back of the monster's neck and pressed her paws against its head. "Rafu!"
"Rowrr!?" The monster's eyes became unfocused. It bounded in another direction, crashing into another building and dropping debris on itself.
"Raph-Chan?!" Naofumi cried out in worry.
However, the shikigami jumped clear just before the impact. "Rafu!" Waving a paw at Naofumi in the gesture of 'follow me', Raph-Chan raced down the street in the direction she sensed Raphtalia to be in.
"Wait, Raph-Chan!" Naofumi raced after her, but she was fast! He'd never known she could move around so quickly before!
"Filo, keep an eye on her for me!" Naofumi ordered.
"Got it, Daddy!" Filo flew on ahead, managing to catch up to the shikigami just before it rounded a corner.
The sounds of battle grew distant as Naofumi gave chase.
He should have been worried as he had no meaningful backup with him whatsoever. But he was far from acting rationally right now.
Only the hope Raph-Chan had given him that Raphtalia was somehow still alive despite the loss of her crest was keeping him going. His mind burned with a million questions. Like how had her crest been removed when its magic originated from another world? How had he not gotten a notification that the contract had been broken? Was it because he'd been too far away from her when that happened?
Did that mean she was captured?! Was she being taken towards the exit of the city right now, and-
Just as he rounded another corner, a voice yelled at him. "You! You're that &^%*&^% with the shield!"
The Shield Hero paused.
He'd lost track of Filo and Raph-Chan while going over his thoughts. Standing in front of him now was a boy in samurai armor, worn over a school uniform. He was surrounded by his harem, as well as a few of the White Tiger Clones.
"Hah! So you've come to steal my weapon too, huh?! Too bad! I'm going to finish what I started in Mikikage and kill you myself!" The boy smirked in his direction.
Naofumi's eyes narrowed.
"Any sign of them?!"
"No sir! Nothing in this quarter!"
"Keep searching! We can't let them steal the Vassal Weapon!"
Outside the room they were hiding in, L'Arc heard the sounds of soldiers running down the street. When he glanced out, all the crowds he'd seen earlier were gone. Not a trace of them was left.
"It looks like they imposed martial law out there." The Scythe Hero grunted to himself.
"On a scale of one to ten, how bad is that in our situation?" Dou-Lon asked hesitantly.
"Heh. I'd rate it as a twelve, at least." L'Arc laughed bitterly and sat back against the wall of the room they were in.
It was a simple place. A second-story room that gave them a good view of people down on the street. They'd just barely managed to escape here after the chaos of the crowd. The room didn't have much in the way of furniture, besides a few drawers on one wall.
It turned out that having all those people around them earlier had worked to their advantage. L'Arc and his group were able to escape since the soldiers had to push all the civilians out of the way.
Though, now, there was definitely no chance of them escaping via the hourglass. In fact, there was little chance they'd even be able to escape the city.
"Kenshiro, you just had to give the kiddo your blade, didn't you?" L'Arc sighed loudly.
"You and I both know he didn't just give it to her," Glass spoke out from her spot next to the wall. "While I don't know why he was there, the weapon would have still had to choose Raphtalia."
"Yeah yeah, I know. But I still want to blame him for old time's sake." L'Arc grunted.
Dou-Lon took over at the window to keep watch, and L'Arc sat down next to Glass and Therese. Raphtalia sat away from them, clutching the hilt of the katana with a conflicted look on her face.
It was silent for a moment. With all of them pondering how they were going to get out of this situation.
"I… I'm sorry." Raphtalia spoke quietly. "If… if only I hadn't been here and-"
"You're not at fault at all, Raphtalia," L'Arc said to her. He had an oddly serious look on his face.
"Yes. And I must say, that weapon appears to like you a lot," Glass spoke calmly while looking over her fans.
"H-How can you tell how a weapon is feeling?" Dou-Lon asked in confusion. "This isn't the first time you're speaking of it. But I don't believe Sir Naofumi has ever mentioned his weapon talking to him or anything like that."
"I do not know if it is a difference between Cardinal Weapons and Vassal Weapons. Or if it's a difference between our worlds." Glass shook her head. "Nevertheless, our weapons speak to us from time to time. And we try to listen when they speak."
Raphtalia didn't say anything, merely continuing to grip the blade in her hands tighter. Since they had no matching sheath at hand, the blade was currently wrapped in a few strips of loose fabric so that Raphtalia wouldn't accidentally cut herself while carrying it.
"And whether you hear it or not, Raphtalia. Your weapon has acknowledged your talent as the real deal. Even if your level isn't as high as it was before… You have the strength to fight alongside me and the others as a Hero." Glass complimented the tanuki girl.
Raphtalia still didn't acknowledge the spirit woman's kind words. She could only continue to grip the weapon in her hands. Because, as she'd learned soon after she'd gotten it, she couldn't remove the weapon from her body.
Not now. Not ever again. Because she was now the Hero of the Katana.
Something she hadn't ever wanted in the first place.
She'd been fine with being Naofumi's sword. She'd been fine with helping the Shield Hero save her world. While things hadn't always been perfect, she'd vowed to be by his side forever.
How could she do that when she was a Hero? How could she be chosen as a Hero? When she was… she was…
…
"Um, what are those?" Dou-Lon suddenly paled as he pointed outside.
Therese went up to the window this time. When she looked outside, a frown settled on her face. "Damn. Katana is bringing out their big guns."
"Rowrr!" "Rowrr."
Patrolling outside, on the ground, or on the roofs of various buildings were large, white tigers. Dou-Lon felt a strange sense of kinship with them. Even though they were clearly the enemy.
"If I were to guess. They're replicas of "Byakko"." Therese elaborated on her previous statement.
"Byakko?" Dou-Lon asked.
"One of the four Guardian Beasts of our world." Therese continued. "I believe the equivalent in your world was called "Kirin". Our world's guardian beasts have been dead for some time. But some countries were experimenting trying to produce replicas of them."
Judging by the amount they saw prowling around outside, it appeared that at least Katana had succeeded in that endeavor.
L'Arc moved to the window then. When he saw them, he nodded his head as he grimaced. "Yeah, I can tell. They're powerful alright. Not as powerful as the original, obviously, but you definitely don't want to face a pack of them on your own. You'll be nothing but bones if that happened."
Dou-Lon continued to stare at them. It was so odd. They were monsters… yet he felt drawn to them.
He was a white tiger demi-human. The hakuko race was named so because of that. Yet white tigers as a monster didn't exist in his world.
It was so strange, and it brought up all sorts of conflicting feelings in the hakuko.
L'Arc finally closed the window. "We should continue to lay low. I get the feeling they're the reason why martial law has been imposed on the city."
"You think they'd actually attack civilians?" Therese asked worriedly.
"They'd definitely attack us. That's for sure." L'Arc grimaced before he started to whine. "It's no fair! It's not like we're in the wrong here! Why do they have to be such idiots about this and-"
A moment later, L'Arc had a fresh bump on his head thanks to Therese karate chopping him. "Please, calm down." She said.
L'Arc pouted, and then, Dou-Lon moved to sit on the floor. He crossed his legs and began to meditate.
…
Soon after that, Glass and L'Arc silently joined the hakuko on the floor. Sitting in the center of the room. They rested their weapons in their laps and began to calmly meditate while waiting, hoping for the noise outside to die down as they thought of a plan to get out of their situation.
"L'Arc…" Therese trembled for a little bit, but upon seeing Raphtalia staring at her, she forced herself to still and smiled at her.
But Raphtalia didn't smile back as she spoke. "It must be really bad for us now if L'Arc isn't causing trouble…"
"I can still hear you, you know," L'Arc said out the side of his mouth. But he didn't break from his position.
"It's nothing we need to be concerned with," Therese spoke soothingly to try and allay the half-tanuki's fears. "L'Arc is just getting himself into the battle mindset… hopefully."
L'Arc rolled his eyes but didn't respond. Glass said nothing, but she too mirrored L'Arc and Dou-Lon. Crossing her legs and holding her fans in her hands. Emptying her mind to prepare for the coming battle they were going to have to get out of there alive.
Yet, Raphtalia couldn't bring herself to join them. Her hand moved to her chest, pulling the fabric of her kimono on top away so she could look at where the slave crest… Hero Service Seal… whatever they'd labeled it as was.
It wasn't like it'd ever been more than an over-glorified tattoo. Besides that time Naofumi used it to help her figure out the monsters' illusion trick. If anything, it'd largely been out of sight and out of mind for her except for the times when she'd stare at it in the mirror. The symbol of her loyalty, and a visible outward expression of her love and trust in Naofumi.
But her skin was clear of the ink now. The symbol of her utmost trust in her companion was gone.
It felt like she'd lost an essential part of herself. Like she'd lost something very very important that'd connected their lives together.
…
"Raphtalia, are you doing ok?" Therese sat down next to her.
"No, not really," Raphtalia admitted. She looked scared, but not because everyone in the country was hunting her down.
No, she was scared because she'd lost an important connection to Naofumi. She'd lost one of the key things that bound them together. She-
"Do you remember what I told you in that bikini shop in Cal Mira?" Therese asked, interrupting the half-tanuki's thought process.
"Eh?" Raphtalia was confused at the Gem Girl's question. "When you explained to me what sex was?"
"No, before that." Therese giggled to herself. How she was able to laugh with how bad their situation was, Raphtalia didn't know. But she was smiling regardless. "Remember how I mentioned how the two of you were always watching each other's backs. How you reacted around each other. How you cared for one another in a way that was obvious to others like me."
"Do you really think a simple tattoo would change all of that?" Therese asked.
…
The death grip Raphtalia had on the katana lessened somewhat. "No, I… I don't love him any less than before."
"That'll be the same for him." Therese encouraged. "Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if he showed up any moment now to help us. I get the feeling that as stubborn as he is, he'd go to stupid lengths to rescue you from trouble."
"I remember you and the girls explaining those tattoos before. With that gone, he'll notice. Meaning he'll do whatever it takes to find you." Therese smiled widely in reassurance.
"It… It does sound like him." Raphtalia muttered.
…
She paused for a moment before speaking again, her voice shaking.
"Therese… I was so worried about him before, that I did stupid things. I wasn't paying as much attention to what was happening around me. I started to hang out less with my other friends. When… when he had a panic attack in the middle of a battle, I only focused on him. I didn't try to help anyone in my village, and… people died because of that. Even though the monsters weren't strong enough to hurt him, I couldn't leave him, and I watched as…
...
"… I… I just don't understand why the Katana would choose me after all that I've done."
…
She looked down at the Vassal Weapon. Strange, she could feel a soft hum from it. As if it was comforting her.
"We're not exactly without fault here either, you know," L'Arc said wistfully. "We've made plenty of mistakes that cost the lives of those we care about."
"Your world wasn't the first one we fought Heroes on…" Glass trailed off, looking conflicted with herself for a moment.
Then, she sighed.
"I have Hero blood on my hands." She admitted. "And knowing my actions didn't save my world, and put theirs in greater peril..."
…
"Believe us when we say, if we could turn back time, we would do so, gladly." L'Arc stood up, his scythe at the ready. "Whether to stop ourselves from killing other Heroes on other worlds. Or saving Kenshiro's life in that wave. Or his family on the day when the Demon Dragon's forces ambushed them. Hell, if there's anything I would have done, I would have tried harder to find Kizuna. I would have made sure she got back safely from that voyage instead of disappearing."
Glass looked up at L'Arc. A sad look was in her eyes, but she nodded her head in agreement. "Just because we're Heroes, it doesn't mean that we don't make mistakes. It doesn't mean that we were perfect before we were ever chosen for the role or that we're even perfect after we're chosen." L'Arc sounded unnaturally wise as he spoke, but then again, he was speaking from experience. Cold, hard, needed experience. The main building block that wisdom was built upon.
"I believe that our weapons chose us not because of our flaws. But because we hold the potential to overcome them and become worthy of the title of 'Hero'. We have the potential to make a difference in the lives of others. In the life of our world. In the lives of the Heroes we serve."
"Even if we can't see it, our weapons see it. So we can only trust that they were right in choosing us and accept whatever comes because of it... But, that's just what I think anyway."
…
Therese walked up to L'Arc and hugged him, much to his surprise. "Thank you. That was well-spoken." It was a genuine compliment.
L'Arc blushed in embarrassment, but he took the chance to hug the Gem Girl back. A dopey smile resting on his face.
Glass rolled her eyes, and Dou-Lon chuckled. Both of them had small smiles on their faces too.
Raphtalia finally let go of the blade itself, holding it by the hilt. That humming feeling she'd gotten from it before seemed louder than before.
She… she hadn't been chosen because of her mistakes… she'd been chosen because she could overcome them?
…
'Become the sword you always strove to be. The one that will save everyone in our worlds.'
Kenshiro's words echoed in her mind again.
She still felt scared and uncertain. But, then again, Naofumi had been scared and uncertain in the beginning too…
Different circumstances, yes, but now, like Naofumi, like Ren and Itsuki and Motoyasu, she felt the weight of responsibility they carried. The responsibility to defend their world from disasters and calamities.
No, her world and this world.
The Katana had chosen her to protect them both.
'I'll… I'll do my best then.' Raphtalia thought to the blade.
The humming from it sounded pleased. It was weird to the half-tanuki. Did Naofumi have to deal with this from his shield? She'd never gotten that feeling before at least.
Whatever the case, Raphtalia finally stood up. Having made up her mind. "Alright, what do we have to do to get out of here-"
As she spoke, the wood next to her burst apart. Her head turned to the side as if in slow motion as a White Tiger Clone burst into the room. Its eyes glowed red and its jaws dripped drool as it came to land on the floor.
However, it did not catch them by surprise. Just as its feet touched the ground, Glass's fans were already glowing. And she had one positioned over the other to unleash one of her signature moves. "Tortoise Shell Cracker!"
The purple beam of energy tore through the beast's large bulky right shoulder. As the creature reeled in pain, L'Arc immediately followed up with an overhead swing. "Full Moon Army!" The enlarged scythe came down right through the center of its back, and the beast howled as it was pinned to the ground.
Raphtalia's menu flashed, and she noticed then how her HUD was different. She had new options that hadn't been there before. A menu that was a list of her katana's weapon forms, as well as a menu below her spell menu containing a list of skills her weapon could use. That menu was flashing, and she opened it to find her weapon had a few skills she could already use.
She didn't know how she already had them nor did she check to see how to use them. She'd fought alongside Naofumi and the other Heroes for long enough to understand what to do.
"Crescent Moon Sword!" A flash of light left the katana similar to one of her spells. It looked like a crescent moon, and when it impacted against the white tiger's side, it split it open and did a lot more damage than her light spell.
Her new SP bar dropped a little bit. But Raphtalia barely noticed as she marveled at the feeling she got from wielding her new weapon. Never before had she felt this much in sync with a blade while fighting.
"My name is Therese Alexandrite!" Therese's hair and gem turned crimson. "My friends, be the fire that burns my target away! Bejeweled Ruby Blaze!"
The Gem Girl's fire spell engulfed L'Arc and the monster. But L'Arc remained unharmed.
The same could not be said for the beast. With one last groan, its heavy bulk collapsed to the floor.
"Is… is it dead?" Dou-Lon asked. "I didn't get any exp from that."
"That would be because we have three vassals in the room now instead of two." Glass nodded to L'Arc and Raphtalia. "Well done there."
L'Arc pulled his weapon from the beast. With one giant heave, he absorbed the entire carcass into his weapon's gemstone. "I'd love to soak in the compliments and all that Glassy. But right now, our position is exposed. And I bet every single one of those bastards is coming this way right now." L'Arc grinned as his scythe shrunk back to normal size. It seemed he was in the mood for battle now.
In fact, all of them were.
"You're right. It appears the time for hiding is over." Glass nodded. "We have another strong ally by our side now. Let us fight till we cannot fight anymore."
They all stood up. "Dou-Lon, think you'll be able to keep up with the rest of us?" L'Arc asked over his shoulder.
"Of course! I'll show just how much I've improved from Glass's training!" Dou-Lon roared as he brandished his blade.
Raphtalia smiled a little. It still felt weird. But… perhaps she could do this after all.
They were about to jump out the hole onto the street when something else jumped in instead.
"Rafu!"
"What- what the heck is that thing?!" L'Arc asked in surprise.
"It looks like… Miss Raphtalia?" Therese said unsurely.
"Shikigami?" Glass muttered curiously. Out of everyone there, she recognized it immediately.
"What's a shigawami?" Dou-Lon asked in confusion.
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan jumped into Raphtalia's arms. She looked up at her with a very happy and excited look on her face. As if saying 'There you are! I really missed you a whole lot!'
"Wah! What's with this thing?!" Raphtalia asked in surprise.
"Mommy! Mommy!" And then to make things even weirder, Filo flew in after the shikigami. Well, it was definitely Filo's voice. But she didn't recognize her new form. And Raphtalia's eyes widened at seeing Filo flying around.
"F-Filo!?" Raphtalia's jaw hung open in shock. "Is that really you-"
"Rafu! Rafu Rafu Rafu!"
"There's no time Mommy! Daddy's here with Bow Uncle, Fishing Auntie, and friends! But they're in trouble and Daddy got separated from the rest!" Filo translated for Raph-Chan.
"Shield Kiddo's here?!" L'Arc yelled in surprise.
"Master Craftsman." Therese corrected. As L'Arc pouted, she smiled in Raphtalia's direction. She'd been right that Naofumi would go to any lengths to track them down.
Including making a shikigami to help with that.
"Rafu!"
"They're being attacked by the monsters outside! Daddy and the others need help!" Filo finished.
"Raphtalia. That shikigami should be able to lead you and Dou-Lon to Naofumi." Glass suddenly spoke. Something about what Filo had said there… "Miss Filo, can you lead the rest of us to where you last saw Itsuki and this Fishing Auntie you mentioned?"
Filo nodded her head. "Let's hurry then! We must assist them!" Glass said quickly.
L'Arc and Therese really wanted to ask what was suddenly driving Glass now. It was like every ounce of exhaustion she'd been suffering since the Regression Prison had disappeared. Replaced by a frantic look of hope and desperation.
But with time being an issue, the two groups divided. With one following Filo over the roofs of homes. The other followed Raph-Chan as she bounded towards where Naofumi was currently at.
...
The boy continued to smirk.
Naofumi's eyes stayed narrowed at him.
A few seconds passed. With neither side saying anything to the other.
…
"I'm sorry, who are you again?" Naofumi suddenly asked.
"... what?" The boy's smirk slowly fell from his face.
The guy seemed familiar. He looked a bit like Naofumi but reminded the Shield Hero of some discount shonen protagonist. One that was easily forgettable and unimportant in the grand scheme of things.
"I feel like I've seen you somewhere before. But I can't recall where." Naofumi said, scratching his chin in thought.
"You mean… YOU'VE ALREADY FORGOTTEN WHAT YOU DID TO ME!?" The boy screamed in rage.
Naofumi tilted his head in confusion. The harem of girls beside the Manga Guy was also seething.
"How could anyone possibly forget the greatest wizard of all time!" The girl at the lead with her hair tied in a ponytail shouted. "The genius who shall push our country to be the powerhouse of the world! The inventor of the Return Transcript scroll! The great Lord-"
As she spoke the guy's name, a loud breeze blew down the street.
Naofumi didn't hear whatever the dude's name was because of it.
Strange. That seemed familiar for some reason.
"Yeah, and?" Naofumi asked.
"What do you mean and?!" A different girl yelled angrily. Naofumi wasn't even bothering to go over their physical descriptions. They all seemed to behave the same anyway.
Man, how annoying. "I don't really care who you all are. I'm here on business, and I'd prefer not to be interrupted by a dumb sideshow." Naofumi turned around and began to casually walk down the street away from them, even going as far as putting his hands in his pockets.
"Hey, get back here!"
"You can't just walk away from us!"
"Show the great Lord-" This time, a distant sound of an explosion, drowned out the name. "- some respect!"
Naofumi simply rolled his eyes. Where the heck had Raph-Chan gone? Did she really have to leave him high and dry?
He then had the thought of using Dou-Lon's slave seal to find where he and Raphtalia were at. But as he raised a finger to his screen to activate it, a wave of heat went over his shoulder, impacting the house in front of him.
Boom!
Screams came from inside as the people who'd been forced to hide in there earlier ran out to escape the rapidly spreading flames. They then ran down the sides of the street to find some other safe haven where they wouldn't be in the crossfire of what was suddenly a very big mess.
Naofumi slowly turned to face the group again. Manga Guy had a very evil grin on his face. "Still feeling like ignoring me? You &^#$$%^ shielder!"
The tone of his voice…
"Oh, yes, I remember now," Naofumi said dryly. "You're that mid-boss I nicknamed Trash."
The teen's grin transformed into a snarl. "I am not a mid-boss, and my name is not Trash! My name is-"
"I honestly couldn't care less about what your name is." Naofumi interrupted. "You're not the reason I'm here. And if you continue to bother me, I'm going to get pissed off."
"So you admit it! You're here to steal my katana for yourself, huh?!" Trash grinned wickedly. "Too bad! That weapon is mine!"
…
"Katana? That piece of trash your country holds?" Naofumi narrowed his eyes. "Don't kid yourself. The sword I'm searching for is far better than some stupid vassal weapon."
Trash sent another beam of energy at Naofumi. The Shield Hero turned and took the hit on his shield. His hands felt warm behind it, but when the attack was over, he was still standing.
Seriously? Was this guy really going to try and waste his time?
Naofumi then smirked. "How is your blade by the way? Did you repair it since last time? It'd be a shame if you did because you'll just break it on me all over again."
Trash scowled. "I am not going to be provoked by some Sickle dog! When I'm done with you, I'll kill the rest of your allies too!"
Naofumi frowned. "What the hell are you talking about-?"
"DIE!" Trash thrust the palm of his hand forward, and another beam of light came from above him straight at Naofumi. This beam was wider and thicker than the last ones.
The Shield Hero's eyes widened as he finally realized something.
Trash hadn't uttered an incantation there whatsoever!
"Air Strike Shield!" The Shield skill appeared in front of Naofumi, blocking the magic attack. But it cracked under the strain.
Trash then launched another large fireball, breaking Naofumi's skill shield to pieces.
Again, there'd been no incantation.
Perhaps being so fixated on reaching Raphtalia had been a mistake.
Naofumi still managed to reflect the magic attack with some precise motions of his shield. The fireball went directly towards Trash on the first try. But one of the White Tiger Clones jumped in front of it, tanking the hit for its scum master.
Trash grinned widely. "I'm not falling for that same trick twice! Girls! Do it!"
Naofumi thought they were going to charge like before, but instead, they began chanting magic around Trash. And buff spells began to layer themselves on him.
Oh, crap, it was the same thing that'd happened before at the hourglass. Only, Naofumi didn't have a quick escape route this time.
"Ahahahaha! Die, scum!" A multitude of fireballs launched from Trash all around Naofumi. Unlike before, he wouldn't have time to reflect these back.
"Meteor Shield! Second Shield! Dritte Shield!" Naofumi layered the two skills in front of his Meteor Shield. Fortunately, the smaller fireballs weren't as powerful as the big ones despite being buffed. And it took them more than a few seconds to break through his first layer of defense, keeping him safe.
However, to Naofumi's shock and horror, many of the fireballs went off target. Hitting houses and buildings all around the street they were on. More screams sounded inside as the people were forced to flee in terror or burn alive.
Some, however, got trapped by debris.
One of the White Tiger Clones bounded onto a trapped individual. Tearing into the Katana citizen as if he was a fresh steak.
Naofumi's eyes clouded in horror. "What the &^%$ are you doing!?"
"What? The serfs? Pfft." Trash shrugged as he grinned. "Do you actually care about these pests? They'll just breed more of themselves later."
Another wave of fireballs destroyed Naofumi's Meteor Shield. He raised his own shield to block the remainder and somehow did so.
But Trash was already smirking as he sent another volley.
Naofumi was pissed. Trash had learned from their last battle. He wasn't sending anything Naofumi's way that he could reflect back. At least, anything he could reflect without taking a hit himself. And those White Tiger Clones…
Naofumi definitely couldn't stand against them. At least, not by himself. If he were to somehow turn the tables on Trash, he'd have to deal with those monsters too.
"Shield Prison!" Naofumi surrounded himself with the ball of plates and chains, protecting against the attack. But it didn't stop Trash from destroying more of the surrounding area.
&^%$. If it'd been one on one, he might have a chance. But against those girls and monsters, he was toast.
But, if he ran, Trash would only destroy other homes. More innocent people would get dragged into this.
URGHHHHHHHHH!
The Shield Prison shattered, and Trash sent another volley of chantless fireballs at the Shield Hero.
Damn it! Naofumi raised his shield and prepared to call out another skill to defend against the fireball barrage. Debating on his options for defending everyone there by himself.
"Instant Blade: Mist!"
Suddenly, every single fireball in front of Naofumi was sliced apart almost simultaneously and burst into waves of mist.
"Eeep!" Trash suddenly jumped back with a girly scream at the appearance of the mystery attack to the confusion of his harem and tiger clones.
Naofumi blinked his eyes. Who… who'd done…
…
A figure stood in front of him, surrounded by the mist she'd created. She was dressed in a white and red Miko outfit. Her hands gripped a katana with a green gemstone in its pommel. The gemstone was the same color as Naofumi's eyes.
But what drew Naofumi's attention was the back of her head. Her hood was down, revealing very familiar hair braids and animal ears. The mist gave her a true Otherworldly aura. Like a figure from a fairy tale coming to life before his eyes.
"Don't worry, Naofumi," Raphtalia spoke, still facing Trash and his compatriots.
"Your loyal sword… has returned!"
…
"Ra… Raphtalia?" Naofumi choked out.
…
Naofumi's hands gripped his shield tightly. He looked down at the ground in front of him as a sob racked his chest.
"Y-You couldn't have gotten here sooner?!" Even though he said that. He was smiling wider than he ever had before. Tears of relief fell down the sides of his face as a block of ice in his chest slowly melted.
Raphtalia smiled in return.
Everything was right in the world now.
Whatever happened next, the two of them were going to be ok.
Because they'd found each other again.
Author's Notes:
Ah, yes. What a good spot to end a chapter on. I shall look forward to these coming weeks with relish.
The anime has redeemed itself somewhat in my eyes. I shall only be satisfied though when Kadokawa starts selling Raph-Chan plushies. Please, Kadokawa, do that for me as soon as possible!
Hero Clips!
My Name Is... ?
"Greetings, I am the greatest wizard in my world! The user that mastered chantless magic thanks to my gift from the gods and the creator of the Return Transcript Scroll! As well as some research on the side that I'm not allowed to disclose presently.
"But anyway, I am the one, the only, the mighty, the fearsome, the terrible, Lord-"
Boom…
The sound of nearby thunder drowned out the guy's name.
…
"Hmmm?" Naofumi and his group tilted their heads to the side curiously.
"Ahem!" Trash coughed into his arm. "I said my name is-"
Pbbthhththththththththththththththththththththththththth!
One of the nearby Tiger Clones farted very loudly. And the fart had a very strange reverb effect that drew it out wayyyyyy longer than necessary.
Dou-Lon, who'd been standing nearby, put a hand to his nose as he slowly moved away from the creature.
"I'm sorry, what was that?!" Kizuna asked loudly.
"... As I was saying, my name is-!" Trash started to say in a more annoyed tone.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
A nearby bulldozer beeped loudly as it moved in reverse away from a destroyed building it'd just finished clearing up. "Alright, move it move it! We need to get the next set ready for the boring climax against this cardboard cutout villain peeps! I don't have all week!" Allen yelled as he walked by with a construction hat on his head to direct the construction crew working in the area.
"You &^%$ing &^%$s!" Trash screamed. "I'm not a cardboard cutout! And I have a name! It's-"
Crunch! Crunch!
Trash's eyes widened and then began to visibly twitch as Kizuna loudly snacked on a bag of chips. "Mmmm… oh, am I interrupting?" She asked curiously.
"Where'd you get those chips from?" Itsuki asked curiously.
"At the general store, duh." Kizuna rolled her eyes as she threw another one into her mouth.
"Oh! Can I try one!?" Rishia asked happily.
"Sure, there's plenty to share!" Kizuna held out the bag to the girl.
Rishia threw a chip into her mouth, and her form relaxed as the goodness of potato chips made her taste buds sing for joy.
Itsuki subtly made a note to himself to stock up on potato chips while in this world since Rishia liked them so much. Not that he was willing to admit that out loud for obvious reasons.
"OI! I'M TRYING TO SAY THAT MY NAME IS-"
YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
A loud voice from a performer at a nearby Kabuki theater came down the street, followed by shamisen and drum music that drew everyone's attention.
It was so loud that even though Trash screamed at the top of his lungs, nobody heard his name.
"REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Trash then fell to the ground, rolling around while screaming in frustration at the world and everything in it.
"Geez, this guy's such a drama queen. What was his name again?" Kizuna asked curiously.
"Eh, let's just call him Trash." Naofumi shrugged as he tried a potato chip for himself.
Hmmm, not bad. A little salty, but not bad. Maybe he could find a way to reproduce these with the bio-plants to make money? Ren had said that potatoes had been among the things that grew from them, after all.
And thus, our Heroes continued on, never learning the name of the midboss Trash.
Who, in all honesty, was merely a shoe holder for when Kyo made his grand return in the next arc. So it wasn't like he was important anyway, lol.
"I AM NOT A SHOEHOLDER! AND THE ANIME THOUGHT I WAS IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO GIVE ME A NAME! IT'S-"
The loud breeze from before blew Trash into a nearby dumpster before a breeze from the other direction closed the heavy dumpster lid over his head.
Thanks, Breeze-Kun. That guy was getting annoying.
May his smackdown be as glorious as Raph-Chan herself.
Till Next Time
Allen