Virtue of the Shield Hero

by Allen Blaster

According to Newton's Third Law, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Unfortunately, Naofumi and co will find this to be especially true after returning from their Otherworld trip. Rest of Summary inside. The third installment is here. Multiple pairings. Covers Season Three Territory and beyond. Arc 10: Chapters Thirteen: Part One: Death Match

132. 68: Lazuli Conference

Since I was asked, the other three Heroes are based on types of otaku in different genres. I think after this chapter you all should be able to guess what genres they come from.

They're not based on any characters specifically. I have no images to base them off of. I'm sorry about that.

Also, the visual art released for Season Three is awesome. I think it's the first official image we've seen of younger Aultcray and the Vassal Staff in general.

---

Chapter Sixty-Eight: Lazuli Conference

---

- ENTRY #3 -

It took no more than two days for my life to come crashing down.

You'd think that my parents would ████████████ after my graduation from ████████████ with the highest ████████████ history, along with countless ████████████ of recognition to my name.

However, I never learned if that was the case. They'd ████████████ before I got home.

As shocking as that was, I didn't ████████████. I was just left with an empty feeling of ████████████ if I'd finally done something to ████████████ their ████████████ or not. A mere afterthought in the &^%$storm that occurred soon after.

████████████ needed to be arranged. And then came the other members of the family who I never saw growing up. Those who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, wanting ████████████ of what my parents had ████████████ as if they were entitled to it.

How funny it was when they learned that my parents had nothing to their names. Not even ████████████ was theirs anymore. Without my knowledge, they'd put themselves deeply into debt to fund ████████████. And they'd taken their loans ████████████ that were less than credible.

I still laugh when I remember the looks on my relative's faces when the ████████████ showed up, demanding payment. That got them out ████████████ real quick. None of them bothered to give me even a single ████████████ to help me out as they walked out the door, leaving me alone with those savages.

It was only because I was quick on my feet that they didn't ████████████ then. Instead, my parent's debt was thrust upon me. They were… generous, enough, to give me a couple of weeks to find a job before they'd start hiking up the already high interest rates for when I couldn't pay. That time was purchased by everything in ████████████ being taken. And finally, by me being thrown out of my home with nothing more than the shirt on my back and a ████████████, being forced to live in a ████████████.

Most people would find this situation sad, but it was the norm in ████████████. And to be honest, I just found their ████████████ while I was searching for a job annoying at best. I had to put my ████████████ to good use, after all. And I didn't have time to waste with these mud scrapers.

Only, as it turns out, it's much harder to find a job in ████████████ than one would realize when one has no ████████████ and only a few days to get the money flowing. That was how long it took for those sick &^%$s to get impatient, and to threaten me with death if I didn't pay them what they were owed.

With my education, I could have easily been ████████████ for a ████████████, or a ████████████ in a ████████████. I could have been ████████████ and ████████████ no one else had ever come up with. If I'd only been given the time to look. If I'd only been given the time to ████████████.

*There is a large blank space on the page here*

Heh. I ended up in mindless ████████████, just like many of my peers from school. All my ████████████ were for naught. From that point on, I was just another ████████████, struggling to make ends meet while paying off the debt I was saddled with by my parents.

Life was a ████████████ from that point on.

---

"S-Sorry we're late." The guy with the ofuda box spoke out awkwardly.

"You already apologized for that!" A voice yelled impatiently from amongst the delegates.

"Seriously, they're here too?" Another representative grumbled.

These three were the other Cardinal Heroes of this world. And before the meeting could even begin, they were already receiving annoyed and disappointed looks. Their reputation was not particularly positive outside of Lapis, it seemed.

"In my defense, I was here early, but then-" The guy with the mace began to say loudly.

"And then you hit on the wrong girl, and she buried your head into the ground, again." The girl with the jewel on her wrist rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Honestly, you are such a pig."

'That's happened to him before?' Itsuki couldn't help but wonder.

"Ah come on Akane! You weren't there!" The tan boy pouted. "If you'd seen the gracious form of the Hunting Tools Hero, you would have been overcome with lust too!"

"Really? You think I'm hot?!" Kizuna perked up excitedly as she stood up in her seat.

Other delegates stared distastefully at their group again. The fact that Kizuna didn't break character at all was rather impressive given the circumstances.

…

"... umm, who are you?" The guy asked confusedly.

"I'm the Hunting Tools Hero! Name's Kizuna! Nice to meet ya!" Kizuna held her hand out excitedly.

…

"But, you're a… a…" The guy's words died on his lips as he saw the looming figure behind Kizuna.

It was like staring into the abyss of death. And that abyss had red eyes.

It was also familiar. Had he seen her somewhere before?

Right, that was the hot Amazon-looking girl he'd tried to flirt with earlier, but if she wasn't the Hunting Tools Hero…

The guy's stupid brain finally seemed to remember something.

She was a hero alright. But she was the Hero of the Fans. He'd met her a long time ago and she hadn't grown any less attractive, or any less terrifying since then.

"What? I'm a kid. Is that what you're going to say?" Kizuna asked with an offended look on her face. "I'm 18 you know!"

"Uh… actually… that would make you a lolibaba then…" He whispered at the end.

The abyss of death deepened in color. The Hunting Tools Hero and the Fan Hero together looked like demons that sought to rend the flesh from his bones.

"C-Come on, D-Daitan. Let's go s-sit down already." The nervous guy suggested.

"R-Right, Hoshi," Daitan responded, forcing himself to look away from his impending doom.

"S-Sorry. S-So s-sorry."

As they moved to sit down, Glass calmed down enough to quietly explain to Itsuki which Hero was which. Itsuki also studied them while the delegates chatted amongst themselves while looking at the other Cardinal Heroes with either looks of surprise or dislike.

The nervous-looking guy who kept stuttering apologies was Hoshi Isao, the Ofuda Hero.

The scrawny wannabe ladies' man was Daitan Genki, the Blunt Weapons Hero.

And the tall beautiful girl was Akane Kaori, the Jewel Hero.

Based on what Itsuki could tell, Hoshi either didn't want to be there, or he didn't want to be around people in general. Antisocial would have been one word to describe him. Though this guy made Ren look like an extrovert in comparison.

He just kept hiding his face and apologizing for everything, looking like the last thing he wanted to be was the center of attention. The box on his side was his Cardinal Weapon. Which most likely made him a magic user.

Also, Itsuki couldn't help but notice the lack of color to him. His clothing, features, and weapon were either white, black, or shades of grey. It was almost like looking at a character out of a manga.

Daitan reminded Itsuki of Motoyasu. Only he didn't have any of the same charm or charisma for women, which became apparent when he tried to flirt with a gem girl on the way to his seat only to get smacked across the face.

He also kept on flexing his arms and doing some other bizarre poses for some weird reason. He was a true weirdo. His title was Blunt Weapons Hero though. So that most likely meant that, like Kizuna, his weapon could turn into more than just a mace.

Itsuki guessed he could also change it to a warhammer or a kanabo if he wanted to since he'd also spotted these weapons at a weapon shop in this world.

As for Akane… Itsuki couldn't really tell. He wasn't the best with girls, to begin with. And Glass didn't have much to say about her either.

She reminded him a lot of Bitch though. From the red hair to her confident walk. She walked like she owned the room and dressed like it too. The confidence in her posture made it look like she was walking down a model's walkway instead of a delegation of countries.

Naofumi and her definitely shouldn't meet anytime soon.

The Jewel Accessory on her wrist was the most likely to be her Cardinal Weapon. But Itsuki could only speculate about what kind of combat abilities it gave her. It could be defensive in nature like Naofumi's or it could also be focused in magic.

He didn't know what to expect from her if it came down to a brawl. Though, if what the others said was true, these three were pathetically weak to the point of being near useless.

What Itsuki did notice though was that despite her walk, Akane's eyes kept on darting around, landing on him, Glass, and especially Kizuna repeatedly. As if she was wary of their group and wanted to study them without letting them know that she was singling them out.

Her eyes finally met Itsuki's directly, but the Bow Hero didn't break the eye contact. It lasted for a few seconds, and the Jewel Heroine eventually shifted uncomfortably while finally taking her seat by the other Heroes.

Had that been the right thing to do? Itsuki wasn't sure. But either way, he knew no more about the heroine than before, and soon, the chatter amongst the delegates died down.

Corrin stood up again to address the assembly.

"My fellow country leaders and representatives. I thank you for being able to gather on such short notice. I'd also like to express my gratitude to the Cardinal Heroes for coming here…"

"Yea, about that. Is there a reason why you invited us today specifically, Your Majesty?" The girl, Akane, rudely interrupted the king, causing some whispers and bouts of quiet sneering laughter to emerge throughout the room.

"All in due time," Corrin replied with a frown at the show of disrespect. "Do trust me, this meeting will prove to be relevant for you three as well."

The red-haired girl frowned and crossed her arms as she sat back down into her chair. Her eyes fell on Kizuna and their group again, and a small scowl appeared on her face when she saw that Kizuna sat perfectly still, smiling at Corrin like they were old friends.

Itsuki stopped focusing on the redhead after that and instead looked back at the King of Lapis.

There were some formalities in the beginning. Corrin addressed the delegates from various nations. Welcomed the other Heroes in attendance, including the Harpoon and Musical Instruments Heroes who were sitting near the front. There was some opening discussion going on.

Itsuki should have done a better job paying attention like Glass was, but his focus kept on moving to the other Cardinal Heroes. They were shifting in their seats impatiently as if they wanted to get things moving so they could finish up and go back to their daily lives. Or, in the case of Hoshi, so he could escape from everyone there.

Unfortunately, or maybe, fortunately, many of the other delegates there were just as impatient. It didn't take long before somebody voiced their complaint. "Can we just skip the formalities and get to the reason you gathered us today, Your Majesty?"

"Yes, I'd also like to know why Lapis called our enemies from Sickle here."

A few more people spoke up. Several were looking at them, or rather, at Kizuna specifically.

And the way that they were looking was anything but pleasant.

No wonder Naofumi didn't want to be here. It was just like how everyone used to look at him in the beginning. But at least the animosity against him was limited to Melromarc.

When they'd met all those other country representatives when fighting the Spirit Tortoise, they treated Naofumi with far more respect, especially after he almost sacrificed himself to save their lives.

But more than half of the people here looked like they couldn't stand the sight of Kizuna and were on the verge of leaving their chairs. While the remaining leaders also seemed to dislike her, they were at least willing to be diplomatic enough to hear her out.

And to think she'd already saved their whole world once before. Everyone wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Kizuna.

She was even less liked than the other three Cardinal Heroes, who had done literally nothing to help out with the Waves.

"Seriously, who rubbed them the wrong way," Itsuki muttered to himself quietly in disbelief. "Was there a Hunting Tools Demon in the past or something?"

Nobody else heard him but Glass. The Spirit woman responded back to him in a tone just as quiet. "She can't beat another person on her own. Because of this, she would never be able to be a soldier in their army. So to them, the Hunting Tools Hero is a weakling that can't further their own agenda.

"Thus, they consider Kizuna to be useless."

"... even though she's unstoppable against monsters? Even though they owe her their lives for killing the Demon Dragon?" Itsuki asked.

"When you're at war. It's rare to fight a monster instead of a person." Glass shrugged. Though the next part came out bitterly. "And if you have not been able to tell at this point, the memories of the people of this world are short."

"Tell that to the soldiers that died to those White Tiger Clones," Itsuki said back just as bitterly.

That was so stupid in so many ways. With that kind of logic, Naofumi would be considered useless too. Even though he'd be capable of defending entire armies with his array of skills and powering them up with his spells.

Plus, even if it was rare, what would the other countries do if their armies suddenly had to face off against those White Tiger Clones they fought against in Label? Or another kind of monster the enemy country had utilized? The fact that they'd be willing to throw a supreme monster specialist under the bus just because she couldn't be used against other humans was the epitome of idiocy. And anyone who shared that line of thought deserved a harsh reality check.

As Itsuki stewed over this, Corrin finally managed to get the others reigned in. It had taken the King several minutes to accomplish this without anyone leaving the meeting.

That should have been the first warning sign Itsuki had about the kind of uphill battle they were going to be facing here.

"Alright. Hunting Tools Hero, if you would." Corrin gave a short nod of his head to their table.

…

Kizuna stood up at his cue, and the other delegates looked at her, this time, in surprise. Her playful demeanor was gone. The discomfort from her attire disappeared, and she now wore the kimono as a symbol of pride and power. "Thank you, Your Majesty. I'm grateful that you were able to gather the other nations at my request."

"Wait, she was the one who suggested this?! We came here because you said-" A female delegate at the front began to point at Lapis's King as she interrupted the Hero.

Kizuna drove her hand against the table in front of her with a slam. "I will address you later, Mikikage. Sit down and wait your turn."

"You have no right to tell me what to do you little-"

"Or, would you rather I formally declare war against you now? I haven't forgotten or forgiven you for imprisoning me illegally in the Infinite Labyrinth." Kizuna raised her voice slightly. "Do know that with the Katana Hero on our side, as well as some extra help from some new allies, you would be dooming your country if you refuse to shut up."

…

The woman shrunk in her seat as the others in the room stared at her. Itsuki looked at Kizuna in surprise.

It was like Naofumi had been sitting next to him. Way to speak some common sense there!

Kizuna coughed into her hand again before speaking in a clear voice. "As I was saying. I requested King Corrin to gather everyone here. There are several reasons for that. The one I'd like to start out with is one that's important to me, and one that I think the other Cardinal Heroes will find important to them in particular: revealing who really murdered the previous Katana Hero, Kenshiro."

A wave of murmurs erupted from the crowd at that.

"What is this?"

"We were brought here for some sham trial or something?"

"This is a waste of time."

"Who does she think she is by bringing that up again? Hasn't Sickle tried to deny it enough?"

The other three Cardinal Heroes had stirred in their seats though. For once, their faces didn't look quite so disinterested.

"The Hunting Tools Hero mentioned the Katana Hero was now allied with Sickle, did she not?" A delegate in the back finally asked. "Does that mean a new Hero was chosen?"

"... Yes. That is true. Though, I don't know all the details myself." The man sitting at Label's table answered. His vest was decorated with war medals, and he only had one woman sitting next to him. The minister himself had come with his ambassador.

The general admittance helped quiet down everyone there.

"Speak your case, Hero Kizuna." Corrin opened the floor for the girl.

Kizuna walked down, leaving Itsuki and Glass sitting at Sickle's desk. Despite her small stature, she stood as tall as anyone else.

She told all of the delegates there of the events that'd transpired in Label. About how Sickle's King had ended up there after traveling between worlds. How he and Glass had been trying to return to their country. How Label had captured them and wanted to kill them for their weapons.

How they'd escaped the prison, which was the cause for Label's regression prison being destroyed. How they'd fled to the Capital to use the Hourglass to escape. How the Katana had chosen its new wielder to be a girl from another world traveling with the King, and how the country's genius had branded them as thieves, only to later confess that he had killed his father and Kenshiro to try and acquire the Katana for himself.

"What sort of bull &^%$ is this?" A man near the front asked arrogantly at that. Unlike other delegates, he had a Harpoon attached to his back, and he wasn't dressed formally. He was likely the Harpoon Hero. "Everyone knows you can't just wield a Vassal Weapon. It has to choose you."

It wasn't the first time someone had spoken up to refute Kizuna. But it was the first time that Corrin contemplated on what was said. "A fair point, Harpoon Hero." King Corrin said to him. "Hero Kizuna, do you have evidence to back up your claims?"

The audience expected there to be no evidence. But Kizuna smiled as she nodded.

"I do, indeed, Your Majesty. Itsuki, if you would?" Kizuna asked him politely.

Itsuki stood up at last and walked down the steps next to Kizuna. A wave of murmurs went through the room. And they only became louder when he pulled a crystal ball from the gemstone of his Bow.

"Who is this person you've brought with you, Hunting Tools Hero?" A dwarf near the front asked. He at least looked like one of the polite delegates.

"This is one of my new friends and allies, Itsuki Kawasumi. He is the Bow Hero of another world." Kizuna introduced Itsuki to the crowd.

The reaction to that reveal was immediate and volatile. However, it quickly became one of doubt.

"Ha! Bold claim! That's probably one of the experimental weapons we've heard about that can replicate the Hero's drop and inventory functions-" Another dwarf began to say haughtily.

Itsuki promptly raised his Bow and changed its weapon form in a flash of light.

It was almost funny how quickly the crowd was silenced as the rest of the man's refutation died on his lips.

Thank you Naofumi for establishing this as a clear and easy way to blow away any doubt that you were actually a Hero.

"Are there any other feats that my Hero friend needs to perform to convince you?" Kizuna asked.

…

There was silence at that. Up until the same guy at the front chortled to himself while crossing his arms. "And are we supposed to just trust a Hero that comes from another world as well as you?" The Harpoon Hero asked back.

"You don't have to." Itsuki shrugged as he spoke. "However, if you didn't notice, Label's delegates have been oddly silent despite all that Kizuna has said thus far. If she were lying up till now, then surely they would have said something already."

The Bow Hero gestured toward the front row of desks. The one that had a katana inscribed on it in particular. The minister and ambassador sitting there had lowered their heads in response, unable to face the sudden attention directed at them.

The Harpoon Hero scoffed and crossed his arms. But he didn't say anything else.

Itsuki frowned. For some reason, this guy was giving him the same vibes that Kyo and Trash had.

Then again, he was getting that same kind of attitude from a lot of the other delegates there. So he shrugged it off and proceeded to give a basic explanation of how the crystal ball worked, before activating it.

Trash's entire confession was played out for the crowd of people. To mixed reactions.

Many flat out couldn't believe it. Their retorts ranged from distrust of technology from another world to distrust of Kizuna and Itsuki. The former for being the useless Hero, and the other for Itsuki being from another world and possibly wanting to sabotage the local balance of power in his favor.

It wasn't until the witness was also brought out under Corrin's orders that a lot of those arguments were thrown out. The soldier verified that the recording was authentic, and answered all the questions thrown at him by the crowd.

Some of the questions were honest. Some were obviously loaded and designed to check if he'd really seen or heard what happened. Individuals asking such questions tried to throw in extra details that weren't shown in the recording. But the former guard surprisingly shut all of them down. Even going as far as to correct them whenever they tried to add something to what'd happened.

The constant questions and how they tore at every little thing from Itsuki to the crystal ball to Kizuna to the guard's own testimony dragged the meeting out for longer and longer. Eventually, when he realized how stiff his legs were, Itsuki looked out the windows to see that it was darkening outside. And they still didn't look even close to finished yet.

"Oh come on! Do you really think the genius wizard of Label found a way to steal the Katana weapon for himself?!" One of these delegates asked the soldier. Though he tried to hide it, there was fear Itsuki could detect in his voice.

Out of everything, it was the response Itsuki had expected the least. But then, given how important these weapons were to the countries of their world, it made sense in hindsight.

"If he did, then Sickle did us a great service ridding us of him." The former guard answered.

"... soldier. Did all of this really happen?" The elderly Label minister asked gravely. "If you are being threatened or if it's some sort of trick, just say so. Sickle won't dare to do anything to you here with so many witnesses, and if they have your loved ones held hostage-"

"No sir."

The guard almost whimpered. He just wanted to be out of the room already. And not just because of everyone there staring at him.

There was the one he feared above all. The figure that haunted his dreams. The one and only ruby-eyed demon staring blankly at him.

"It's all true. I was a coward and fled before the battle. But I still saw and heard it when our country's genius admitted to being Kenshiro's murderer. And I saw it when he, he… he ordered those mutts to slay my fellow soldiers. Some of whom had escaped the Regression Prison alongside me."

The man shuddered tearfully. "Even if it is treasonous for me to say it, I'm grateful that Sickle took care of that bastard. For what he did to my friends there, he deserved a far worse death than what he got! I cannot forgive him for that! Nor can I forgive him for murdering Lord Kenshiro!

"Back in the days of the Demon Dragon, when I wasn't old enough to serve, he saved my life when those monsters attacked our home village! I looked up to him ever since! And to know that sick &^%$ was responsible for orchestrating even that attack!

"THAT BASTARD KILLED LORD KENSHIRO FOR HIS WEAPON! THAT BASTARD KILLED MY FRIENDS! AND THAT BASTARD WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR GETTING MY FAMILY KILLED! I HOPE THAT HE IS ROTTING HELL RIGHT NOW FOR ALL OF THOSE CRIMES! WHETHER OR NOT HE COULD STEAL A HERO'S WEAPON, I KNOW HE WAS THE ONE THAT KILLED LORD KENSHIRO, NOT SICKLE OR ANYONE ELSE!"

…

Looking around, Itsuki didn't see any noticeable change in the room right away. However, it appeared many of the delegates were finally in agreement on one thing.

"... then perhaps we were too quick to judge Sickle for the death of our Katana Hero before." The Label minister finally spoke somberly. "I'd like to express my humblest apologies to the Scythe King on behalf of my nation for our actions."

"I shall carry them to him upon our return," Glass promised.

"Thank you… Fan Hero." The man dipped his head to the spirit woman.

"You traitor! You're supposed to be allied with us!" The Mikikage delegate yelled. "Sickle is our enemy!"

The Label delegate and minister didn't speak in response. Instead, they looked at the Book country's desk, which was still empty.

They'd not only lost their weapon, a decent chunk of their military, or even their allies in Mikikage and possibly Luvar. But their dignity and their honor as a nation.

Itsuki looked at the other three heroes at last. He'd been so focused on the delegates that he'd almost forgotten they were there.

He was surprised they were still there, actually. Hoshi was still staring at where the recording had been playing. As for Daitan, he was sitting next to Akane, looking like he'd just swallowed poison while the Jewel Hero dabbed a handkerchief under her eyes.

None of them really knew how close they'd been to the former Katana Hero. He must have bonded with the three of them on some level though to warrant this kind of reaction. Even the Ofuda Hero's nervous demeanor had disappeared.

"I put forward that Sickle be absolved of all guilt for Kenshiro's murder, and that all sanctions put against them for it be lifted," Kizuna said, bringing Itsuki back to what was going on.

This would make it easier for L'Arc to trade with the other nations again. And, perhaps, to have their cooperation with future Waves down the road.

There were still some weak protests against such an action. Itsuki almost wanted to groan. Even after all of this, some people still didn't want to agree to something so simple?!

"Lapis agrees." Corrin interjected, cutting off those weak protests. "The evidence provided is sufficient, and it makes no sense to further punish a nation nor its Heroes when it has been proven that they didn't commit the crime in the first place." Corrin spoke.

"Heh. What do we know? They could have orchestrated all of this with the poor bastard." The Harpoon Hero spoke haughtily. But he didn't say anything more to further his point.

"All in favor of agreeing to the Hunting Hero's request?" Corrin asked, raising his right hand to the square.

Many hands went up, but not all. The Harpoon Hero was one of those who didn't raise his hand.

"Any objections?" Corrin asked with a frown.

…

None of those who hadn't raised their hand moved to do so. They abstained from the vote.

"So be it." Corrin nodded. "As it is late, we shall resume this Conference tomorrow."

"Thank you for your time today, Your Majesty." Feeling lighter after clearing her friends of murder, Kizuna smiled brightly and bowed to the King.

Corrin, though he tried to look neutral, gave a small smile back to the small girl.

---

As the other delegates began to file out of the room, Itsuki found himself crowded with Gem People. All of whom wanted to look at the crystal ball that he was still holding.

"What is it made of?"

"How was this developed in your world?"

"What other functions does it have?"

They bombarded him with questions. They also felt the surface of the ball with wide-eyed wonder as Itsuki tried his best to explain what he knew.

He realized that he didn't really know about how they were made or anything. He almost felt embarrassed at that, but the fact that these people were treating it like some sort of national treasure made him smile after how hostile the meeting had been. And while he didn't know how it was made, he at least knew what it was made from.

"It's made from magic crystals in our world. It can also broadcast to other orbs like it and can even be used to instantly teach a person a new spell, though they do break in the process." Itsuki explained it to them.

They inquired about the magic crystals and, fortunately, Itsuki did have several in his inventory that he'd gotten as monster drops. When they looked it over, it turned out to be vastly different from the Earth Crystals they used to replenish their magic power, or even the gemstones placed all around the city.

By the end of it, they were thinking of ways they could try to use them to replicate the crystal ball. Or to see if they could find a spot in the castle to plant the magic ore and see if the effects of the land could cause more to grow or not.

They didn't have these magic crystals in their world. So the best they could hope for was to either grow more with what Itsuki had gave them, replicate the same technology with a different material, or trade with their world for more of the ore.

If anything, when Corrin came up to talk with him, this came up, and discussing such a possibility made more progress towards an alliance than anything else that'd been said before.

"It'd be dangerous trying to trade using the Waves. But perhaps if the Boat Hero could be used as an intermediary, it would be possible." The young King suggested.

"Why would you need Ethnobalt?" Itsuki asked.

"Oh? That's because his weapon is capable of traveling between worlds outside of the Waves." Corrin answered. "It'd be much safer exchanging materials with his help rather than using a Wave for it."

"..." That felt like it should have been mentioned earlier. Itsuki was about to comment on this. However, another figure had approached the Bow Hero. He held his hands together nervously. And Corrin walked off after a servant whispered something into his ear.

It was about Hinoka requesting for him to come to dinner. She'd been patiently waiting for the last two hours for the Conference to finish. Her patience was starting to thin, however.

It was never a good thing when that happened. He'd most likely be fulfilling diaper duty for the next month if he didn't get there as soon as possible.

"I-I'm sorry, B-Bow Hero, right? That recording, t-the confession. Is that all true then? Was that really how Ken-sensei died?"

Itsuki turned around. It was the Ofuda Hero, Hoshi. His compatriots were talking to Kizuna and Glass. It looked like Daitan was apologizing for his behavior earlier.

"Yes. It's true, all of it," Itsuki said.

"..." The Ofuda Hero looked down at the ground, his hands trembling at his sides. "T-that b-black haired person with the scary face. W-what h-h-happened to him?"

"He was cut in half vertically by the new Katana Hero." Itsuki answered. "He didn't realize he was dead till he tried to take a step forward."

"I… I see. That's… that's good." Hoshi finally managed to look up. There was a hint of a small smile on his face. "T-Tell her… tell her we say, thank you, for what she did."

"I'd be happy to do that."

"I-I'm Hoshi, by the way. Isao Hoshi."

"Kawasumi Itsuki." Itsuki introduced himself with a smile.

…

"Um… since the meeting is over… would… would you and your friends mind… coming with Akane and me and Daitan? We… really appreciate what you did for Ken-sensei. Even… even if one of us… is hiding it."

Akane had her arms folded over her chest now. There was no hint that she'd been crying before. Instead, she was staring down at Kizuna in challenge. But the young girl was grinning back as she tried to hold a conversation with the Jewel Hero. "T-Trust me. She… she really does appreciate Kenshiro's murderer being revealed."

"Sure. I won't mind spending time with you. The conference isn't resuming till tomorrow anyway." Itsuki smiled back as he put a hand forward.

Hoshi tentatively shook the Bow Hero's hand. A look of relief on his face.

Itsuki asked Glass and Kizuna if they were okay with this, and they agreed to come along. It appeared Corrin saying that their rooms were going to be left unused earlier would be prophetic.

The group of Heroes left the Conference room and soon left the castle behind altogether to enter the city proper.

---

If there was anything Itsuki could say that he hadn't said before, it was this: Lazuli was just as beautiful at night as it was during the day.

Gemstones set in lampposts on the streets activated with the coming of night. Their light mixed with the natural glow of magic power coming from gemstones embedded everywhere else in view.

It appeared that Lazuli had an active nightlife too. There were still plenty of people on the streets. Doing everything from hitting up bars to theatres where plays were performed.

The Bow Hero's advanced hearing even heard a loud YOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! followed by some shamisen and drum music come from a place far down the street and recognized it as a Kabuki theatre. Though, he had the feeling it wasn't the first one he'd come across in this world. How strange?

There was even a place that sounded like a karaoke spot, as people were singing offkey on a stage inside for others' entertainment.

Man… he really wished he could bring Rishia there. It'd be so much fun between him playing an awesome song and having her beautiful voice accompany him…

"Oh! Let's go there, everyone! There are so many beautiful women to flirt with in there!" Daitan then proceeded to point at the karaoke bar with a bright smile on his face.

"N-No way. Too m-many people f-for my liking." The Ofuda Hero stuttered.

"It isn't as interesting as you'd think anyway." Akane rolled her eyes. "Both the staff and the customers frequenting it are a bunch of boors."

"Just because they don't wear your outfits doesn't make them boars." Daitan rolled his eyes. "But, speaking of boars, how about we go somewhere to eat then? I'm hungry enough to eat a whole boar!" He complained.

"C-Can't we show them around the city f-first?" Hoshi asked.

The three other Cardinal Heroes were walking with Glass, Kizuna, and Itsuki. And… they were pretty annoying, to be honest.

Well, Hoshi wasn't really that annoying. Itsuki could get along with him far better than the other two. Daitan though was just way too much like discount Motoyasu or L'Arc with his fake macho attitude and way of talking. And Akane…

He just couldn't get a read on her at all. She seemed to be deliberately avoiding any of his attempts to interact with her and even made a point to avoid looking at him directly, which was odd, after how long she had stared at him when they first met. So he could only observe her interactions with others, like how she was talking with Kizuna right now.

"What is with that drab outfit anyway? You look hideous."

"Oh, this is just something formal that I needed for the conference!" Kizuna shrugged happily.

She then threw the kimono off, much to everyone's shock and surprise. However, much to their relief, she'd been wearing her normal gothic dress underneath the outfit.

Well, maybe Glass looked a little disappointed instead of relieved.

"Ah, much better." Kizuna took the wood sandals off and pulled her normal boots from her weapon's gemstone, putting them back on.

"Why were you wearing that under that?" Akane asked in disbelief.

"Because this is my signature outfit. And I wasn't going to leave it behind even if I had to leave the haori in Sickle." Kizuna rolled her eyes.

"This dress is even worse than the kimono. At least the wave pattern on that one looked somewhat interesting. And it's supposed to be everyday clothes? You'd be better off updating that drab dishrag with something that looks a lot better like my outfit."

Wow, the way she said that, Itsuki almost wanted to punch her in the face.

She sounded almost as haughty as Bitch.

Glass also looked angry and hurt over the outfit she'd made for Kizuna being dismissed so hard. Kizuna noticed the look on her best friend's face and anger rose in her chest.

"Oh, is it because it doesn't have enough frills to hide my lack of chest like yours?" Kizuna countered.

…

Oof.

Ooooooooooooooooof.

Akane opened and closed her mouth. She looked shocked and angry at Kizuna's retort. It'd definitely been a critical hit on her ego. "At least my lack of chest matches my youthful, girlish look. What's your excuse, Granny?" Kizuna pressed further.

Glass couldn't have looked more proud of her best friend than she did at that moment. However, Itsuki could tell that any further words from both sides would ignite a cat fight between the two. And Kizuna's disadvantage against people would make it unfavorable towards her.

"Ladies, ladies, please, there's no need to fight." Daitan suddenly interjected, an oddly nervous look on his face.

"I like all breasts equally."

…

Akane promptly buried his head through a wall. Itsuki grimaced at the sight of Daitan struggling to free himself.

Well, this showed that the Jewel Hero had some offensive capabilities at least. Though, the Blunt Weapons Hero did manage to pull himself out quickly, unlike when Glass did it. "Ahaha! I love feisty women! I'll make you mine yet, Akane! Mark my words!"

"Not even in your dreams." The redhead scoffed in disgust before glancing at Itsuki. "I would rather date this outsider, than spend even a minute alone with you. He may be a manlet too, but at least he's got a handsome face."

…

The Bow Hero had no idea how to respond to that while Daitan laughed nervously again. "Him...? Hah! If you say so! But seriously though, let's go find someplace to eat already, I really am hungry. "

Akane crossed her arms and didn't say anything. She still looked angry about the earlier comment, though Dai's interjection had gotten them past that without a fight breaking out.

"Sure! Got any good recommendations?!" Kizuna asked happily.

"Um… I have a place nearby…" Hoshi mentioned nervously. "We could eat there for free if you wouldn't mind?"

"Oh, good idea! It's been a while since I went to your maid cafe, Hoshi!" Daitan said happily.

"Maid cafe?" Glass asked confusedly.

Kizuna and Itsuki understood immediately though. And they explained what it was to the Fans Hero as they walked through the streets of the city.

At one point, they walked by a large building. Itsuki couldn't read the sign, but Glass pointed out that this was where the child he saw earlier had likely been taken.

It was sort of like a nursery.

According to her and Kizuna, foundlings from the streets in this section of the city would be taken here, where they'd be cared for until they were ready to be adopted.

Gem People could have kids the normal way too. But traditionally, most gem families living in Lazuli got their children here as a way to pay respect to the land that had birthed them. So it was rare for a foundling to be in one of these nurseries for more than a year at most.

It also made the Queen and King's natural birth with their daughter Kana all the more impressive.

Eventually, the group arrived at Hoshi's maid cafe. Itsuki recognized it as the same one he'd seen from the air.

It actually looked a lot like the ones Itsuki would see in his world. There looked to be some customers eating on the outdoor patio with waitresses in traditional french maid clothes serving them. But there was nobody eating inside.

The other odd thing about it was the presence of multiple gem cats.

Itsuki had noticed them from the sky earlier, but there were more of them here, lounging inside and outside the cafe. On tables. In chairs. One was even resting on the lap of one of the customers while he ate.

"Kuro-chan!" Hoshi called out excitedly. The sudden lack of nervousness from him surprised Itsuki. "I have some friends who are hungry!"

A black cat with a short sleek coat and an amber jewel embedded in its forehead slowly prowled from the doorway at his voice. Itsuki raised an eyebrow in confusion, only to almost reel back when the cat transformed in a flash of light into the form of a short black-haired catgirl dressed in a maid's outfit. Her slanted eyes held a bored expression. "Master Hoshi brought friends with him?"

"Um… yeah. The meeting was pretty wild. Heheh." Hoshi chuckled nervously while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hmmm." The cat gem girl looked everyone over with mild disinterest. "This is new. It's not often Master Hoshi makes friends with people. I shall get to making a celebratory meal at once."

"Hey, I make friends every now and then…" Hoshi weakly protested.

"Whatever you say." Kuro's ear flicked on her head.

"Oh, and can I, you know…" Hoshi began to ask.

"Absolutely not," Kuro said back.

"Please! I did really good today!" Hoshi fell to his knees and began to beg. "Besides, I know you love it!"

Itsuki raised an eyebrow. The gem cat looked back at him. Her golden eyes seemed to briefly flash in embarrassment. "I don't love it… but fine. You did better today than normal. So we can do it after the meal is done."

"YAY! You're the best Kuro-chan!"

The girl rolled her eyes as she walked back inside.

"Well, grab a seat wherever you like!" Hoshi said excitedly. He almost looked to be on cloud nine.

Itsuki was so confused. But, for once, he didn't feel like asking.

There was no reason to ask what the Ofuda Hero was going to do after dinner… no need to ask something that'd just bring Naofumi and his activities up in his mind again.

That wasn't what was going to happen, right? Itsuki got along with Hoshi better than the others. He'd rather he didn't do anything to ruin that.

"Oh, crap, I should probably let Medina and Vel know I'm going to be late." Daitan suddenly facepalmed.

"Friends of yours?" Kizuna asked casually.

"What? Ohohoho! Oh no, they're just two pretty redheads who help me run my gymnasium." Daitan answered smoothly.

"And by that, he means they had nowhere else to work," Akane said in a bored voice.

"Hey! They love working there more than they did with you!" Daitan scowled as he pulled an ofuda from his weapon. "I'll be back in a second!" He rushed away to a secluded part of the patio where he could talk in peace.

…

"So… what do you people do for a living?" Itsuki decided to break the ice in a safe way.

"Oh? Well, Daitan there runs a gym." The monochrome hero perked up. "He really likes to work out. Akane is a fashion designer and model. She designs all of her outfits and makes them herself. As for me, I help with running this place… you know, when I'm not busy with other things, haha."

"Oh, like hunting monsters?" Itsuki asked hopefully.

"No, fighting's not really my thing… it doesn't help that this kusoge's balance is trash," Hoshi complained. "Are the monsters in your game so overpowered too? It's like we're playing on the Asian setting."

Itsuki's smile fell a little. "No. The monsters in my world aren't nearly as strong. Though, we haven't been fighting the Waves for as long. And we've helped each other grow a lot more powerful than we were individually…" Hoshi gave no response to that, so Itsuki felt pressed to continue. "So what do you do when you're not running this place?"

"Well, um… it's kind of embarrassing…" Hoshi said nervously.

"Oh, for the love of God, is it really that hard to admit you draw manga in your spare time?" Akane rudely asked from her table.

"Akane!" Hoshi said angrily.

However, before he could say anything more, Itsuki suddenly pulled his copy of "How a Lone Nerd Saved The World He Was Summoned To" from his weapon and looked at the cover. "Wait, so YOU made this?!"

"Uh… H-Heh. Yeah. You… you like it?" The boy asked nervously.

"Dude! There isn't any manga in the world I was summoned to! This was a godsend!" Itsuki exclaimed. "Plus, your art is freaking incredible! It's almost like the characters themselves will jump off the page at any moment!"

"Y-You think so?" Hoshi asked in surprise, though he looked happy at the compliment.

The two fell into a conversation where Itsuki talked about what he'd read. About what he'd liked. About what Hoshi could possibly improve on.

If anything, the Ofuda Hero seemed to come alive again discussing it. There were even a few times he had to correct Itsuki on what he'd thought had happened, as Itsuki couldn't read this world's language without Rishia's help.

"You know, I have the original Japanese draft of it upstairs from when I first drew it. Do you want me to grab it for you?" Hoshi asked excitedly. "I could also grab the next three volumes too."

"You'd do that?!" Itsuki shared the enthusiasm.

"Yeah, I kind of made some copies for the others since they didn't bother to learn the written language here. I couldn't exactly pull off the manga route using just the Japanese language here. But, Akane isn't really interested in manga, and Dai-Tan, well… he preferred other genres when he wasn't working out. I still made the copies for them though, just in case."

"Hey, I'll take a copy too if you wouldn't mind." Kizuna spoke then with a smile. "I'm not very proficient with the written languages in this world either. And me and my sisters loved reading manga to each other! It could give me and Glass something to do in our free time!"

Glass nearly fell out of her seat at that. "Yes! Please get some copies for Kizuna too!" She demanded forcefully.

Hoshi sweated nervously but ran off just as Daitan came back from his call.

"So, you're also a Hero, huh?" The blonde man smirked as he sized Itsuki up. "You don't look like anything special to me."

…

Itsuki had to refrain from saying how he could easily destroy Daitan with little to no effort. "For someone that runs a gym, you seem to be lacking in the muscle department." He chose to say instead.

"Hey, um, it's not like you have any muscles either!" Daitan complained. "You have no idea just how much I've trained up my strength! Looks aren't everything!"

"Then why did you start out by saying I don't look like anything special?" Itsuki asked confusedly.

"Because I can definitely tell that I'm the strongest one here!" Daitan gloated. "Well, besides maybe the Fan Hero… but I not only train daily, but I've won several strength competitions here in Lapis! Not even the local monsters stand a chance against me!"

Hmmm. At least he went out and fought monsters on occasion. That was better than what Hoshi could claim.

"The local monsters here aren't really that strong though. The ones in the mountains are much tougher." Akane pointed out. "When will you go there to really prove your strength?

"I-I'll be doing that as soon as Vel and Medina are ready!" Daitan responded heatedly. "It's not like you fight many monsters these days!"

"Only when I need high-quality drops and materials for my dresses that adventurers and stores can't provide." Akane rolled her eyes.

"A-Anyway, if you really doubt my power then I can prove that I'm stronger than you with a feat of strength!" Daitan said to Itsuki.

"You sure you want to do that? You don't know how high my stats are." Itsuki warned with a quirked eyebrow.

However, Daitan didn't back down. And after a few seconds, Itsuki found himself sitting across from him. Setting his arm up for an 'arm wrestling' match.

"Ha, I hope you're ready to get destroyed!" The blonde scrawny hero said.

"Hmmm." Itsuki didn't favor him with a response as he grasped his hand. The Blunt Weapons Hero did have a strong grip. He'd give him that.

However, when the match started, Itsuki brought his arm down in less than a second. Slamming it forcefully against the table.

It was pathetic. He'd barely given it any of his strength, and he hardly felt any resistance from the other Hero too. How could he be so weak?

"H-Hey! I wasn't ready!" Daitan complained.

"Alright, we can try again." Itsuki drawled.

They set up and started again. Only, this time, Itsuki gave the other Hero a minute where he did nothing but sit there and watch.

His hand didn't even move. Even though the other Hero strained and grunted as he gave it his all.

Daitan's stats were nowhere near Itsuki's.

The Blunt Weapons Hero had probably won all those competitions despite his lack of muscle because of his stats. They'd already be higher than a normal person's since he was a Hero. And if he really trained daily like he said then they'd be even higher thanks to that.

But Motoyasu had already learned the hard way how nothing could compare to a Hero who was wielding multiple strengthening methods and using every avenue possible to grow stronger.

Itsuki reinforced this lesson into Daitan when he finally brought his hand down so hard that it cracked the table and flipped the other Hero over onto the ground.

"Urgh!" The Blunt Weapons Hero landed with a crash, making Itsuki worry for a second that he went overboard, but the tan young man immediately bounced back up, none worse for the wear.

"Haha! Not bad! You might just make me use two percent of my power!" He proclaimed proudly before returning to his spot opposite of Itsuki.

"What?" The Bow Hero blinked. "What are you doing, I already won."

"No you didn't! It's a best out of three!" The scrawny blonde protested.

"But I beat you twice already."

"The first time didn't count!"

Itsuki sighed and, against his better judgement, humored him once more.

It went about as well as you'd expect.

"Nghh! You just got lucky! Best out of five!"

"Daitan, give up already and stop embarrassing yourself." Akane sighed while sipping on some water from a glass.

"No! I refuse! Now come on!" The boy pointed at Itsuki while returning to his seat.

"Guh! Best out of seven!"

"Ack! Best out of nine!"

"Hygah! Best out of eleven!"

"Thirteen!"

"Fifteen!"

"Seventeen!"

"NINETEEN!"

"That's enough! This is getting ridiculous!" Itsuki shook his head and leaned back in his chair while closing his eyes after losing track of just how many times he'd flipped the other Hero at this time.

"Agreed," Glass spoke out with similar annoyance. "Blunt weapons hero, you need to learn to accept-"

"Haha! That means I win!" Daitan threw one of his hands up in triumph.

…

"I-..." Itsuki was at a loss for words.

"You refused my challenge. That means you gave up and that means I won!" The boy crossed his hands on his chest smugly.

"...dude, are you five?" Kizuna asked in a bleak tone.

"Five feet and three inches, thank you very much!" Daitan harumphed.

"I was talking about your age-ah forget it." Kizuna sighed.

Itsuki hoped that this would be it, but Daitan continued to speak. "Geeze, how high is your level anyway? 150? 200?"

"Right now? I'm level 70." Itsuki answered honestly.

…

"I don't believe you," Daitan frowned.

Itsuki sent him a party invite, and the Blunt Weapon Hero accepted it so he'd be able to see. His jaw dropped when he saw that Itsuki wasn't lying.

Itsuki's eyebrow also quirked up when he saw Daitan was level 85.

"No way… there's seriously no way…"

"There is a way. I doubt you've tried to utilize it though." Itsuki shrugged.

"You mean, you met the god of muscles?" Daitan's eyes widened.

...

The Bow Hero blinked once. Then twice.

"I'm sorry, what?" He eventually managed to respond.

"You met the god of muscles in your game world and he blessed you with this absurd strength! That has to be the reason why you're so strong, you cheat!" Daitan explained heatedly.

It was a good thing that you could not, in fact, 'die of cringe', as many people used to joke about back in Itsuki's old world. Because, if that was true, then the bow hero was certain that he would have imploded into a singularity in that moment that would then create a black hole that would suck in all life on the planet into it.

He was unintentionally looking into a mirror of what he'd been like before. And it was awful. How had Naofumi and the others not punched him in the face for his stupidity back then?

"I didn't meet any god." Itsuki used all of his willpower to not scream. "I just shared my weapon's strengthening methods with my fellow Heroes, and that made us all a lot stronger than we were before. That's almost the entire reason why my stats are so high."

"Hmph. What a neat mechanic to have in your world then." Daitan crossed his arms and looked away, clearly not believing it.

Itsuki wanted to scream at him again and tell him that the same crap existed here and that if he had even a single brain cell to his name that he'd be able to try it out too for the same results. But he was too pissed off with the guy to say such a thing.

Daitan began a quiet conversation with Akane after that. He didn't try to talk to the Bow Hero anymore.

"What are your opinions on them so far?" Itsuki asked Glass and Kizuna quietly. "Good. Bad?"

"Hopeless," Glass said back dryly.

"Yeah. The Blunt Weapons Hero is definitely hopeless." Itsuki agreed.

"Oh come on, you two. Hoshi seems to be a little reasonable at least." Kizuna offered.

"Yes, and he also seems to be the least likely to want to get back into fighting again," Glass responded. "Plus, Itsuki here has seen for himself how weak they are."

"And that's because they haven't shared their methods with one another as you have," Itsuki told Glass.

"Well, we need to at least try," Kizuna said with a pout. "Just because they've given up doesn't mean that we should give up on them."

"Kizuna… if you could get them to want to fight, that'd be a miracle," Glass said seriously. "I appreciate your optimism. But we need to remember why we came here."

They would have talked some more, but then, Hoshi arrived back with the requested volumes for Kizuna and Itsuki. Looking very happy and eager to discuss things with them when they read them.

"Hey, um, just out of curiosity." Itsuki began before Hoshi could sit next to his hero comrades. "What's keeping you all here instead of going out to fight the Waves? Don't you know you can use the weapon forms from them to grow stronger?"

"Oh? That's because we're waiting for the devs to fix the OP monster bug." Hoshi shrugged. "We aren't exactly strong enough to fight the Waves as they are now. If we went, we'd all die in the first minute. And waiting to respawn after that would be… unpleasant."

…

It was definitely a disheartening response. Because it was almost exactly what Itsuki would have said if he'd still believed that he was in a game.

Kizuna still tried to open her mouth though to ask the question L'Arc had recommended her to do, but before she could, Kuro came back with dinner for everyone.

Her hands fell into her lap as she looked down sadly. "Hey, don't sweat it. We can try again later, after the Conference is over." Itsuki encouraged.

Glass also rested a hand on her best friend's shoulder. It wasn't long before the Hunting Tools Hero perked up. "Okay."

It ended up being a pretty good meal overall. Not Naofumi tier, and definitely not Rishia's Napolitan tier, but still good nonetheless.

There wasn't really much to be said after that. It was late, and they all needed to go their separate ways.

The other Cardinal Heroes did thank Kizuna for bringing justice to Kenshiro though. And they said they'd be at the Conference tomorrow as well to see what'd happen… and that was perhaps, the only time where Akane did look grateful.

Or maybe it was just Itsuki's imagination.

Whatever the case, they parted ways after that. And the group returned to the castle, where they rested for the night and prepared for the Conference to resume tomorrow.

---

Needless to say, the next part of the Conference didn't go smoothly.

At all.

The events of the previous day hadn't prepared them at all for the &^%$storm that they would wade into as soon as Kizuna had started speaking.

"You want to ally with Heroes from another world to stop the Waves?!"

"You naive girl! Trusting people from other worlds will bring ruin to us!"

Kizuna had just explained what she wanted to do going forward to help unite their world, and she was frantically doing her best to keep up with everything. Trying to address everyone's fears and concerns.

However, some of what people were saying was…

"Why should we bother with stopping the Waves anyway?" The Harpoon Hero asked arrogantly. "Do you even have any idea on how reliant we are on them? They give us a limitless source of monster materials, experience, and drops in exchange for a mild inconvenience happening every couple of weeks."

"I-Inconvenience? Are you insane?!" Glass spoke angrily. "More and more people die with each Wave! You are a Hero! You are supposed to defend our world from being destroyed! That is your duty!"

"Who says I'm not?" The guy shrugged mockingly. "I've had no trouble with protecting my country so far and the losses that we'd suffered are incomparable to the sheer amount of power and wealth that the waves have provided us with. Who cares about duty? Only a fool would reject such a boon."

"That's fine for you to say but not every country has the power and capacity to fight them!" Kizuna protested. "And they grow stronger each time they hit!" While the Wave in Sickle had felt easy to her, the Wave at Lapis had been more difficult. And, even at the Sickle Wave, she'd still been taking damage from the monsters that hit her.

They'd also had the help of Otherworld Heroes with both Waves. Who knew how much worse things could have been without them around? "At some point, it will escalate to where we won't be able to stop them by fighting individually! We need to unite just like we did against the Demon Dragon to stop them!"

But Kizuna's words fell on deaf ears. The other delegates spoke in agreement with the Harpoon Hero's words. Sharing his point of view.

Itsuki was beyond astounded. And he was even more astounded when they blew off concerns of famines, earthquakes, and other natural disasters that came from the reality of their world being damaged by the Waves.

"Don't the legends say that as long as the Cardinal Heroes are alive, our world won't be destroyed? Why bother then? The Waves will end by themselves eventually." A snide-looking kid asked from another table up front. He had a violin in his hands, and the same thing was engraved on his desk. "You can't just barge in and order us to give up on such a massive source of income for our countries."

Some of the delegates at other tables began to yell in agreement. Booing Kizuna and the others for daring to do something that'd make them worse off.

Glass and Kizuna both tried to yell some common sense into the room. Corrin also tried to bring order. However, the majority of people weren't budging on this whatsoever.

They not only found the idea of allying with another world to stop the Waves stupid. They were threatening to go to war with Sickle if they did anything to end them prematurely.

This went on for several minutes. Itsuki stared around the room at the scene of chaos.

The other Heroes sitting in their seats looked uncomfortable. This definitely was nothing like yesterday. And at some point, Itsuki finally snapped.

"WHAT THE &^%$ IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!?" Itsuki yelled into his Voice Gengar Bow, silencing everyone as his voice was projected throughout the dome room.

"Not even the countries of my world are this divided! Everyone should know that one Wave anywhere in the world is responsible for the famines and other natural disasters hitting the surrounding areas outside of it! Yet you'd rather keep them open and have the majority of people the world over suffer from your complete %$$ stupidity to make a few extra coins! What kind of bat &^%$ insane asylum did you crawl out of to-"

The Harpoon Guy spoke several words, inaudible from Itsuki's voice. But a glowing harpoon came from his hand, and shot out towards the Bow Hero.

It was only thanks to Glass's reflexes that Itsuki wasn't impaled by the sudden attack. She expertly knocked the skill away with one of her fans before Itsuki could even blink and realize what'd almost happened.

"Know your place, outsider." The Harpoon Guy spoke venomously. "This is our world, not yours. You have no right to speak down on us."

Far from being intimidated though, the aura around Itsuki visibly darkened.

"You want to try that again, dip&^%$." Itsuki spoke in an ominous voice. The Bow in his hands began to leech in color, and the Harpoon Hero visibly took a step back. "Try that again. I &^%$ing dare you. Just know it'll be the last mistake you'll ever make-"

"Itsuki! Enough!" Kizuna gripped his wrist, shaking the Bow Hero.

The action shook the Bow Hero from his stupor. Itsuki reeled back as the Cursed Bow faded from existence. People were still staring at him though. And a scowl worked its way across the Harpoon Hero's face.

"Even if Itsuki's an outsider, that doesn't mean he isn't right!" Kizuna then shouted to the room.

Itsuki nearly fell back into his chair. Crap, had he really almost let that jerk get him to equip his Cursed Series?

He didn't hear anything else that was said from Kizuna until the end. He couldn't believe that he'd almost done something so incredibly stupid.

"Do you really care for your people so little that you would subject them to the Waves longer than necessary?" Kizuna pleaded with all her heart in her voice.

…

"Mine, no. But for others, I couldn't care less." The Harpoon Hero admitted almost too casually. "In all honesty, I only came here because the King of Lapis asked me to. Had it been anyone else, I would have said no." He glared at Kizuna, not Itsuki, as he spoke next.

"I believe I have wasted enough of my precious time here. I will abide by the agreement that we made yesterday but that's it. And before I leave, know this, everyone, I will go to war with you and anyone else here that tries to stop the Waves in my lands."

Other delegates began to say the same thing. Or something along those lines. Some said they'd go to war if anyone made any effort to stop the Waves the world over.

Those were the truly stupid ones.

Corrin tried to restore peace again, but to no avail.

Kizuna looked around the room desperately. "Damn it, this isn't what we need! We need to be united, not divided!"

"We have not even asked them for help with the Book Hero's country yet." Glass pointed out.

Itsuki looked around in disbelief.

How?

Just… how?

Corrin tried to raise his voice again, but he couldn't be heard over the din of everyone's voices.

There was no Naofumi there. More importantly, there was no Mirellia.

The politics of this world were at least ten times worse than in their own. Lapis had the influence and the neutrality to bring many different countries together. But in the end, their leader just didn't have the voice or the authority to bring many different minds together the way Naofumi and Mirellia or Werner could.

Itsuki clenched his fists to the point of them turning white. He suddenly felt very tempted to pull out his Cursed Bow again. Only, he'd use its ability to brainwash everyone there so they'd actually be smart.

Even if he'd promised Naofumi and Rishia he wouldn't. Even if he'd feel more terrible than he already did.

The situation was too far gone for normal measures to be considered.

Not to mention… he really did not like that Harpoon Guy whatsoever.

But before he could think on it more, or even ponder on the consequences that his actions would most certainly bring, the Label minister, who'd been silent so far, stood up with a communication ofuda active in his hand. "L-LABEL IS UNDER ATTACK!"

The arguments going on all over the room were instantly silenced.

The Mirror Country, or Mikikage's minister suddenly pointed at Kizuna and her group. "It's them! It has to be! This was all a ruse to-"

However, a communication ofuda went off on her belt. She grumbled and pulled it out. "What the hell is it?!"

"..."

"..."

The delegate's face drained of all color. "What?"

…

…

After a moment, she sat, the ofuda suddenly turning off. "What's wrong!? What happened!?" Corrin asked.

…

"Mikikage's Capital… is under attack…"

"What?! By whom!?" The King of Lapis pressed.

"... by the Book Hero and his forces." The woman spoke out shakily.

---

"Greetings, Mirror Hero."

"Who the f- oh, it's you."

The Book Hero stood in the doorway of the Mirror Hero's room. His weapon clutched in the grip of his freshly-made right hand. It shook and trembled every so often, so he kept it pressed close against the side of his body to make it less obvious.

Even though he'd managed to make a perfect replacement for his body using the homunculi technology, it still had issues cooperating with the rest of his body. It made no sense, and the Book Hero was still trying to figure out the cause for his arm's flaws in responding to his commands.

His most prevailing theory was that it was because of his soul. Which, while doing some experiments, he'd found that the right arm of it was missing too. Apparently, that sword bastard hadn't only cut off part of his physical body. That blade was capable of cutting through souls too.

Had the Sword Hero hit him somewhere like the neck… reincarnator powers or not, there was no way he would have come back from that. Kyo would have been permadead.

Thoughts for later. He supposed. There was something more important that he was here for.

...

The man standing opposite of Kyo narrowed his eyes in confusion before running his hand through his long flocks of ebony hair in annoyance.

"Are you going to just stand there? Get on with it. What do you want from me? I was about to go to sleep." The mirror hero scoffed in annoyance before turning away from Kyo to glance at his bed.

"Oh, don't worry. I won't stick around for long. I have important things to attend to as well." Kyo spoke quietly, his spectacles reflecting the light from a magic lamp that was set on a nearby table. "I just dropped by to get something cleared up."

"Speak then. Your presence here is annoying. You know we aren't supposed to interact with each other." The mirror hero sighed before facing the Book Hero again.

"I heard an interesting rumor recently." Kyo continued. "That Kiz-, that the Hunting Tools hero is back. And that she had apparently been trapped in The Infinite Labyrinth, ever since she had disappeared. And..."

There was a quiet sound of straining flesh as Kyo's grip on his book tightened. "...that it was you who put her there all those years ago."

"..."

The Mirror Hero didn't react at first. But soon, his gaunt face slowly widened into a smug smirk and he crossed his arms on his chest. "Jealous?"

Kyo didn't respond to that. His face remained oddly expressionless as the Mirror Hero continued speaking. "Are you mad that I stole your kill? Is that what this is about? Save your bitching, I know you said that she was yours to take care of, but it was too perfect of an opportunity to pass up. The little bitch had shipwrecked into our country without any of her allies to help her out. It was almost too easy for me to capture her."

"I was actually planning to kill her outright at first, but one of the bosses stepped in and ordered me to imprison her instead. They said that the waves would be starting soon and that they wanted to try out some new experimental shows for their audience, or some %^&*.

"Like, having only three heroes available to fight the waves would shake things up a bit. Would make the world subjugation go by faster too. My guess is that whoever they're making this circus for has gotten a shorter attention span. Or maybe they just want some insurance this time, in case the local hicks decide to reroll their $%^&ty hero gacha again after the other three get killed. Can't do that if one of the heroes is still alive."

"I tried to argue against it at first, because, god damn, that little bitch was so annoying. But you know what our bosses are like. Oh well, seeing the look of despair on her face when I threw her in that Labyrinth was pretty satisfying too. And in hindsight, it turned out to be the right call, since the other three Heroes are so pathetically weak. Had that bitch not been missing, I have no doubt that the locals would have killed them themselves and tried to summon a new batch again.

"Too bad she managed to escape though. I still can't believe that idiot Kazuki allowed her to get away. Then again, he's somehow an even bigger loser than you are, so it really shouldn't be surprising."

"Yes...how...unfortunate…" Kyo replied, a small scowl forming on his face.

The book hero slowly reached out behind him with his hand and closed the door to the room that they were in. Outside, the two guards who'd stood at the door earlier laid dead in growing pools of their own blood.

"No worries. We'll recapture her soon enough." The Mirror Hero waved his hand dismissively. "I already have a few ideas actually. But this time, I'll make sure to imprison her somewhere else. A place that she'll never be able to escape from this time." Albert continued to rant with a wicked smirk.

"And to make it extra foolproof, I'll be sure to cut off her arms and legs this time. Maybe even that nasty tongue of hers too so she can't yell and cuss at me when I put her in her place on all fours. At least then she'll have had some use, and I bet the bosses would be quite pleased with me breaking her like that. Maybe I'll even get a new cheat skill as a reward and-"

Albert, the Hero of the Vassal Mirror, was so engrossed in his daydream that he never noticed Kyo slowly walking up to him. The book hero's new hand shot out and wrapped around his throat, cutting him off.

"Hurk- what are you-"

The Vassal Book was driven into the gaunt man's face like a mace with more force than it had any right to have. Several of his teeth flew out of his mouth and fell on the floor with a clatter before Kyo let go of the mirror hero's throat. The ebony-haired man collapsed on the floor with a wheeze, desperately trying to pull out his own weapon in a daze. But Kyo stomped on his hand hard, gluing it to the floor and pulverizing his fingers.

Albert screamed out in agony but it was immediately cut short as Kyo drove his book into his face again. And again.

And again.

The Mirror Hero tried to resist, then protest, then demand answers as to why Kyo was doing this to him. But eventually, he started to cry and begged for him to stop.

But the Book Hero didn't stop. Without letting out so much as a single grunt, he continued to smash his Vassal Book into Albert's body over and over and over like a hammer.

Finally, he stopped. Kyo's clothing, weapon and even glasses were completely drenched in blood and beneath him laid the broken and battered body of his associate letting out weak gurgling noises and wheezing breaths.

Albert tried to speak again but only a pathetic weak gasp came out of his crushed throat. He had no way to form words anymore as his jaw had been shattered.

Kyo reached toward one of the bottles on his belt, raised it to his lips, and bit down on its cork. He pulled it free and spat it out before spilling the contents of the potion vial down on the brutalized mess of flesh and bones on the floor.

Albert hissed as the potion poured on his wounds. He saw his health bar rapidly going back up but something felt wrong. Even though his health was recovering, the way that his body was healing was all wrong. His ruptured organs either stayed outside his body, attaching themselves to his skin like leeches or fused together into an incomprehensible new form that brought him even more agony than what the brutal beating by Kyo's hands had.

His crushed bones pulled themselves together, piercing and tearing through his own flesh as they rearranged themselves in ways that were unnatural, with many of them jutting out of his body like spikes.

He screamed and screamed but could do nothing but convulse on the floor in agony until his health bar had finally gotten topped up.

And then, Kyo struck him again. The beating resumed with the same intensity as before and just as Albert was about to die again, Kyo fed him another one of his mystery potions and healed him up before continuing the beating.

The cycle continued seemingly endlessly. With Albert's body growing more and more mutilated with each beating, to the point where he no longer resembled anything resembling a human being.

The Mirror Hero did not fear death. For people like them it was only a minor setback. But Kyo knew this since he was one of them too. And now, Albert did not fear death so much as he yearned for it. To escape the hell that his own body was putting him through.

The endless cycle only came to a stop when a buzzing noise came from Kyo's jacket.

The blood dripped from the Vassal Book as it stopped midswing. Whatever expression that Kyo held in that moment was a mystery as his glasses and face were completely drenched in blood along with the rest of his body.

He let out a deep shuddering breath as his grip on his book weakened a little. He began to rapidly snap his fingers with his free hand while muttering to himself.

"...nine...eight...seven..."

He slowly, stiffly turned around and pulled out a handkerchief from his weapon's gem and spent a minute cleaning his gloves and glasses all the while the annoying buzz continued to ring from his jacket.

Finally, he threw the handkerchief on the floor and pulled out a small wooden box from his jacket that was the source of the noise. He flipped it open, revealing a communication Ofuda stored within before raising it up to the side of his face like a phone.

"Yes, Yomogi, what is it?"

"Kyo? Are you okay? You took so long to answer."

"I'm alright. Just a little busy. What'd you need?"

"Mikikage's forces are crumbling. And Label's Capital is putting up very little resistance. We should have complete control of both cities soon." The female voice spoke from the ofuda again. "What's the next step?"

"... proceed as planned. Burn Mikikage's Capital to the ground. And then rally our forces to the Hourglass at Label to subjugate the rest of the country, I'll be there soon to direct things myself after that. I just have one last loose end to take care of."

"Understood… but… Kyo, are you really alright? You sound… tense." The girl on the other end asked again.

"...Yomogi, you're nagging again." Kyo answered evasively.

"Ah! You're right, sorry." The girl on the other side of the Ofuda sounded embarrassed.

The book hero sighed. "Stop being such a worrywart and focus on the mission instead. I'll join you in a bit."

"... alright. Just… please take care of yourself, Kyo. I know your arm still hurts, even though you say it doesn't." The ofuda shut off after that.

...how annoying. His wound was nothing. Compared to the state of the man beneath him that is.

The potion he'd developed while torturing Kazuki had worked surprisingly well. It not only healed a person's health, but mutated the victim's body in ways that'd keep them alive while torturing them at the same time.

"...w…h…y…" Albert, despite the horrifying state that he was in, spoke out again. His lone remaining eye rolled over with tremendous effort to look at his supposed comrade.

"Why am I doing this, you mean?" Kyo's tone turned dry and professional. Oddly lacking the pride and arrogance he'd come to be known for. "Well, I've been thinking that it's about time one of us took control of this world directly instead of relying on all this cloak and dagger nonsense. And I'm not really one for sharing the spotlight with a 'loser' such as yourself." The Book Hero dryly chuckled as he moved towards the door with the Mirror Hero in tow, who was now wrapped painfully in a cluster of pages.

"That's what I'll be telling the bosses anyway. But if you really want to know why…" Kyo leaned down and whispered something into what was probably once Albert's ear in a deadly quiet tone.

The Mirror Hero's remaining eye widened, and his thrashing began anew. However, he wasn't strong enough to break his bindings.

"Oh, don't worry. It won't be so bad. You won't be alone at least. You'll be joining our good friend Kazuki. Though, don't expect him to be much of a conversationalist. Getting your soul shredded and put back together again and again tends to do that to people as I've come to find out." Kyo grinned.

After all, there was only one thing reincarnators like them truly feared more than damage to their body.

"ah...hah...ahhhh" Albert breathed in as much as he could into his ruined lungs.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

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Author's Notes:

Yeah. I think I'll end the chapter there. It almost kills me how I can't flat-out say everything that's happening or mention details only those who've read the LNs will know. Though with the things introduced and changed, even some of that might not be recognizable for later readers.

One thing that's unchanged though, is how crappy the political situation in Kizuna's world is compared to Naofumi's world. This is because of a multitude of factors. One main reason is that there's no Mirellia figure here to be a voice of reason to get nations to come together and work together. Another is that, yeah, people really don't like Kizuna. And it's for the stupid reason of being 'useless' against stupid people. Which is so stupid and yet those people exist in real life so it's actually pretty realistic. When Heroes are prized for their strength as tools instead of as religious figures, that tends to bring about a different mindset.

The last reason will be more than obvious to those who've read the second Otherworld Arc from the Light Novels and recognize who else was at the Conference besides the Cardinal Heroes.

Here's a hint: Kyo, Albert, and Trash aren't the only reincarnators in prominent positions of power in Kizuna's world.

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Hero Clips!

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Best out of ?

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"Best out of Two-Hundred and Twenty-One!"

"Best out of Two-Hundred and Twenty-Three!"

"Best out of Two-Hundred and Twenty-Five!"

The scene playing out before everyone was… something, to say the least.

"Daitan, please, stop this nonsense. I just want to eat." Akane groaned as she put her hands to her face.

"Itsuki, please, you don't have to keep humoring him." Kizuna tried to get her friend to stop.

"I'll stop when he stops." Itsuki said through gritted teeth.

"Ditto to you, cheater!" Daitan loudly proclaimed.

Itsuki flipped him so hard for that comment that he not only smashed his fist through the table but also partially buried the other hero in a sizable indent in the cafe's floor.

"Noooooooooooo!" Hoshi cried at the property damage he'd now have to pay to fix.

However, Daitan was back up again within seconds, grinning like a madman. Since the table was destroyed, they had to continue their game on the ground.

"Best out of Two-Hundred and Twenty-Seven!"

"Best out of Two-Hundred and Twenty-Nine!"

…

The group eventually fell asleep watching, and the next morning they awoke for the Conference. Only…

"Best out of 9023!"

"Best out of 9025!"

"Best out of 9027!"

"They're… still… going…" Kizuna groaned.

"Well, only one of them really is." Glass observed.

Itsuki let out a light snore in his sleep. One hand was holding his head up while the other stayed up in position in front of him. Having grown so bored and used to the movement that he was beating the Blunt Weapons Hero even in his sleep.

It was really sad, and probably really uncomfortable too. But Daitan hadn't given up yet!

"Best out of 9035!"

"Best out of 9037!"

"Best out of 9039!"

"I'm surprised he's able to count so high." Akane eventually admitted at the sight. At least the manlet wasn't a total dumbo.

And thus the cycle repeated till the end of time… or at least until Daitan passed out from exhaustion too.

Though, seeing what Itsuki was doing, it was probable it would have gone on even after they were both asleep.

It was the game that would never end.

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Till Next Time

Allen