I don't own anything. All characters and all rights belong to Natsume Akatsuki*

M for mature topics. No children allowed. *

Konosuba (Not): Thanatos Blessing Upon This Broken World

By Try Another Time

The armor before her shines as bright as the scales of the monster they slay for the materials used in its creation. Every inch of the lustrous creation seemed to have been made just for her, as it also held the symbol that had accompanied her for a long time.

As Darkness touched the silver lion that rested on the armor's chest, she couldn't help but smile.

"I must say that this has been the most curious work I have ever done. The materials were already some of the rarest I ever got my hand off, and the fact that I didn't need to complete one arm made it even more strange, but I guess that arm would have gotten in the way of your mechanic arm. Wiz is the only person that possesses such talent when it comes to relic limbs." The giant lady in charge of the smithy said as she took another sip from her cold drink. "Try it out. Is yours after all, and I would like to know if there's any need for adjustments."

The team felt like ants before her impressive height and shop size.

"Right." Darkness started to put her new armor on with little to no difficulty, as each piece fit every corner of her body without obstructing her movement.

"Let me help." Kazuma said as he grabbed a few pieces and started to help Darkness by placing them where they went.

"Thanks." Darkness replies as she continues to put the armor on.

As they approached each other, each piece seemed to magically connect, eliminating any gaps that an enemy could have used against Darkness.

"Don't forget the headpiece. No proper tank should go around without having something to protect their heads. I considered your vision, so I asked a mage to enchant it." The lady said as she admired her work. "Look at you, one of my finest works."

Once it was fully on, Darkness seemed to resemble a lion knight as her headpiece and armor continued to follow the pattern of the bright silver lion on the chest piece. Even her long golden ponytail seemed to match the aesthetic, as it almost seemed like the missing tail of the entire set.

"I can see anywhere without issue. It almost seemed as if I wasn't wearing any headpiece. I can't thank you enough for this." Darkness said as she spun around to test the armor's freedom of movement.

Princesses would be excited about a beautiful dress, but Darkness was utterly charmed by her new armor.

"How much do we owe you for this?" Kazuma asks as he pulls out his storage bag.

The old lady smirks. "Oh, aren't you excited to pay? Worthy of a proper man. Paying for the lady's wares. I'll charge you one gold coin for the entire work, and I offer free repairs. You brought me all the needed materials, and I can't be a lousy businesswoman with such an essential agent of our organization."

"I feel it should be far more for such an amazing job, but I won't object," Kazuma says as he pays for the armor before he turns his attention to the rest of the team. "Anything you'll want for yourselves?"

Megumin continued to look at the light chainmails that hung from the walls. "Yunyun and I could use new chainmail. Extra protection won't hurt anyone."

Yunyun nods. "If this chainmail is enchanted, we could prevent many future challenges."

The giant lady nods. "We can fix that. My partner could place any enchantments you need on the chainmail. Do keep in mind there's a limit of three per chainmail. Too many enchantments can reduce the durability of the item." Her eyes glance at Darkness. "Her armor has at least 12 and not one more. It is a great piece, but even great pieces have limits."

"I see, Megumin, Yunyun, put your orders in." Kazuma's eyes then turn to Aqua and Irene. "Sadly, none of us have that freedom. Our equipment is fixed, and there is no way of changing it."

Aqua sighs. "We're stuck with our equipment, and maybe it is for the best. I doubt we'll have to worry about it being broken."

"Ciel won't approve of any other armor taking its place, and I doubt any armor could match its durability," Irene claims as she pats her sword.

The blacksmith lady chuckles. "I'd love to have the ability to recreate such a fantastic relic, but even I have a limit in terms of my talent."

Kazuma raises an eyebrow. "How difficult are we talking in terms of replicating her sword and its abilities?"

"Nearly impossible." The giant says as she points her finger at the blade. "We tried looking into its secrets, but that blade is a one-of-a-kind relic. A blade like no other that uses the magic of its wielder to power its systems. The team behind its development must have worked on it for decades and likely met many walls. A blade with a mind of its own which is also capable of supporting its user in many ways, such as increasing their senses, creating an armor that fits the user, and even aiding the user in unlocking their full potential. Only users with high magical capacities and excellent bodies can wield such a blade. If a user lacks any of the two, they won't be able to use it, and to add salt to the injury, it has bound itself to Irene. As long as Irene is alive, nobody else can wield it."

"Amazing." Kazuma turns to face the weapon. "Ciel, can't you reveal your secrets to the Black Daggers?"

"... I can't reveal my creator's blueprints. They made me as a one of a one-of-a-kind weapon and told me never to allow other copies to be created. I must remain as the only relic of my kind. I respect the desires of my creators since they sacrificed a lot, including many years of their precious lives, to create me." Ciel says.

"I see. I won't push it. Feel proud, Irene. I doubt anyone will inherit Ciel and the blade after yourself. Coincidences such as this don't happen so regularly." Kazuma says.

Irene smiles as she caresses the blade. "I know. I'd been fortunate to have such an amazing relic as my partner. I doubt I could have reached this point without Ciel's aid."

"I do also appreciate having you as my partner, Irene. I was sealed inside the castle for ages, waiting for someone who was my adequate partner."

Everyone else present felt a bit touched by the connection between the sword and its owner, although it was still a bit weird.

"Alright, I think that's all we needed to take care of for today in terms of equipment. Megumin, Yunyun, put your orders in. Let's wrap it up. I am feeling a bit hungry." Kazuma says before he turns to face Darkness. "Time to take it off."

Darkness takes her headpiece off. "Sure, but I will need some help. Putting armor on is far easier than taking it off without help."

The giant lady chuckles. "I'll try to develop something to aid with the armor. I want to create a system that fixes that issue." Her fingers point at Kazuma. "That mysterious armor of yours has grabbed my attention since the beginning."

Kazuma, who was wearing a pair of long black pants and a matching dark-colored long-sleeve shirt, scratched his head. "Sorry, I don't think my armor can be replicated but I do hope you come up with something for Darkness."

And so their morning continued within the Black Dagger base until an arrival threw everything into a rather difficult situation.

Less than an hour later.

The team stood at the side of Chris and many other agents as they patiently waited for the elevator to reach their floor.

"Will she remember me? Maybe she forgot after so long." Darkness seemed tense as she played with her fingers.

"The proud lioness has a weakness? Never thought I'd see that." Aqua remarks with a smirking expression.

Kazuma delivers a quick karate chop to the head of his partner. "Stop with the teasing. This must mean a lot for her. Wiz was the one that saved her and gave her a relic arm to replace her old one."

"Doubt that's the case. Wiz does have a good memory. Far too good for her own good. She remembers everything to a t. Be it relics or people, she remembers everything she has seen or learned." Irene says.

"You should be far more worried than Darkness, Irene. Those two are also coming back today. They will have a thousand questions for you. Your dearest guardians will want answers." Chris jokes.

Irene turns to her with a scared expression. "...What did you tell them?"

Chris chuckles as she sees the expression on Irene's face. "Nothing much besides that you decided to join Kazuma's team."

"... You told them something else, didn't you? Your tone doesn't hide your intentions. You likely told them a lie about me." Irene says as her eyes flare up.

Megumin watches this reaction with confusion. "What is she scared about?"

"I didn't think Irene would be scared about anything." Yunyun thought for herself.

Before they had time to continue with their antics, the elevator finally appeared. The conversations stopped as the elevator approached the end of its descent. As soon as the door opened, several figures came into view. All took their masks off as they bowed to Chris before they rushed to meet their significant others.

"Shit," Irene said as she met the cold gazes of her two guardians.

Claire and Rain exited the elevator without saying a single word. Each possessed prosthetics like Darkness after losing some body parts while protecting Irene long ago.

"Hi…." Irene said as the two older females stopped before her.

"..." Neither said a word.

"Welcome home….." Irene continues as she gulps under her breath.

"..." Both remain silent before they lunge forward to embrace the child they care about.

"We miss you, princess." Claire began.

"We apologize for not being present to receive you." Rain adds.

"... I'm happy to see you alive and well," Irene admits as she hugs them back.

"Even you have people to go back to." Darkness thinks before her eyes are drawn to a single figure who is the last to exit the elevator. Her brown hair is short yet long enough to cover her left eye while an ahoge moves from one side to the other. Upon closer look, Darkness notices how a broken black mask lays beneath her hair as it tries to hide something.

Her smile is gentle, yet her expression seems as if she is tired.

A white cat, which was wearing a mysterious mask, walks by her side.

"Chris, catch her before she falls." Everyone present hears a masculine voice.

Chris wastes no time as she rushes forward and catches Wiz, who tries to smile while being held in the arms of her boss.

"I'm- Cough- sorry, boss." Wiz coughs a dark liquid, which seems to be far from normal.

"Don't talk. You should have stayed back if you weren't feeling well." Chris picks her up and walks with Wiz in her arms while the white cat follows her. "Irene, go with them. The rest comes with me. It is time for another discussion."

Kazuma nods and starts to walk, but Aqua grabs his hand with visible distress.

"She's… She's… the cat…. Demons." Aqua says with a low voice that is almost impossible to hear.

Luckily, Kazuma understands, and his face turns serious as a new mystery appears before him.

Several minutes later.

The team continued to follow Chris as they descended even more into an area that seemed to be highly protected. Guards surrounded each hallway, and several high-security doors blocked access to anyone who wasn't supposed to be there.

As they crossed the doors, the team entered some kind of laboratory in which, to their surprise, demons were being kept inside test tubes while their limbs were chained.

Agents inside the lab turned their attention to them before they rushed to aid Chris with Wiz.

"Welcome to our laboratory. I'm sorry for the mess, but we didn't have the time to clean out when we left." The masculine voice says.

"Who is speaking?" Yunyun asks as she looks around.

The cat jumps onto a metallic table. "My name is Vanir."

"The cat can't talk?" Megumin asks as she approaches the mysterious cat.

Chomusuke pops from its hiding place before it hisses at the mysterious masked cat.

"No, the cat can't talk. The mask is what's doing the talking. Let me present him to you. He's Vanir, a former researcher who was present in the academy where all of this began. As you can see, he's not human anymore. Vanir was transformed into a demon." Chris says as she places Wiz into the care of the agents, who begin to strip her of her coat and boots before they put her inside a large container filled with a mysterious yellow liquid.

"... Are you serious?" Kazuma asks as he looks concerned about the whole affair. Aqua doesn't let go of his hand as she seems distressed after witnessing so many demons who seem to follow her with their eyes.

Chris nods. "We found Vanir and Wiz amongst the academy ruins after Rephilis escaped with his troops. You have concerns, I know, but I can assure you that Vanir and Wiz aren't our enemies."

"Chris, please tell me this is a joke. You're telling us that this mask." Yunyun points her finger at the black mask attached to the cat's face. "This mask is a demon?"

"My dear, I wish this wasn't the case, but reality is often disappointing. Like many others that day, my body was twisted and reshaped into its current shape against my will. I wasn't even part of that specific research, and yet I was one of the many victims that Rephilis affected with his actions. I lost my body but not my freedom to think and choose my path. I've been working with Chris and the Black Daggers since that day to find a way to undo this accursed transformation." Vanir explains. The cat licks its pats as if it has complete control of its actions, although Vanir is using it as a host.

"This…. god… " Kazuma seems to have concerns about the whole idea of a demon working with them. "Wait, you're a demon, then what about her?"

Everyone's eyes turn towards Wiz. Darkness tries to remain calm as she continues to listen to all of this.

"Wiz was part of my team back then. We were researching relics at the academy, and like me, she fell victim to the entire event that started all of this. I was turned into this mask while Wiz retained her human shape with a much worse side effect than anyone else. She's a human who is constantly eaten from the inside out by the demonic energy that causes all this. For some reason, her body rejected the transformation, but that didn't mean she escaped any side effects. That energy is slowly eroding her flesh from the inside out while slowly transforming her into a monster that could match the strength of a Lich or worse." Vanir explains.

Darkness covers her mouth as she learns this. Her eyes observe the tank with distress on her face. "This is horrible."

"That doesn't come close to the reality of this condition. I've been working on a way to undo all of this, but the best I have done has been giving her more time. I suppressed the effects of the demonic energy, but I lacked any methods that could safely remove the energy from her body. The only saving grace has been that, due to the demonic energy, her body hasn't aged a single day since that day." Vanir explains.

"It has been 100 years since this war began, and you're telling us that she has been afflicted by 'demonization' for that long?" Yunyun asks.

"I guess the term does fit the condition somehow. Wiz constantly fights against it while her humanity diminishes each day. A day inside the tank is usually enough to stabilize her, but we fear the day is no longer enough." Chris admits.

"... Have you discussed the other possibility with her? This can't be good for her. It must be akin to a nightmare for her each day. That demonic energy is like an infection that is trying to consume her." Aqua asks as she faces Chris.

Chris sighs. "Many times, but Wiz doesn't want to give up. Wiz hasn't lost hope yet. She claims that she hasn't done enough for the world and that her research into relics can prove helpful to the many races around our world. She's not ready to give up yet."

The team doesn't know what to say when facing such a complicated issue. On one hand, Wiz was in constant pain as her body was devoured. On the other hand, she holds hope for a cure. It was the perfect complicated issue with no correct answer.

"..." Kazuma drags Aqua alongside as he approaches the tank. "Eris, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear."

"Aqua?"

"... I can hear you."

"Good to know that we can do this."

"Don't get attached to it. We shouldn't be using our powers for these things. We'll draw attention from everyone else." Aqua.

"Is necessary at the moment." Eris.

"Let's not waste time. Is there anything we can do about it?" Kazuma.

"I mean, I cleansed someone's body from demon blood, but this is demon energy. As long as it has a living host, it will remain attached to it." Aqua.

"She's right. It is like a parasite that won't let go until it takes over its victim. I could test my luck by using my divine energy, but that will likely be a taboo that won't fly like Aqua's actions." Eris.

"Damn it." Kazuma looks at the tank and sees the painful expression on Wiz's face. The girl grabs her chest as the pain increases. "As long as she's alive, she won't escape this parasite…. Eris, do you trust me?"

Kazuma summons his scythe, which draws everyone's attention.

"What are you doing?" Vanir asks as he raises his tone. Fear takes over as he imagines the worst.

"What are you trying to do?" Eris.

"Forbidden resurrection. I take her life, and the energy vanishes; Aqua then tries to revive her." Kazuma.

"Wait, we don't know if it's going to work. Thanatos-sama gave you that power for your usage." Eris.

"If we don't do anything, she'll continue to suffer until she breaks. It has been too long, and we must try at least this option. I'll take responsibility for anything that happens." Kazuma.

"Are you sure about this? If this fails, there's going to be consequences." Aqua releases his hand before she summons her scepter.

"... I will. If this fails, I'll face the consequences. Eris, give the ok." Kazuma.

"... You're insane…. But I don't want to see her suffer anymore. Go ahead." Eris looks around the room. "Everyone take distance. Kazuma and Aqua will try a drastic strategy."

Everyone obeys as they distance themselves from the tank.

"What do you mean?" Vanir asks as he faces Chris.

"Ressurection," Eris answers.

Kazuma takes aim before he splits the entire tank in half with a swift attack. The liquids pour out in all directions while the reaper catches the Wiz with one of his arms.

Wiz coughs once more as her eyes meet his—the broken mask slides off to reveal the grotesque process that is eating her from within. "What… are you doing?"

"... Trying to save you from this mess. If this fails, you can curse me from the other side as much as you want." Kazuma says.

Aqua prepares the spell before she locks eyes with Kazuma.

Wiz looks deep into his eyes before she tries to offer a weak smile. "... I'll wait for you on the other side if you fail, Mr. Reaper."

Kazuma says nothing as he presses the blade of his scythe against her chest. "This will hurt."

Kazuma presses the blade down before dark energy spills out like a wild torrent while Wiz screams in pain.

Everyone covers their ears besides Aqua, Kazuma and Eris as the painful cries of Wiz echo across the room for several moments until everything grows quiet.

"Wiz?" Vanir calls out for her.

Yet no answer comes as Wiz's motionless body rests within Kazuma's arm.

Kazuma removes the scythe before he locks eyes with Aqua. "Do it."

Aqua nods as she activates the spell. Chains arise from the ground before they trap Kazuma and Wiz inside a cocoon.

The path to the afterlife.

Wiz opened her eyes in a place consumed by darkness. Everywhere she looked, only darkness was found.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her hand.

As she turned around, she was met by Kazuma.

"Let's go back, Wiz," Kazuma said.

"Things don't work like that, my dear reaper. That girl can't return to the land of the living. Her time is long past." Thanatos's voice was heard from everywhere.

"There has to be something I can do, my lord. She didn't deserve the cards that were dealt to her. I'll face the consequences, but please give her one more chance. She can still help us back in the land of the living. I plead on her behalf, my lord." Kazuma says before he kneels.

Wiz watches this with confusion as she can't make sense of everything that's happening.

"Forbidden resurrection is meant for your usage, only yours, child. You're deeply mistaken if you think that is a tool without consequences. Give me an entire year of your memories, and the girl gets her second chance."

Wiz's eyes widen after hearing the payment for her life.

"... Take them. I was ready to face the consequences." Kazuma says as he surrenders without a second doubt.

"Very well." A skeletal finger arises from the darkness before it pierces Kazuma's chest and pulls a small light sphere. "The payment has been taken. Be careful, child. Those who abuse powers such as this pay a high price in the end. Girl, you better not waste this chance that he gave you."

Back to the real world.

The chains let go of the two. Those around are silent for a few seconds until Wiz grasps for air as her body reawakens.

Everyone is amazed and cheering as Wiz comes back to life, except for Wi,z who locks eyes with Kazuma.

The reaper tries to smile at her, but Wiz can see the pain in his eyes as an entire year's worth of memories has been taken away.

Every action has a consequence, and that day, Kazuma learned one of the hardest.

No matter how much he tried, those memories weren't coming back.