The Rising of the Shield Hero Vol 09

by Aneko Yusagi

  He was surrounded by Spirit Tortoise Familiars (neo-guardian type).

  He ’d been waiting for us . . . with an army.

  Chapter Ten: When Trust is Lost

  “You break into my lab and mess with my things! You’re like snakes.”

  “That means a lot coming from you.”

  “Ha! You’re a persistent fool, aren’t you? Very annoying.”

  “Again, you take the words right out of my mouth.”

  He was annoyed? I was annoyed. I didn’t want to waste any more of my life on this guy!

  “You don’t seem to understand how much trouble you’ve made. I’ve come to make sure that you do!”

  “Ha! You and your pals are all from a world that is going to be destroyed regardless! I just made good use of it before the inevitable. You should be grateful!”

  “No. I won’t let anyone destroy Naofumi’s world, not while I’m around. Give back what you’ve stolen,” Kizuna said, stepping forward.

  “Well, well. If it isn’t the grand entrance of our long-missing holy hero!”

  “Yeah, Glass and— Well, wouldn’t we all be in trouble if we lost the holy heroes, or the vassal weapons? Who would protect our world from the waves? If you really think that you’re fighting for our world, then you won’t hurt us.”

  If everyone ’s theories were correct, then the world couldn’t afford to lose its heroes. That doesn’t mean that he couldn’t hurt us though.

  “There will still be three holy heroes left after I get rid of you. We should be fine. Just think of all the research I’ve done on behalf of this world. Once you understand the waves, they aren’t so bad. It’s just an update—an update!”

  What the hell was this guy talking about ?! I ’d always heard that we couldn’t let any of the heroes die. The heroes in Kizuna’s world worked the same way, or so I’d been told. Were we wrong?

  “Kyo!” Yomogi shouted and stepped forward. “Is it true that you took control of another world’s protective beast and used it to destroy?”

  “Huh ?! ” Kyo barked, glaring at Yomogi.

  “And did you steal that beast’s energy and come back here? Did you do this to the vassal weapon holder? Did you turn his friends into monsters ?! ”

  “Oh enough already! Give it a rest, will you?”

  “Kyo !? ”

  “Don’t try and instruct me! I always said that you never knew when to shut up, didn’t I? Do you think you’re my mother? Just because we’ve known each other for a while doesn’t mean you’re my wife! ” Kyo shouted at Yomogi, like a dam had burst.

  The color drained from her face as she listened to him berate her.

  “You’re always so damn annoying! I thought giving you that exploding weapon and sending you on an assassination mission would finally be enough, but now you’ve brought these people right into my lab! You’re such a bitch!”

  “You . . . but . . . so these women, these friends of the man with the vassal weapon . . . or of that scientist from another land . . . why did you turn them into monsters? Why did . . .”

  “What am I supposed to do with another guy’s used goods? Sure, if some of them wanted to come over to my side, I could have looked the other way.”

  Used goods? I could hardly believe my ears. He couldn ’t like a woman that had been with someone else?

  “It’s good to see your face again though, Yomogi, don’t worry. When they kill you, I’ll be sure to exact revenge! Everything will be fine!”

  Yomogi shook with rage. She ’d believed in him for so long, hearing him say these things must have been devastating.

  “It seems I was mistaken about you. I should never have trusted you.”

  “Huh? You’re going to kill me know, just because I didn’t say what you wanted to hear? You’re sick! I’m nothing like what you want me to be!”

  The more he spoke, the more I hated him. He really knew how to get you in a bad mood.

  Yomogi had truly cared for him, worried about him, tried to correct his path when he went off course—and now he was calling her a bitch?

  If she was a bitch, then this guy was seriously screwed up.

  He was trash, below trash—the scum of the earth. He was the male version of my arch-nemesis , Bitch .

  This piece of crap had snuffed out Ost and her mission. I was so filled with rage I could hardly think straight.

  Yomogi drew her katana and pointed it at Kyo.

  “You think you stand chance against me? Really? I’m a genius!”

  “It’s not about winning or losing. I must make up for being misled, for believing a lie and doubting the truth. I must do it for myself. I must see you punished!” Yomogi turned back to face the rest of us. “Kizuna and your friends, and those of you from another world, please, lend me your strength. We must stop Kyo!”

  “You don’t have to ask me twice! That’s why we came,” Kizuna said.

  “Exactly. Enough talk! Let’s get this over with. A victory tinged with regret for our past missteps—what better way to take this jerk out?”

  Sure, there were people like him in the world—people that grated on you every time they opened their mouths. Anytime you gave them the opportunity to speak, you ’d regret it. In a way, he reminded me of the other three heroes. Why did my enemies all share these traits? It was still a mystery to me.

  But I knew one thing: there was no reason to let this jerk mouth off anymore. There was only one thing left for us to do. Make him pay!

  “What? Well, you’ll see for yourself soon enough. This is the end of you all!” Kyo held out his hand, and all the homunculi, along with Albert and Trash #2, rushed to attack us. At the same time, the book in his hand slapped open, and its pages flapped out and flew around the room.

  “Aim for the one in the back!” Kyo shouted, jabbing a finger at Rishia.

  “More and more, every time you speak, I lose more patience. I cannot tolerate you any longer!” Rishia shouted.

  What now? It was like something snapped in her. Her voice boomed over the chaotic room, like the hero of a story, if there ever was one. I’m going to start calling her “protagonist.”

  If only she could figure out how to act like this all the time.

  When Rishia got excited like this, she was actually pretty useful in battle. I mean, she didn ’t have a vassal weapon, but she had really impressed me during the last battle with Kyo.

  “Shooting Star Shield!”

  “Is that your only skill?” Kyo laughed viciously.

  “It’s a pretty good one.”

  “That flimsy thing won’t do you much good. Hope you have a better plan than that!”

  “How’s this?”

  Albert, Trash #2, and the homunculi shattered the barrier, but its pieces remained floating in the air.

  “Raphtalia!”

  “Yes!” she shouted, drawing her katana.

  “Oh! You might be fast, but how far do you think you can make it?”

  “What makes you think she needs to go anywhere?”

  Raphtalia understood what I meant without having to hear it. When the haikuikku activated, she immediately used the speed to cast a spell.

  That ’s right—she could use the speed for things besides sword attacks.

  “Drifa Light!” she shouted, casting the spell on the floating barrier chards.

  “Rafu!”

  Oh Raph-chan cast a spell too, and she got the timing just right.

  The light flashed over the barrier shards that everyone was focused on, and it was so bright that Trash #2, Albert, and the homunculi were blinded.

  “Heh. Is that it?”

  “Just wait.”

  The shining fragments spun around the room as I raised my shield.

  It left the perfect opening for my team.

  They say the beginning of a battle is the most important part, don ’t they?

  Kizuna and Glass were the first ones to make use of the opening Raphtalia and I made.

  “Double Lure Hook !”
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  Kizuna hit Albert with her skill that doubled future damage, and Glass took a sip of soul-healing water before using her own skill. She used a powerful, fire-based attack.

  “Circle Dance Empty Formation: Moon Break!”

  Her fan split in two, and she held a half in each hand. Bringing them together over her head she traced out the shape of a full moon, then forcefully brought the fans down.

  “Moon . . . Verse!” Albert shouted, as if not wanting to be outdone.

  But Glass was much faster.

  Her attack met his, tore through it, and kept on going. It slammed into Albert, nearly tearing his shoulder clean off.

  “Careful, there! I still have plans for this guy!”

  Some pages flew from Kyo ’s book and fluttered over to Albert, where they attached to his shoulder and pulled it up and back onto his torso. Reconnected, he was bathed in a green light.

  It must have been some sort of healing spell.

  “I’m not going to get outdone by Kiddo and Kizuna! Therese, let’s go!”

  “Okay!”

  L ’Arc’s scythe flashed and turned into pure energy, while Therese cast and activated a support spell.

  “Shining Stones! Exploding Thunder Rain!”

  It was one of her best spells.

  What? Rishia held up her short sword and filled it with magic.

  “Combo Skill! Electric Disc!”

  “Hyaaaa!”

  Resonating with L ’Arc, Rishia quickly slashed her sword horizontally and neatly slipped it into its sheath.

  Enormous discs of electric energy shot from L ’Arc’s energy scythe, and Rishia’s attack followed behind, absorbing the trailing energy and . . . no, it fed the trailing energy back into the rotating disk as it slammed into the crowd of homunculi crowded before Kyo.

  The attack was so powerful that it blasted their limbs off.

  “My turn!” Filo shouted.

  “Wait—you’re on magic support duty. Use your humming fairy songs to back us up. Do you have a song that can speed up magic cast time?”

  “Um . . . I’ll try a song I know!” she said, turning into her humming falcon form and flying over to rest on my shoulder.

  I thought Kyo would have a snarky comment for us, but instead he realized that Filo was up to something, and he glared at us spitefully.

  I was casting Zweite Aura over and over.

  I felt like it was getting easier to cast the spell without thinking too hard.

  I don ’t know how to explain it in game terms, but it felt like my throat was more open and clear, like the incantation just slipped from it easily and activated the spell.

  “Gahhh!”

  Raphtalia sliced through the crowd of monstrous homunculi. And whenever Kizuna or Glass left an opening for follow-up attacks, Yomogi rushed in to take advantage.

  I was impressed by their coordination.

  “You idiots all have to work together, huh? Cause you’re too weak to do anything on your own!”

  “You like to pick fights because you have no friends to work together with.”

  “Shut your mouth!”

  “You first! If I hurt your feelings, why not call for some of your monster women?”

  We were like children fighting. Oh well, that’s the sort of thing that happened in fights like these. Then again, we were fighting for our lives—this wasn’t playground fisticuffs.

  “Oh that’s right. You didn’t want to bring the women over because you were afraid they’d turn on you once they figured out what you were really like. Just like Yomogi.”

  “Shut up!”

  Still, I was glad the women weren ’t here. They would just make more trouble and more casualties—both of which I’d rather avoid.

  We had a lot to worry about. If the enemy ’s numbers were too large, and if they acted with a lot of coordination, they might be able to attack in ways we wouldn’t be able to handle. Then again, the women might figure things out and turn on Kyo mid-battle, which is probably why he didn’t involve them in this.

  Maybe they just weren ’t powerful enough to be much use to him—though with those crazy weapons, they might have been a threat.

  Maybe he was trying to keep them from getting hurt, and he was really a feminist like Motoyasu.

  Doubtful, considering that he called them used goods just because they ’d been with someone else. I guess he only cared about his own women.

  “Okay, so how about I show you some of those same attacks you saw back in the Spirit Tortoise’s core chamber? Or, actually, a lot has happened since then, so I’ll have some new variations to show off. Let’s see how long you can survive!”

  “Survive? Ha! How stupid are you? Did you forget that we already beat you once ?! ”

  Kyo opened his book and began to cast a spell. A mandala-like pattern appeared on the ground around him.

  Suddenly, I felt an enormous, invisible pressure, forcing us to the ground.

  I ’d seen this before, the last time we fought Kyo—his obstruction attack.

  “You don’t have many ways to get around this, do you ?! ”

  He was right about that. Having crossed between worlds, we were a little weaker than the last time. Enduring this gravity attack took all the strength I had. I don ’t think the Demon Dragon Shield was powerful enough.

  “That same attack, again? We were weak when we met in the last world, but you know that we are back at full power now, right?”

  “It’s a little heavy, but not near enough to stop me from moving. Did you really think that would be enough to stop us?” Kizuna said.

  Glass and Kizuna kept approaching Kyo, attacking whatever was in their way. Of course, Kizuna was just supporting attacks.

  When they got near a homunculus, she ’d hit it with Double Lure Hook. Then Glass would slice the monster in two.

  I was impressed. Kyo ’s spell really didn’t seem to affect them the way that it had back in the battle inside the Spirit Tortoise. It had been devastating then, but I guess it was because Glass and the others were weakened after crossing over to our world.

  Still, past victory didn ’t ensure that we would come out on top this time.

  “I knew you’d say that!”

  Liar! Did he think I wouldn ’t notice how surprised he looked?

  The pattern on the floor around him grew larger and brighter.

  Hm . . . I could feel the power in the room, like it was filling with the Spirit Tortoise’s energy.

  “Ugh . . .”

  I cast Shooting Star Shield, and the barrier broke immediately. The shattered pieces flew at Kyo, but they fell to the floor before reaching him.

  Just how strong was this gravity field of his? Was it going to crush us to death?

  Now Glass and Kizuna were forced to take a knee.

  “Aha! This world’s heroes and vassal weapon holders, I’d forgotten all about you. You’re all so weak, I can’t tell you apart.”

  Everyone on our side of the battle was forced to the ground. We put both hands flat on the floor and were straining to climb to our feet.

  “Ughhh!”

  Even Filo fell from my shoulder and struggled to stand against the gravity field.

  The homunculi didn ’t seem to have any trouble at all, which made me think Kyo was able to control who was affected by his spell. What could be worse?

  “Ugh . . . I can’t move.”

  Kyo turned to focus on Kizuna and Glass.

  “Looks like this is going to be over even faster than I thought. Are you really going to lose right now ?! To my very first attack? Ha!”

  If there was any time to cast a spell, this was it. I could use a skill or two during the incantation.

  “Air Strike, Second, Dritte Shield!”

  I quickly called for shields to materialize and protect us from the wild attacks of the homunculi, Albert, and Trash #2.

  Under the weight of the gravity attack, they weren ’t going to stay in place for very long. Their defense was higher tha
n Shooting Star Shield’s barrier, so they were holding—at least for a little while.

  “Your struggles are worthless!”

  “You sure about that? Change Shield!”

  The shields were already taking a battering, so there was only one thing left for me to do. I ’d change them to the shield I had equipped—the Demon Dragon Shield. It had an equip effect called C Demon Bullet.

  C was short for “counter attack,” so I assumed it meant that the shield would fire a magical bullet whenever it was attacked.

  The shields instantly transformed, were hit by attacks, and began to fire magical demon bullets at the enemy.

  “?! ”

  The bullets were made of magic, so the gravity field didn ’t affect them.

  They flew in every direction, slamming into the enemies and into the mandala pattern on the ground.

  The mandala flickered, and it s effect on the gravity field in the room weakened—that was our chance!

  “Heh, I’m impressed. I’ll have to make a note of that one.”

  “Don’t get too haughty! Chain Shield!”

  Chains shot from the shield, linking all the shields together. Then they spun around the room, entangling Trash #2 and the homunculi.

  “Now!”

  “Yes!”

  Raphtalia drew her charged katana, activating the haikuikku state and using it for a skill.

  “Double Lure Hook !”

  Kizuna didn ’t let the opportunity slip by—she hit the enemy with Double Lure Hook, which would double the damage from the next attack.

  “Nice work, Kiddo! Let’s go, Therese!”

  “Yes!”

  Lightning struck his scythe again.

  “Combo Skill! Electric Disc!”

  L ’Arc and Therese teamed up and used a combo skill to follow Kizuna’s attack.

  The disk shot over the battlefield, and Raphtalia dashed to follow it. Just before the disk collided with the enemy, she shouted a skill name.

  “Instant Blade! Mist!”

  It was Raphtalia's most powerful attack, the same one that had killed Trash #2 the first time.

  L ’Arc’s electric flying disk crackled with energy—it was their strongest combo skill.

  “Gahhh!”

  Trash #2 and the homunculi were sliced to pieces and electrocuted at the same time.