3,756Start of Arc 12
Chapter Forty-One: The Creeping Shadow of GODWORLD
Tulina paused amid her stroll around Siltvelt's royal palace, looking at the statue being carved by enthralled workers next to her.
"The breasts are too small. Make them bigger." She commanded. "And do make sure the face looks good. Otherwise, you all will be punished."
There were no words from the glassy-eyed beastmen. All she got were nods in response as they continued about their work.
Tulina smiled in satisfaction as she continued down the ornate hallway. Appreciating the other statues of herself that'd been put up recently.
The newly erected statues depicted her in the most flattering ways possible. The enthralled palace staff and the city's populace had long thrown out the old ones. And it was a major improvement, in her not-so-humble opinion.
As if any normal, insane person would want to view statues of past Shield Heroes over her superior form. No, only the best would be ready for her Master when he could finally visit her here.
Things were going well for the fox woman. Her control over the Council had led her to control almost the entirety of Siltvelt by this point, whether through them and the clan heads under them, or through her expansive use of illusion magic.
She herself had no real opposition from anyone. Sure, there were still some pockets of resistance here and there on the outskirts of the nation. But she was sure they'd be crushed and that the survivors would be enthralled to her side in no time once her soldiers brought them before her as prisoners.
The truly best part Tulina enjoyed right now was that, thanks to this, she no longer had to lift a finger to do anything.
Her initial hard work of subduing and enthralling the majority of Siltvelt's ruling elite was done, meaning she could rest easy on the fruits of her labors while patiently waiting for the rest of the pieces to fall into place.
The servants who would have waited on the Claw and Shield Hero hand and foot, had they been in the palace, waited on Tulina instead. If she wanted anything from the city, it was given without question.
The old council and clan heads still handled boring meetings for bureaucracy and the like under Jaralis, her ever-useful and equally clueless pawn. Unlike most everyone else, she didn't have that lion man under her direct control.
Primarily because it was just funnier that way, here, he thought he was serving the great Shield Hero, when in reality, he was helping a fox monster to keep things running whilst unknowingly securing her more power.
It was downright hilarious to her.
Changes were made at her leisure. Siltvelt was able to run itself for the moment without her input.
Even when she was feeling hungry in a way that even her master would find distasteful, she could easily sate it. All thanks to the numerous enthralled individuals supplying her with what she needed from the country's numerous orphanages that were currently overfilled in the wake of the waves and the Spirit Tortoise's rampage.
Ever since she arrived, it had been a veritable feast every day. There are so many options and new, wondrous tastes to sample.
She would eventually cut back, lest she get too plump for her master's liking. But for now, she permitted herself to partake at her own leisure, getting drunk on her victims' despair and feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.
Obedient thralls willingly offering themselves just could not compare.
Indeed, besides her master not being there to love her, things felt blissful for the kitsune woman.
The rest of those resisting her control would soon fall to her new armies. Last she'd checked, the rebels returning from the Spirit Tortoise had already been forced to retreat from the initial forts they'd taken refuge in to hide deeper in the mountains.
Her enthralled soldiers were having problems going further after them. Supply issues and monsters and other things she couldn't be bothered to learn about were hampering their efforts. But the rest of Siltvelt's armies would soon be hers, regardless of how much they struggled.
…
"Oh?"
But then, as Tulina continued on her stroll around the palace, she was startled when her body was suddenly cast in shadow.
The very next second, she turned her head to look out the balcony towards the bright sun, and was just as suddenly blinded at its drastic reappearance.
By the time her vision readjusted, she couldn't spot whatever it'd been that'd moved in front of it.
Tulina hissed in agitation. Had it been one of those damn Shuzaku?! She had yet to sample one of them. This would be as good an excuse as any!
The fox woman focused on her connection with the Shuzaku Council member under her control (she hadn't bothered to learn any of their names, only their species). The main nodes her magic ran through to help control the outlying population were the Council Members themselves. A countrywide, enthralling illusion spell could only be as good as its wielder, after all. And even if the strain shortened the man's lifespan by a few years, it made it much easier to track and control her illusions from so far away, and even learn a thing or two by connecting to them.
But no, neither he nor his people were near the palace. Instead, he and his comrades were patrolling the eastern desert, searching for the remnants of the army that'd fractured after its return from the Spirit Tortoise, just as he'd been instructed to do.
If that was the case, then who'd blocked out the sun momentarily?
She continued to stare up at the cloudless sky, not seeing anything. Had it gone above the palace then?
She adjusted from the Shuzaku Council Member to one of Siltvelt's shadows she'd set on the palace roof, whom she'd kept alive for fun, even if their illusion skills were nowhere near what she held.
…
…
Tulina's eyes widened, and then a wide, toothy smile plastered itself onto her face as she spotted what the Shadow had seen from their perch. Her prior annoyance and murderous aura had vanished within the blink of an eye!
"My Lord is here!"
Just a second later, the Kitsune woman vanished entirely in a speed trail from the halls of the palace.
Moments later, Tulina stood outside the city in the grasslands, watching as a large and familiar metal-plated airship came down for its landing sequence outside the city.
The thing was so massive that it couldn't land anywhere inside the city proper. A marvel of technology and sophistication that only her beloved master could manage to make!
The fox woman was brimming with excitement! How many weeks had it been since she'd seen her Lord and made love with him?!
That had to be why he was out here! He was finally tired of all those other harlots to whom he was generous enough to show his love. And now he would give his love to her, the destined first wife of his harem, to whom he'd shown great compassion when he unsealed her from her eternal prison all those years ago!
Not that she wouldn't support him in his love of women in general. All great men have great desires to quench, after all. And her master was the greatest man of them all.
She was already preparing to send even more women from this nation his way. The cream of the crop, so to speak, after she'd fully completed her brainwashing of them so they'd serve him without question.
A little gift to further show her appreciation!
So long as he remembered who his number one was, that is!
…
…
A little while later, the massive airship covered in metal finally settled its landing gear down on the ground before her. And a ramp extended out from the cabin onto the grass.
Tulina stood eagerly waiting for her beloved to walk down to embrace her. At the same time, the dirtier part of her mind couldn't wait for what they'd likely be doing in mere minutes if she could have her way!
Illusion magic could let her do it anywhere! And all the people here were enthralled too!
The possibilities for where they could do it and how much they could go at it were endless!
…
Imagine her disappointment, confusion, and displeasure when a trio of girls was the only ones walking down the ramp.
The disappointment was in realizing that Tact wasn't amongst them.
The confusion was from not recognizing the two girls in the back of the trio, who were carrying a large ornate chest between them.
The displeasure was from the third girl of the group, whom she did recognize. And that displeasure quickly grew into fury when she noticed what weapon that said girl had on her back! A large, simple-looking hammer with a mystical gemstone embedded into its head. There was also a simple chain accessory attached to the bottom of it.
"N… Nelshen… I'm surprised to see you here." Tulina said, her tone barely holding back her hatred and malice, to greet the fellow harem member with a neutral tone of voice.
"I am equally as surprised as you to be here, Tulina. Especially because my continued presence is still very much needed at home." Nelshen leveled a look at the other two enforcers with her, and the duo gave a pair of ominous smiles in return.
"But Nelshie, we needed someone Tact trusts to deliver his weapons to his best girls." The blonde gyaru standing to the left of the aotatsu dragon lady spoke like an excited high schooler.
"And we already have weapons. So we couldn't take the Hammer ourselves." The other girl, standing on Nelshen's right, cocked her head slightly; hiding one of her eyes underneath her hood. "Also, in talking to you during this trip, we've gained an even better… understanding of Shieldfreeden's needs.
"More work orders will be put in. And your factories will see even more improvements soon. I can promise you that."
"It is much appreciated." Nelshen tried to hide a visible, fearful swallow before going back to glaring at her fellow harem member.
She sensed great power in the fox monster. More so than in most of the others in Tact's harem. Her being picked to wield one of the seven-star weapons was a logical choice, unlike some of the others she'd heard of whilst discussing things with the two girls during the flight over.
How they'd even managed to convince Tact to let them 'borrow' his prized airship was something that the dragon woman would rather not know. She didn't care to know such details since the enforcers' visit to her country had finally seen that some of the much-needed improvements and upgrades to the conditions inside her factories would finally happen.
Either way, even if they had explained the reason to her, she couldn't help but feel jealous that of all the women in Lord Tact's harem, he'd choose to entrust a seven-star weapon to this fox vixen over her.
Not like said fox woman knew what was happening, as she was still fighting to hold back her scowl. She hadn't paid any attention to what was said between the girls, nor did she pay much notice to the hooded one who was staring at her with a growing smile. Instead, she chose to do what she always did best.
"So, 'Nelshie'. Did you come here to see how much I've improved your home during these last few weeks, after you failed to do much of anything in the last few decades?" Tulina asked with a poisonous smile.
"You and I both know I'm not that old. Nor do I expect you to understand the pain bureaucracy can cause." Nelshen responded coldly. "But I can understand why one as ancient as yourself could lose grasp of time."
Tulina smiled a bit pridefully in response to the insult. "It is an honor for someone like me to live as long as I have."
"I don't see the honor in living the life of a coward for millennia." Nelshen rebutted, baring the fangs in her mouth. "The only true honor for a long life is one that's well fought and full of risks and dangers.
"But I guess it'd be hard for one whose species now spends their time hiding behind illusions and fleeing like cowards from any sort of conflict to survive to understand."
"... weren't you the one who fled from your responsibilities here?" Tulina pressed on, her polite voice dripping with venom.
"I didn't flee. I went where my Lord commanded me to go. Same as you." Nelshen responded with equal politeness and passive aggressiveness. "I have happily accepted my new position, and all the responsibilities that come with it, even if I have had some problems to overcome without much outside help.
"And what are you accomplishing, by the way? Because from what I saw from the airship, the only real changes besides the lack of life from those I spotted in the city and on my way here are those perverse naked statues of you now dotting the corridors of the palace, in plain view of everyone.
"Tell me, is that actually a necessary and efficient use of your resources here?" Nelshen shook her head, not bothering to disguise her scowl anymore. "Is that what you define as 'accomplishing' something?"
…
"I am getting results." Tulina looked like she was about to murder her fellow harem member. But then, like putting on a mask, a sweet and playful smile covered her face. "Or is the manpower I'm sending to help out in your factories not appreciated?
"They've already lost, oh, how many slaves in the last month due to 'work-related' accidents? A few hundred? A thousand? More?
"How are you replacing those free laborers now that Zeltoble's market has crashed? Are you telling me that your own people are stepping in to fill those vacancies?
"I have more than enough people enthralled here to send to those death camps of yours to keep them running until those 'upgrades' you mentioned are implemented. Unless you're saying such a use of resources would be unappreciated?
"If that's the case, they could be better used elsewhere.
"Those mercenaries you sent me recently could use a few more levels.
"Sure, they might protest being ordered to kill so many 'innocents', but a charm or two from me and I'd-"
"Enough."
As the two were about to lunge forward to rip the other's throats out, the quiet hooded girl suddenly appeared between them.
…
Tulina looked down at the hooded girl who'd spoken. Her voice had been so soft, yet it also held authority. More concerningly, despite the Kitsune's heightened senses, Tulina had not felt the girl's movement beforehand.
The girl looked up, her gaze moving back and forth between the two powerful women. The same 'innocent' smile stayed as her gaze settled on the aotatsu woman.
"We brought you along for a couple of reasons, Nelshie.
"And I don't believe one of those was to start a fight with one of your 'friends'.
"You're not going to waste mine and Ikuyo's time… are you?"
…
…
Much to Tulina's surprise and then delight, Nelshen looked fearful as she backed down, looking at her feet and gripping the Hammer weapon in her hands tightly. "No, I came because I was grateful for all you did to make my job easier and wanted to repay that debt."
"Hahaha! Go easy on her, Momiji!" The blonde girl said at that moment while making a peace sign. "We're all friends here, right?"
She slung an arm over Nelshen's shoulder in an overly familiar manner, making the dragon woman visibly flinch. "Nelshie's a good girl. She's already ordered a bunch of her mercs to come here and help Tulina-chan with rounding up the remaining rabble, yayaya?"
At first, Nelshen did not dare move even a muscle, but as Ikuyo's grip on her shoulder tightened, she gave a shaky nod.
"Yas, Queen! Slay! See, we're good y'all." Ikuyo laughed in an obnoxious manner before pulling her arm off Nelshen, which made the woman visibly deflate in relief.
Tulina hadn't paid either of the girls much mind at first. But now, seeing how the usually annoyingly powerful dragon woman reacted to them and realizing they were the ones in charge of the airship, not Nelshen, her interest began to peak.
"My apologies, I don't believe we've been acquainted yet. You are…?" Tulina said, carefully gauging the girl's reaction immediately before her.
"Ah, yes, you always were busy whenever we were in the manor, weren't you? You can think of us as Tact's new… 'advisors' of sorts.
"I am Momiji, and this here is Ikuyo." Momiji's smile widened a little bit while Ikuyo waved in an overly enthusiastic manner. "It is thanks to our wise counsel that your 'master' was finally convinced to share his weapons with others."
"And after looking over his choices and studying your backgrounds, I thought it'd be especially good for you, in particular, to have the Seven-Star Hammer.
"Something tells me you'd be 'very' appreciative to have it."
…
…
There was a long pause from the fox woman as, this time, her focus lapsed, and the mask of illusion magic she'd covered her face with to hide her rage earlier peeled away, revealing a truly surprised expression.
Nelshen was able to smile a bit at the sight. Some small, petty part of her took satisfaction in her expression, even if she only had a moment to enjoy it.
"Here, Tulina. This is your gift from Lord Tact.
"I believe you'll find this… more than a little fitting, considering your past." The horned woman bowed her head mockingly as she got on one knee before the fox woman and presented the Seven-Star Hammer to her.
…
"Ah… aha… ahahaha!"
It took a moment, but then Tulina began laughing crazily.
It seemed so ludicrous. Her beloved held the power to hold many Seven-Star weapons against their will, but that power couldn't be shared with her, could it?
Yet Nelshen was holding that very same weapon, and offering it to her. If even that bitch could do so, why couldn't she?
"The same weapon that bitch used to seal me! And you're saying my Beloved Master has allowed me to wield it?!" Tulina nearly screamed with joy.
"I thought you'd appreciate it." Momiji winked her sole visible eye cutely while maintaining her small, disturbing smile.
Still disbelieving, Tulina grasped the weapon's haft from her fellow harem member. And she pulled it from her grip.
She instantly felt a rush of power surge through her. And it was made manifest as a burst of illusion magic came off the fox monster's body, warping the very air around her with images from the past.
A younger, smaller version of Tulina laughed gleefully as she terrorized clans of ancient demis and beastmen. She was sewing chaos everywhere she went, taking joy in making others fight to the death for her entertainment.
Then there was an image of a brown-haired tanuki woman in a Miko Outfit wielding a giant hammer that appeared, talented enough to pierce through her illusions.
Images of a battle between them took place, the end of which had Tulina sealed away inside a dark black obelisk.
Most of the other images were of that darkness, of Tulina wailing and screaming as her desire for vengeance and chaos grew into a burning insanity that finally gave way to light the day Tact appeared and freed her from her eternal hellhole.
All this and more was seen by the individuals present when the level 250 fox monster grasped the weapon's haft and took on the title of Hammer Hero for the first time.
A cry from the weapon echoed in Tulina's mind. It was surprisingly easy to silence, as the chain accessory on the bottom of the haft glowed a light, sickly green, suppressing the weapon spirit inside.
"Yes, YES, I can feel my master's love flowing through me all over again!" Tulina laughed in delight. "As well as my undying rage towards the past wielder of this weapon, who sealed me away so long ago!" She then screamed in rage.
Indeed, while she'd gotten better at hiding it since being unsealed, Tulina was certifiably insane from her long imprisonment. And Nelshen got to see that for herself in that moment.
Momiji and Ikuyo both grinned. Tulina's look of joy had quickly morphed into a visage of triumphant fury only befitting a monster as her nine tails appeared and waved erratically through the air behind her.
Yes, pairing her with this weapon had clearly been a good choice. Momiji's studious nature had paid off once again. Now they might have a suitable threat that could kill the Shield Hero and his fiancée.
"I must say, Ikuyo and I are truly looking forward to working with you here, Tulina." Momiji smiled softly.
"Yeah, feel free to send the airship back to Faubley after you return to Shieldfreeden, Nelshie." Ikuyo grinned. "The two of us won't be needing rides around anymore.
"Karn-sempai will drop by in a few days and deliver what you requested. So look forward to it, kaaay?~"
"... Sure… I've been gone for too long as it is." Nelshen immediately turned away from the three women, an uncomfortable feeling traveling down her spine as she felt the need to get out of there as soon as possible.
A part of her honestly feared for the mercenaries who'd volunteered to help here on her behalf.
But they'd heard what would be going down here. They'd been all too eager to volunteer themselves for this.
It could only be left to the great Shield God now.
…
It didn't take long for the airship's ramp to retract and for the vessel to take to the sky after that. Leaving the two crazy yanderes with the crazy fox monster in control of a major nation.
"Oh… weren't you two carrying an ornate chest earlier?" Tulina asked, now coming down from her cloud nine moment enough to notice what the two girls had been carrying between them earlier was missing.
Also, now that she thought about it, that chest felt familiar to her.
"Oh yes, we had to briefly put it away to break up your fight with Nelshie. Ikuyo?" Momiji's smile remained as she looked around her shoulder at her fellow enforcer.
"Right here, bestie!"
Ikuyo walked up, grinning widely as the ornate chest from before reappeared in her arms. "Pretty nifty that we can store stuff away, amirite?
"I hope you're ready for a crash course on the benefits of Hero Weapons, Tulina-Chan. Because that will be our next task for the next while." The gyaru enforcer said as her insane grin widened.
Tulina looked down at the chest, now recognizing what it was as Momiji continued to speak. "I have to say, some of the tools you had in here…
"You clearly have great taste when it comes to torture." The hooded enforcer narrowed her eyes with an approving look. "I'm especially a big fan of some of the knives in your collection."
"You… is that…?"
"Everything you had stored in that torture room of yours. All the way down to the handcuffs." Ikuyo said happily. "This should make your time here even more enjoyable."
…
That did it.
Tulina did not care who these two girls were, where they came from, or even what they had done in the past.
She'd finally met someone besides her master who seemed to genuinely share her enthusiasm for her hobbies!
"I think we'll get along splendidly, Ikuyo, Momiji." The fox woman let out a pleased purr before storing the chest into her weapon like her master always did before. "Why don't I show you around the palace? And then we can put these toys to work together, maybe?!"
"I have the perfect specimen in mind! Did you know those turtleshell guys have some important organs in their shells?! I want to break them apart and figure out which of those organs are needed to keep them alive and all that! This Hammer will be totally perfect for cracking them open!"
The two yanderes smiled at each other again as the monster babbled on and on about the things they'd be able to do together. And they'd certainly be glad to spend some of their free time entertaining Tact's cute pet fox. She seemed to be much better trained than her master already.
"I can already tell that we're going to have a lot of fun here," Momiji whispered to her friend.
"Especially since M'yne's intel said that 'Moto' should be coming to Siltvelt pretty soon," Ikuyo responded with a grin.
"Ahhhhhh…!" The two yanderes sighed blissfully together.
It was truly going to be a blast!
"W-Wait! I told you why Mirellia's knights were gathering at the border, didn't I?!" A well-dressed man stumbled backwards in his bedchambers, trying to distance himself from the orange-haired man in front of him.
"Indeed, you have!" Karn clapped his hands and gave the nobleman an easy, reassuring smile. "And if I appreciate anything in life, it's honesty.
"Your intel aligns nicely with what I learned while spying on said knights myself. Everything checks out."
"S-So we're good, right?" The nobleman swallowed hard.
"Hmmm? Oh, no no no no no." Karn leaned forward, wagging his finger, and started to speak softly.
"You sold your kingdom and Queen out without any hesitation whatsoever. And that's after she spared you and even let you keep your title, despite your involvement in the coup a few months ago.
"I may appreciate honesty, and, objectively speaking, your actions are definitely rational, but…
"I just really despise traitors. Nothing personal."
The nobleman let out a loud gasp as, before he could react, a crimson blade stabbed him in the back and came out of his front, piercing his heart.
He looked down at the blade, dyed further crimson by his blood, before his head slowly turned back to see which of his servants had aided this intruder that'd broken into his home and threatened him in the middle of the night.
...
But there was no one. Just a disembodied hand sticking out of a swirling black mass of shadow.
…
The man's life slowly drained from his eyes, confusion and regrets being his final thoughts before his body collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
Karn pulled his blade out of the corpse, staring down at his latest victim for a moment as blood slowly seeped into the carpeted floor around him.
The man looked to be in his fifties. From what Karn had learned about him before this, he'd been a supporter of Aultcray after the war, but had eventually fallen in line with Mirellia after the Vixen of Melromarc placed him at Siltvelt's border specifically to act as a defense against future attacks. Even then, the old bastard continued to support the remainders of the Three Heroes Church, Mauld's faction, and Malty in any way he could without revealing himself.
A real snake that one.
He'd kept slaves too, and still had them despite Mirellia's policies, but compared to other nobles, he'd treated them more fairly. He didn't torture or rape them. He didn't beat them unless they did something deserving of it.
He wasn't a kind slave master, but he wasn't a horrible one either. He would have never appeared on Itsuki's radar, especially since his role in Melromarc's security was vital.
But Karn hadn't been here to free those slaves anyway. He wouldn't bother with them either, especially since he'd already verified that none of those kept here were important to anyone he knew.
He'd come here to gather info and had gotten it. His job here was done.
Killing a traitor would be the cherry on top of this whole trip.
…
He briefly contemplated activating the fire aspect of his Synthetic Hundun Talon Sword to burn away the evidence, but then decided against it.
He could always use it later to ensure maximum psychological damage.
Without another word, after breathing out a sigh of satisfaction from a job well done, and after wiping his blade clean with the dead corpse's fancy clothes instead of using its fire aspect to burn the blood off, Karn opened another black portal, and he stepped into it.
Leaving behind the body of the nobleman to eventually be discovered by his servants when they opened his study the next morning.
"I see. Is that the end of your report then?" M'yne asked.
"Yes, that should be everything, Chief Enforcer," Karn responded curtly with a small nod.
The rogue man was now standing at the foot of a dining table in a room with dirty orange-colored walls. Once upon a time, you could have seen through the room's windows onto the balcony, but Karn had since put boards over said windows. Only allowing for a bit of light to filter into the room.
What little that could get through the eternal sandstorm surrounding these ruins, at least. But he'd also boarded over several of the doors leading out of the once ornate dining room. Leaving only two that could still be opened, since they led to rooms that neither the guardians of these blasted ruins, nor the annoying piece of tech A.I. could enter.
The latter even claimed to serve GODWORLD's interests, but all it did was kill everything in its reach. The reincarnator who'd designed it in the past must have been a true idiot.
"Very good. Continue to update me regularly in case of any new developments, Enforcer Karn. I shall see to it that Enforcers Momiji and Ikuyo are updated with the information you gathered the next time they report in as well." The blonde woman responded in a dry tone. "I'm sure they'd love to hear about the Heroes accelerating their plans to enter Siltvelt."
"I bet they are. Thanks for keeping my contacts with those two nutcases limited, by the way." Karn smirked playfully as he sat back in his chair. "The less I have to see them, the better."
"Of course. Now, regarding your new orders... I must ask you to be more gentle with the newest batch of contractors you requested. I will be sending them your way soon. Don't break them too quickly." M'yne responded. "Make sure to get that work order delivered to the country of Shieldfreeden in a timely manner, too. That should do for now."
"Why that moronic playboy prince made the factories producing his armies so deathly inefficient, I'll never understand." Karn shook his head in exasperation before looking at the hologram again with a sly smile. "As for the… contractors. Well, I can't make any promises, chief. It'll depend on how smart they are and how quickly they'll be able to adapt to my new training regimen."
Karn grinned almost a little too widely. "Though I am happy to report that my latest disciplining process has proven to be quite effective."
"HEEEEEEEEEELP!" Ksch! Ksch! Ksch! Ksch!
At that moment, a loud scream echoed from somewhere outside the room, followed by the sound of spinning blades.
"Extremely so, I might add." Karn's smile widened further. "It is probably the most effective program the company has produced to date. And I don't even have to lift a finger."
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Thud!
There was another loud scream, followed by the sound of something heavy slamming down. This scream sounded like it belonged to somebody else.
"But rest assured, those who manage to survive will be a hell of a lot more useful than usual. So keep sending all the contractors you can, M'yne. I'm always down for disciplining the truly inane and stupid to see if they can be shaped into something better.
"And if not, their perpetual dying screams are at least entertainment for my ears."
"AIEEEEEEEEEE! I CAN'T SEEEEEEEEEE!"
There was no audible sound to identify what had happened. A smoke screen trap, Karn guessed.
Which was too bad, since the trap that normally followed its activation was-
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!..."
Yep, a very deep pitfall trap. He wouldn't hear the impact of the body hitting the spikes at the bottom.
But it was still entertaining for the enforcer to picture in his mind.
"..." The corner of M'yne's mouth almost curled up. "I shall note your disciplinary process in my next report to the officers of the Third Army. Just know I might get another complaint from H.R. about it."
"Pbth, like their opinions ever mattered." Karn laughed.
"Quite true. And I must say, your… methods might even convince some of them to take their jobs more seriously. Or else risk being put through the experience themselves."
"Please do. I haven't had this much fun in years." Karn smiled as he bowed his head politely to his superior.
And while her facial expression didn't change, her eyes certainly looked pleased.
"Just remember, Karn. There is a limit to Kaiser's resources. And his patience.
"But so long as you produce results, you should be fine with what you're doing.
"I shall look forward to your next report, Enforcer Karn.
"Dismissed."
And like that, the hologram projection of the businesswoman sitting at her desk vanished from above the table.
…
With a satisfied sigh, the traitor sat back in his chair.
"You hear that, Rogue?" Karn asked the figure sitting further down the table on his right. "Looks like you and the others will be getting some more help soon. M'yne must be drowning in idiots lately to agree to my request so easily.
"I'll be looking forward to putting them to good use here! Ehehehehe!"
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" BOOM!
Before the reincarnator could respond, there was another loud scream and the sound of a distant explosion that wasn't as distant as one would want it to be.
"Are you kidding me? That Frish bozo or whatever his name was set off the explosion trap again?!" Karn let out a long sigh of anger.
"That idiot should know by now that setting off that trap kills everyone in the room, not just him!
"Now I won't get to hear any of their screams for a while!"
…
Sure enough, there were no more sounds of death coming from below.
"Crap, aren't these idiots being a little too slow in learning to navigate the traps and guardians in that vault!? Even Taka and Maki have had more success getting things out of there! And they're missing half their limbs!" Karn pointed out two of the three other figures sitting around the table with him and Rogue.
The two younger brothers of the Heat Vision Cheat trio shuddered in their seats at being addressed by name. One was missing his right arm and right leg, while the other was missing his left arm and left leg.
The limbs were not just missing from their physical bodies. Those parts of their souls had also been removed. Even if they respawned, their missing limbs would never grow back. All they had to fall back on were some crudely constructed crutches.
They had been forced to respawn quite a lot in the last month.
The third and oldest brother of the trio, Saza, said and did nothing in response to his boss's point. Unlike his younger brothers, he wasn't missing any limbs.
"Then again, your guys' teamwork has drastically improved since I've forced you to rely on one another to get around anywhere. Maybe I'll have to do something similar if the new contractors' performance doesn't improve in the near future." Karn spoke in a contemplative tone, before looking at the figure sitting on his right again. "What do you think, Rogue? Would Chief Enforcer M'yne allow me to get away with that?"
"I… don't know, sir." The short-cropped brown-haired rogue managed to say, without his voice shivering from too much fear. "I'd say go with whatever you think is best."
"Nice. I'm glad to have someone who agrees with me finally." The blonde-haired swordsman smiled widely as he got up from his chair again.
He gave Rogue a pat on the back. And the reincarnator did his best to keep his trembling limited to his legs under the table.
"You know, now that I think about it, it could also be that this Fish guy or whatever just doesn't have the brainpower necessary to learn the traps or attack patterns of the guardians in the vault. Or maybe he's been trying to go for bags of gold coins, not realizing that only one coin is allowed to be taken out of the vault at a time, otherwise, you're guaranteed to die even if you do manage to escape the vault, since the demons wandering the ruins outside will be attracted to the abundance of wealth and be ready and waiting to kill you.
"Say, maybe you'd like to volunteer to go into the vault and show them the ropes-"
"NO!" Rogue suddenly screamed, making two of the other three figures sitting at the table with them tense.
"N-No, please not.
"Anything but that, s-sir.
"If he's such a waste, it might be better t-to consider down…" Rogue audibly gulped. "Downsizing him."
…
Taking a closer look at the reincarnator, his body was thinner than it'd been a month ago, and there was a look of trauma imprinted into the bags under his eyes. He likely hadn't had a good night's sleep even once since the night Karn had discovered them in that cave.
…
Karn slowly let out another long and dreary sigh.
"As much as I'd like to, he does have a useful cheat…
"... alright, I know.
"Saza, after this meeting, when that useless Frisk guy or whatever respawns, you'll be showing them the proper way to get past all the traps and guardians in the vault.
"I can only handle so much stupidity from a group. If he's the weakest link and can't produce any results, I'll have no choice but to terminate his and some of the others' contracts.
"Is that clear?"
…
The oldest of the heat laser trio didn't verbally respond. He instead nodded his head with a dead look in his eyes.
"I said, is that clear?" Karn narrowed his eyes while struggling to hold back a laugh. "We value verbal consent in the company, Saza."
…
Again, the oldest of the blue-haired brothers said nothing. He didn't even open his mouth to speak.
Karn glared at him for a moment more. "Fine, we'll talk about this later."
"Sure thing, sir." Saza's voice sounded familiar, though strangely, it didn't come from the man in question.
All three brothers, as well as Rogue, shuddered at the same time.
"Man, if only it didn't take so bloody long for you contractors to respawn." Karn sat back in his seat, rolling his eyes as he did so. "The bosses should really look into shortening the time it takes for your souls to inhabit new bodies. Or just have a mechanism ready so your new bodies will be ready the moment their contractors die since,
"Let's face it, you guys die way more often compared to enforcers such as myself, anyway."
"..."
"..."
"..."
None of the reincarnators around the table said anything, as they instead looked down with as blank of an expression on their faces as they could manage.
…
…
"Still, besides the hiccups of breaking in the newbies, we've been doing pretty well lately, don't you think?" Karn finally spoke again. Continuing the meeting that nobody wanted to be a part of.
"We have a new base relatively close to our problem child, Melromarc, and its neighbors. We discovered an ancient trove of weapons and treasure hoarded by a past Hero's Nation to make up for the ones I can no longer have my personal army of extras make for reasons you all are well aware of by now.
"We're finally getting tabs on the other Heroes and their movements. I've gotten to off some nobles in and around Melromarc.
"It finally feels like we're starting to make some headway."
…
…
Again, there were no responses from anyone there.
Karn frowned. "I don't like talking just to hear myself speak, you know.
"If there's nothing on any of your minds right now, I can end this meeting here. Since it'll be a while before those other contractors respawn, you'll likely be filling in for them since there are some pretty good items deep in that vault.
"Now, let's try this again. Do you have any questions for me?
"I'm still doubting the intelligence of three of the individuals here, and I barely place the last individual higher above them in that regard."
…
None of them said anything this time either. But then, Saza's nasal voice was heard again, just like before. "But great and handsome enforcer, why must we and others go into that vault to loot it of its ancient and powerful weapons when you have that nifty and smartly picked portal cheat of yours that'd make the job super easy and less dangerous for all of us?"
"Great question, Saza!" Karn turned to the oldest brother of the heat vision reincarnators. "I'd love to say that it's only because I can't get them myself, thanks to the walls of that room being made from a material that prevents my portal function from working properly while inside.
"I could also say it's because I want your teamwork to improve or some other corporate bull &%$… but in all honesty, I just love listening to the sounds of deserving idiots suffering from the consequences of their stupidity." Karn chuckled before the look on his face died.
…
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" There was another scream from the vault room below.
"Oh? So that Fitch fellow or whatever has already respawned?" Karn tilted his head curiously, a smile slowly spreading across his face again. "It's only been what? Five minutes.
"His cheat [Quick Respawn] really is handy.
"The fact that he has the determination to respawn so quickly, even in the face of death, is also a commendable form of stupidity in its own way.
"It might have allowed him to get the jump on foes in the past. But it won't be very useful when he keeps respawning 'exactly' where he died, unlike the rest of you.
"Man, I seriously hope he doesn't respawn at the bottom of that pitfall trap again.
"Not sure why he ever chose something that'd actually have him come back to life so quickly. But kudos to Fisk or whatever, either way. He might get broken in well before the other newbies at this rate.
"You are focusing on leveling them, by the way, right, Rogue? I seem to recall that gathering levels in new worlds was a hobby of yours."
"Y-Yes, sir. I try to do that whenever you open a portal for us outside."
"Sigh… so none of the contractors are strong enough yet to get to the Prad Desert outside the sandstorm on their own?" Karn asked in a disinterested tone. "That's a lot of work for me, you know."
"O-Of course we're not strong enough!" The middle of the Trio sat up as straight as he could with his lopsided body. "Have you fought any of the demons here?!
"I doubt even the Cardinal Heroes of this world could handle them… how the hell are we supposed to even scratch one?" The youngest of the trio added as well.
"... hmmm, fair." Karn shrugged. "I've even heard the 'great' Fitoria has a hard time fighting them. So I guess there's no way you simpletons could ever hope to compare."
The figures all grimaced.
"... … … alright, for now, I'll only put the most rowdy of your new comrades on runner duty, to make sure they understand what's going on and who's in charge quickly." Karn shrugged, pointing out the three brothers before turning to his 'right-hand' man. "And I'll expect you to report any of them for any selfish thoughts or actions against the company while leveling the rest up, Rogue."
"I… of course." The man again nodded his head, eyes vacant, and distantly wondering when this hellish nightmare he'd landed himself into would end.
"Now, are there any other things I have to address?" Karn asked.
…
…
…
Three of the figures looked between themselves hesitantly.
Rogue slowly shook his head. And the trio member missing his right limbs also slowly shook his head. The one missing his left limbs gulped heavily.
The boss would likely keep dragging things on if they didn't say anything. They had to come up with something and be brave enough to voice it so this meeting would come to an end… but they also had to talk about something that wouldn't result in them getting punished for giving voice to yet another stupid thought of theirs that wasted their boss's 'valuable' time.
It was like being back in corporate Japan all over again. Did Karn do this on purpose to further traumatize them?
…
"S… Sir…" Taka gulped audibly. "I… we understand that our goal is supposed… supposed to be tracking the Heroes and their movements…
"But… why are we just… tracking them? Wouldn't… wouldn't it be better, if… if someone as strong and capable… as yourself just…
"Stole one of their weapons?"
…
…
Karn raised an eyebrow, but smiled as he gestured for the brother to go on.
"I mean, cause like… there's that Sword Hero or whatever… and we might finally have an idea… where he's at… according to intel from above… s-so maybe we could steal his weapon… or, or see if we could get the Vassal Gauntlets from that Phoenix country, or… or whatever, really." The guy mumbled, the rest of his thought dying on his shaking lips.
…
…
…
"You know, those are interesting points." Karn slowly smiled. "I'm glad you took the time with your limited brainpower to think those out. This is excellent progress!"
Taka slowly smiled nervously. But he was already preparing to be shut down and called an idiot for his line of thinking.
And that was what Karn did.
"But, tell me, and this is a test of your listening skills from prior conversations where these things were brought up; how much of a Hero Weapon's stats do we get after successfully stealing one?" Karn asked.
"Um… using just our abilities… 30%," Rogue answered. "But with the new accessories delivered by Chief Enforcer Myne, that goes up to 50%!" He quickly added.
"Yes, that is a notable improvement. It'll surely benefit our contractors on other worlds where the Heroes aren't as united.
"But, again, tell me, is 50% anywhere close to 100?" Karn pressed.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"No." Saza's disembodied voice responded.
"Indeed! Congrats on passing grade school math class, Saza! Even if you're still refusing to speak when I'm focused on you for some stupid reason I can't comprehend!" Karn rolled his eyes at the oldest brother playfully before looking over the others there.
"In all honesty, the only value we can get from stealing a Hero weapon is bypassing the level 100 threshold. But by that point, it takes so much EXP to level up, and the monsters become so strong at that level, that having the increased, but reduced stats from stealing a Hero Weapon is negligible at best.
"Also hurts us even more since that stupid A.I. out there in the middle of the courtyard is the sole reason the land monsters in this world are worth much less EXP than other worlds."
"Not to mention the cons of having the weapons, like constantly suppressing the Weapon Spirit, which can get really loud and annoying after a while. Or being limited in the use of power-up methods since we also can't draw out their full power. Or being surrounded by selfish individuals who also want the weapon for themselves and resort to petty backstabbing to obtain them from their fellow cohorts.
"Sure, there are benefits like an unlimited inventory or a portal function. But again, we can't forget the fact that there aren't enough hero weapons to go around for all of us. And that said benefits won't mean much to individuals like myself, who can portal any amount of stuff and people around easily."
As Karn made his point, he tossed a pebble into the air. Said pebble vanished into a black swirling portal, before plopping back into his other hand through the other end of the portal.
"Maybe if the lot of you actually had a selfless bone in your bodies, I'd believe you if you promised to share with each other, but nah, that'd never work, knowing how selfish you all are." Karn shook his head.
The four reincarnators all lowered their heads, shaking with fury and indignation… because the words spoken were completely and utterly true.
And it only pissed them off even more because as much as they'd succumbed to Karn as their boss, their inner natures still hadn't changed.
"As for the Gauntlets, that's already a no-go. Their physical form has been entrapped in stone ever since their last wielder died. Bitch Boy already visited the nation a few months ago and couldn't break them out of the stone to steal them for himself. It's treated as an invincible object while stone, so no luck there.
"And as for why we're not targeting the Sword Hero… I could have sworn you were there during my past meetings with M'yne about it. But fine, I'll give you a break and give another recap for everyone so it's fresh on our minds.
"He is admittedly the weakest of the Heroes right now. And I could teleport us over there now that the anti-portal field surrounding Cal Mira is finally gone, from what I've checked…
"But we won't be doing that, for multiple reasons. One of them is because his Blessed Series can harm souls, meaning he could kill any of us permanently… and another is because if we did nothing, he's likely to fall off the deep end anyway, meaning one less Hero for us to worry about.
"Whereas, if we did try to target him, we'd have to deal with his friends/girlfriend first, and then if they were placed in harm's way, we could inadvertently reawaken the Sword Hero and put him back on the board; even more pissed off at us, and even more likely to grow in strength and become a real pain in the %$# to our bosses down the road than if we just stood aside and let things play out as is.
"I could have sworn we at least mentioned these things once before. But if your listening skills are so subpar, then please go ahead and volunteer.
"I will sit back and eat some popcorn as you fools likely have to target the dog girl or that dragon pet keeping him alive first, putting the Sword Hero through his own personal John Wick arc and slaughtering the lot of you while making my and the other enforcers' jobs that much harder.
"So again. Please. Could you make that mistake?
"Make my day and give me a reason to slaughter you all so I can start over again right now."
…
…
…
…
…
This time, there was a long silence, and Taka slowly shook in his seat.
"Oh," Karn's voice returned to normal, his pent-up anger and frustration disappearing like they'd never existed. "You all didn't know that's why we weren't targeting the Sword Hero? And here I thought it'd been brought up in a past meeting already.
"Whoops, guess that must have been classified information and not underling knowledge to be handed out.
"But if you really want to risk it, you can try. I'm just not going to be surprised if I never see you again." Karn smiled coldly.
"And if you somehow survive the ordeal, you won't have to worry.
"Because if that emo teenager comes after my %$ thanks to your little &^%$ up,
"You can bet I'll be hunting you lot down first before he does me in."
…
"If it's all hopeless… why stand against the Heroes in this world then?!" Rogue shouted angrily, unable to keep his growing annoyance and aggravation from his tone in this meeting.
"If stealing the weapons is a no-go, then how the hell are we supposed to deal with these stupid Heroes?! Are you expecting them all to turn on each other or something?!"
"Precisely," Karn answered.
…
…
The brown-haired reincarnator stared at his superior, who had a smug smirk on his face. "You guys should pay more attention to what M'yne and I tell each other in our meetings.
"Don't you get it? Even our bosses have put their weight behind this plan.
"Most of the Heroes and their allies know how to kill us permanently. So, rather than risk our lives in a pointless battle where we'd be slaughtered, we will turn those very strong OP heroes against each other.
"It comes with the least risk to us. And best of all, it could actually work whilst providing our bosses with a new form of entertainment to present to their people.
"That's why Enforcers Momiji and Ikuyo have been placed in Siltvelt. And that's why I've been ordered to leave the Sword Hero alone, so I can focus my efforts on destabilizing the Bow Hero instead.
"It's simple math, you see. Us stealing a Hero weapon would only give us 50% of its power. But Heroes themselves? They have access to all of their power. And believe me when I say that 50% difference is huge, especially when they're already pretty broken at this point on the power scale."
Rogue continued to open and close his mouth in uncertainty. "B-But how? I thought all the Heroes were united in this world."
"They are. But you see… There is this… 'funny' little thing called the Cursed Series.
"You may have heard of it. That's the reason why the two crazies are going after the Spear Hero. They have some history together, you see.
"Whereas I've been tasked with targeting the Bow Hero, who is currently isolating himself from the others right now, making him a far easier target for my own plan of attack."
Karn opened another portal, and an item fell into his hands, which he set on the table.
It was an accessory that looked like a pair of angel wings.
"The Shield Hero is pretty much untouchable, thanks to his Blessed Series, his wife, and his mangy pet, so there are no plans to mess with him. Meanwhile, the Sword Hero is doomed to wither and decay if he remains in isolation without any purpose to drive him.
"So our bosses see a big chance of us stomping out the current Heroes by making sure the Spear and Bow Heroes also fall so deep into despair that there'll be no choice but for the others to kill them since it'll be impossible to free them from their Curse Series, even if that stupid giant bird world guardian or whatever tries to intervene from whatever task she's been working on lately."
"Even she can't be everywhere at once. So if the three other Heroes lose control in their parts of the world and get killed, we'll have succeeded in more ways than one, since no matter how great he is, not even the Shield Hero could stand against the powerful Waves that'll follow soon after."
"Oh, and as for this, well…" Karn gestured to the accessory before giggling. "Let's just say that even if that bitch bird girl does somehow end up appearing from out of no where and saves the other two Heroes with that cheat ability of hers, it won't work on the Bow Hero so long as this gets attached to his weapon.
"It'll at least guarantee that part of the job gets done."
...
Karn grinned, staring down at the table through a small portal he made for a moment. "All it'll take is me pushing the Bow Hero past his breaking point and attaching this to his Cursed Bow, and then not even his friends will be able to pull him out of it.
"It almost happened once before I was going at it seriously. So with more prep time, it should work out fine.
"Itsuki will fall into Despair, unlock an even more powerful cursed Bow representing his true self, and go on a rampage in Melromarc. And at the same time, the Spear Hero will rampage in Siltvelt. Meanwhile, the Sword Hero will torch those closest to him and destroy an activation event area in the world.
"The Shield Hero and Fitoria and all their allies at that point will either have to kill their Hero comrades, or be killed trying to pull them from their cursed states. And when it comes to that, well,
"We can still be there on the sidelines to assist. Especially if we make sure to keep up our hit and run tactics on that stupid bird's flock to keep her distracted and off guard."
…
…
…
The others sat around the table in silence. Processing the scope of their boss's plan.
"Simply brilliant, sir." Saza's voice rose again despite the man not even opening his mouth.
"Indeed, it truly is. M'yne and I came up with it after sitting down with one of the directors.
"Now, if only you'd speak when I ask you to, Saza." Karn glared across the table at the oldest of the Heat Laser Trio.
The reincarnator had briefly come to life during the earlier talk, but now he looked paralyzed with fear once again.
"Please tell me, why do you never speak when I ask you to?! Are you asking me to kill you?!" Karn yelled, spittle dripping from his mouth.
Everyone else's life slowly drained from them, too. And the enforcer was left steaming where he stood for a moment…
…
…
"Oh, wait, now I remember!" Karn suddenly straightened. "You can't speak anymore!
"I forgot I cut out your tongue and vocal cords from your soul since you were the most annoying of the bunch!
"Ahahahaha! Silly me!" Karn fell back in his chair while cackling.
Saza looked completely dead inside at this point. He could not respond in any way because he would never be able to speak again. He could not moan or groan or make any sounds with his ruined throat. Nor would he ever taste anything or wet his lips or anything else that required a tongue.
"It's alright, boss." Saza's voice sounded from the air again. "It's not your fault the others and I are such idiots."
Karn cackled to himself again. "Man, with this voice changer and my portal abilities, I could have made a killing as a ventriloquist in my old world!
"Hell, I'm so good, I even forgot for a moment what I did to you! Ehehehehehe!"
"REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-" BOOM!
There was the sound of another explosion from the vault room down below.
"Alright, fools, I'm tired of that Bisque guy repeatedly setting off that explosion trap. Please handle that before I feel tempted to do it myself.
"Unless you were serious about wanting to see me downsize someone else."
His words sparked the other four reincarnators to action as they jumped out of their seats and rushed for the door.
This was especially surprising for the two younger brothers of the Cheat Heat Vision trio, as they had to work with their rudimentary crutches to rush out without falling flat on their faces.
Karn stayed leaning back in his seat, chuckling lightly as he opened a portal to observe his 'Hero' again.
Itsuki was all alone, the rider dragon he'd been using before as an animal companion long gone. Exhaustion was written on his face.
The loss of his mount had slowed him down considerably, but he was finally entering the area of the world where the first stage of Karn's plan would begin.
Perfect.
…
But then Karn opened another portal, and his smile turned into a frown. "Seriously? How the hell are they already getting this close?"
He'd been following the group ever since learning they'd portaled to Talon to begin tracking down the Bow Hero, but they were making surprising progress.
It was like they knew exactly which direction the Bow Hero was traveling.
...
He frowned as he stared at some of the 'teenagers' in said group. And that frown deepened as a thought dawned on him.
Hadn't they registered themselves to the Bow Hero's party through the renamed Slave Crests? Had that idiot kicked his other members out of his party and terminated Maya's slave crest, whilst entirely forgetting about the others?!
Or maybe it'd been something he'd done in the moment while in the other world. And he'd never pulled up his Party HUD since getting back.
That could explain how they knew the precise direction to go in trailing Itsuki…
…
...
Karn's frown then turned into a laid-back smile. If that was the case, he could just make sure the Bow Hero subtly became aware of this form of tracking and took action himself to cut it off.
But until then. "You know what, maybe I won't have to downsize after all.
"I'll just throw the most incompetent of those M'yne sends my way to block their path.
"After all, it won't be a waste of company resources so long as my plan succeeds. And if I play my cards right, I might even get that brat to portal somewhere else before she can get to him!"
And if he got him to terminate the slave crests right after…
Karn continued to cackle to himself as the room gradually sank into darkness, the only sign that the sun was setting on yet another day in this part of the world.
Jaralis should have felt pleased with himself.
The last few months had seen great change for him, the nation he loved, and the Hero he worshipped.
The lion man and former Council Member was no longer treated like a servant and a scapegoat for all the problems afflicting Siltvelt in the past. In fact, his Lord had revealed the truth to him.
He and the Council had done things the way they did as a test of Jaralis's faith, his resolve, and his loyalty to Siltvelt, and its great God, who would become the bane of humanity.
And since Jaralis had borne his trials with patience and utmost zeal, his Lord had promised to lift him up.
And lift him, he had.
He was now a person of importance! A trusted advisor to Naofumi Iwatani, who'd thrown away his attachment to his former companions to finally help make Siltvelt great again!
The lionman who'd taken Jaralis's seat on the Council was sacked upon his return, and the seat was returned to its rightful owner.
Not only that, the other members of the Council, even the elite races, now listened to the war lion's speeches and calls to action with rapt attention.
He got to meet with all the clan heads and get things done. Resources unfairly allocated to the elites and weak clan heads who were only being carried by the graces of their forebears were being distributed to those who truly needed them.
The Council's unfair voting power was no longer an obstacle that required political intrigue to navigate, as just about everything Jaralis wanted done was voted on and signed by everyone without issue.
The judges and their system were being restructured at Jaralis's request to treat and judge elite demis criminals the same way they'd treat and judge a normal demi-human species, like the lions, dogs, or even some of the other 'lesser' species in Siltvelt, like the Raccoons.
Their 'elite' status would no longer protect them from the consequences of their crimes, as it had in the past!
Even the citizenry and soldiers showed more religious fervor, as the great Shield Lord gathered everyone in the streets in front of the palace to address them and/or parade with Jaralis and the Council following in his and the Claw Hero's wake.
…
And yet…
…
Jaralis reached into his pocket, touching something he held before pulling his hand back out.
Some human mercenaries from Shieldfreeden had arrived recently and were now training and leveling up their greatest warriors here in the Capital on the palace grounds. The Shield Lord had apparently convinced the traitorous Aotatsu clan to bend their knee and assist him.
But why were they not here in person? Why send these humans as their representatives to train the knights instead of coming to do it themselves?
And there was also the issue of his great Lord approving the use of Amalgama on soldiers to further boost their combat prowess in their therianthrope forms.
…
Jaralis put his hand in his pocket and gripped the object therein, this time, before forcing a smile back onto his face.
This was the only time Jaralis dared to argue back against his God.
He tried to explain its dangers, the immense collective misery that it brought to demihumans over the years. He also talked about his attempts and campaigns to stamp out its illegal production, even adding that he'd considered how it could be helpful in the past if used properly and had considered keeping some for himself in case push came to shove.
Still, he had since realized on a personal level, after reading the things published by Zeltoble about the Death Ring Arenas, how bad the drug could actually be when misused—all these things and more.
His God heard him out patiently till he'd finished.
...
And then he dismissed everything Jaralis said out of hand.
"The sacrifices of today are necessary to build tomorrow's future."
…
"Ten… nine… eight…" Jaralis slowly counted down.
If his great God commanded it to be so… then so be it! It was for a greater cause. Jaralis was simply too narrow-minded to see the big picture that his God must have been able to see clearly!
So long as those human mercenaries didn't turn against his God, they'd be spared the wrath of the Shield Hero's great judgment!
Yes! He could see it every time he walked the palace halls and admired the dazzling likeness of the great Naofumi Iwatani's face on all the fresh statues gracing them. And in front of the great Temple, his office faced an ancient structure dedicated to their Shield God!
Siltvelt was becoming a great Nation once again! And with the Shield Hero's help, even when the Waves resumed, they'd be ready and waiting to beat them back to whence they came! And then, they'd be ready to handle Melromarc and finish them, once and for all!
All of this made Jaralis feel like everything was going great!
Yes… Everything was great…
Everything…
…
"Six… five… four…"
"Ah, it certainly is more spacious than I imagined."
Jaralis was hardly paying attention to what was happening around him as he and three other figures entered a large ornate room in the center of the ancient Temple.
The walls, floor, and ceiling were pure white. The furniture was also white, from the wood of tables and nightstands to the white comforters on couches and chairs. A giant pure chandelier hung from the center of the room. Light refracted from windows at the top down onto it, casting the room in a brilliant glow. And white curtains hung from the rafters, like veils concealing paradise.
There wasn't even a speck of dust here. Whether because of magic, or because of the work of the servants of the Temple. It was entirely pristine and free of any blemish.
In the center of the room, underneath the chandelier, lay a holy book bound in faded white silk. The pages were said to contain the words and knowledge of the ancient Shield Hero and founder of Siltvelt, Mamoru, though this could never be proven since it was written in the language of Heroes.
One of the figures with Jaralis was his great God, of course. Only because he was here was the lion man permitted to enter this sacred temple area.
What he couldn't understand or fathom was why two humans, a long-haired blonde girl dressed in fancy armor, as well as a hooded, dark-haired girl, were with them.
Today had been his first time meeting either of them. And they looked nothing like the other mercenaries in black and blue armor from Shieldfreeden.
"Jaralis, do tell me, what is this place again?" Naofumi asked in a soft, pleasant voice, gesturing to the room they were standing in.
"This is the Holy Sanctuary, my Lord." Jaralis knelt to the ground as he answered. "It is the most sacred area of the Church of the Shield.
"Only the Shield Hero, the chosen prophet of the Shield Hero, or a High Priest descended from a past Shield Hero's chosen prophet is supposed to be allowed to enter this place. And besides them, the only others allowed are couples well past their child-rearing years, who choose to volunteer their lives together to maintain the sanctity and sacredness of the Temple.
"So, please, I must question why we had to come here?"
"... is that so?" Naofumi turned his head to look at the lion man.
There was such a blank look of indifference on his God's face that the lion man couldn't help but gulp. "I… I only question because of how sacred this place is, My Lord.
"I don't feel worthy to stand in this room." The lion man bowed deeply again.
One of the girls walked up to the book, humming curiously as she picked it up and examined it. The other girl vanished into thin air, not that Jaralis noticed it, due to directing all of his attention to his god..
…
…
"Oh? You still haven't figured it out, my 'friend'?" Naofumi smiled after a moment of contemplation. "Oh, Jaralis. So humble and loyal. We are here today because I wish to reward you further. I have contemplated this long and hard,
"And I see no better person suited to be my prophet than you!
"I hope you're ready for the responsibility! I will count on you to ensure everyone is ready and willing to worship me for the rest of their path—meaningful lives!"
To say the Shield Hero's sudden words floored Jaralis was an understatement.
"M-ME?! YOUR PROPHET?! B-BUT I-"
"Hush now." Naofumi suddenly covered the lion's mouth with his hand, stopping him in his tracks. "I must reward you somehow for all your hard work. Consider this place to be my gift to you.
"You've done a fantastic job getting my nation back on the right path. I shall continue to entrust the duty of safeguarding the hearts and souls of my people to you, " He said, a righteous smile spreading across his face.
…
Jaralis was in such awe that he simply collapsed on his knees.
He didn't even pay attention to the two other girls as they reappeared at Naofumi's side.
He was so happy that he didn't even pay attention to their conversation… it most likely didn't matter.
Tears of joy began to leak from his eyes.
To be raised up with such praise…
All his past sins had been forgiven! Every tragedy he'd gone through, every scheme he'd concocted to restore the nation he loved to its former glory, it'd all been rewarded in this moment!
It made everything he'd gone through in the past 'almost' feel worth it!
…
But that 'almost' sparked the thought of a lovely lioness woman in his mind, a hand rubbing her rounded belly while looking at him with eyes full of love.
...
Almost immediately, Jaralis's happiness withered and died. Grounding him back to reality, his hand gripped the object in his pocket more tightly.
"Ten… nine… eight… seven… six…"
"-checked all the walls, floor, and ceiling. Couldn't find any secret rooms or anything." The hooded girl finished saying. "Ikuyo?"
"Meh, the book is just like the others we find. Just accounts of Mamoru and Filolia going at it like bitches in heat." The gyaru enforcer rolled her eyes. "It was a rather dull read, to be honest. There wasn't even any valuable past info in it to destroy. And it hasn't been tampered with by others either.
"Guess the founder of Siltvelt really was a manwhore or something. Too bad neither he nor his girl were into blood play."
Naofumi 'giggled', a sound which Jaralis definitely found odd for a moment as he finished counting, and started recounting while still saying nothing…
But then, as he was about to count down for a third time, he noticed an odd blue light shining from the center of the room. It came from the pedestal on which the holy book lay.
Did his God and these two humans not notice it, or was it just him? Was it because he'd been named the Shield Hero's chosen prophet?
"Well, Jaralis, my friends have gotten what they came for." Naofumi smiled happily at the lion man. "You may enjoy your new office at your leisure."
"Th-Thank you, great Shield Lord!" Jaralis knelt and bowed once again, his earlier feelings melting away like dew under the morning sun. "I promise that I'll keep doing my best to make every aspect of Siltvelt great again on your behalf!"
"Yes, please do… this place is so dull and bland anyway. Why all the white?
"Couldn't they at least add some red?"
Jaralis looked up, but his God was still smiling softly and benevolently. So he smiled back, guessing he must have been hearing things.
"Welp, now that all the important things are out of the way, let's go back to the palace and chat some more about ourselves," Momiji suggested happily.
"Ooh! I can't wait to learn more about your past! I'm becoming a real big fan of your work!" Ikuyo said, smiling widely and daggers swinging at her sides.
"Yes, I feel there is much I can learn from you both, too. " Naofumi smiled, leading the two enforcers back towards the palace's entrance.
Jaralis stood up, almost turning around to follow. He was certain there was more he could do for his great God anyway! And some part of him wanted to learn more about the great Naofumi's past too just like these two human girls!
Perhaps they really were true followers of his God after all!
…
…
But then, there was that blue light still shining from the pedestal of the room…
Oddly enough, it felt like it was calling out to Jaralis. Practically begging for his attention so he could examine what it was…
…
His hand gripped the object in his pocket again and shook his head.
Well, whatever. It wasn't that important anyway!
Not as important as his duties to his Great God and Siltvelt right now! And now, having the additional duties of watching over his people's spirituality would dominate his attention for the time to come!
Jaralis hummed pleasantly as he got up and closed the doors to the Holy Sanctuary, making sure they were sealed tight to prevent dust from getting in. Then, he followed his great God and his human friends back to the palace.
There he'd continue with his duties in running the country and gradually become accustomed to his new duties as the new religious leader of the people, as appointed by the great Naofumi.
All for the peace and benefit of the great society he and the Shield Hero wanted to make!
…
"So that's the current situation we're in." Naofumi finished his explanation and crossed his hands on his lap.
"... understood." Ren nodded solemnly.
Author's Notes:
Funnily enough, while I have most chapters written out in rough draft form at least two weeks in advance, I felt the need to write this one over the last two weeks, ending it with what I originally wanted to start this arc on.
Now that it's all finished, I'm glad I felt to start with this instead.
I'll see you all again in two weeks!
Hero Clips!
Wait, those are Weapons? So does that mean…?
"I hope you're ready for a crash course on the benefits of Hero Weapons, Tulina-Chan. Because that will be our next task for the next while." The gyaru enforcer said as her insane grin widened.
Tulina was beyond excited. She had all sorts of ideas about how she could use her new hero weapon alongside her torture tools.
Her rusty, dull knives. Her bloody saws and mini hammers to deliver precise pain and bone breaking.
She even had some items disguised as everyday items, like a gun that looked like a parasol, so that she could have some 'hope play' with those she played with.
Making them think she was going to let them go, only to end their lives suddenly without any warning.
Ah, how she looked forward to using these various weapons on her future victims and…
…
Wait.
"Just to check… would I still be capable of using my weapons in this chest to torture my victims?" Tulina asked.
"..."
"..."
Momiji and Ikuyo both looked at one another.
"Ohhhhh… right." Ikuyo grimaced. "Sorry, Queen, we're so used to torturing others with our weapons that we kind of…"
"Forgot that was a limitation." Momiji finished, a chastised smile on her innocent face.
...
Tulina breathed in deeply, trying to look the picture of calm...
But it didn't help as she rapidly opened her ornate chest and grabbed various weapons and devices with her hands.
Handcuffs and other things used to bind or immobilize her victims were able to be held just fine. But she was repeatedly zapped by her weapon when she grabbed knives, daggers, guns, and everything in between.
Even when she grabbed one of her saws…
Zap!
Yep, her weapon even zapped her for that.
"No way! It isn't possible!" The fox monster screamed in despair.
The only thing she was able to grab was her mini hammers. And that was accompanied by her weapon copying them.
Zap!
But if she still held the minihammers after copying them with the intent to use them, she was zapped and forced to drop them.
Level 250, she might have been, and an illegitimate wielder she was, but she was still subject to the same rules normal weapon wielders fell under.
"YOU SUCK!" Tulina shouted at her weapon. And while the spirit was being actively repressed…
"Git Gud." The words echoed in the fox woman's mind with deep smugness and sass.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Tulina began pounding the large hammer into the ground next to her, causing mini earthquakes in the area as she demonstrated her strength.
Unfortunately, this didn't damage its physical form because the Hero Weapons were 'invincible objects' that could only be damaged or destroyed by ending the world.
"Git Gud. Git Gud. Git Gud." In fact, the Hammer Spirit seemed to be taking joy in pissing the fox woman off. It clearly remembered her well after all these years, and if it were going to be forced to serve the crazy monster, then it would make that servitude a living hell for it.
"You mother &^%$&^!"
...
Momiji and Ikuyo grimaced as Tulina's display of ferocity cratered the ground around them—the two were unaware of the exchange between weapon and wielder.
"Maybe she'd feel better if we assisted in torturing her victims," Ikuyo suggested.
"Or we could help her develop new and enjoyable methods of torture relying on her weapon." Momiji rubbed her chin.
It was still a little strange to the enforcer that Status Magic considered what were essentially torture/assassination tools weapons…
But then again, she remembered reading a report about an Assassination Tools Hero in another world. He'd had access to all the things in Tulina's torture kit, as well as a few extra items that fit the title for assassination.
What'd made that report so memorable was that he'd been actively helping GODWORLD out thanks to his edgy antics with his allies and the like…
No, she was dead serious. It wasn't even on purpose.
Such a weapon existed in another world. And the wielder it'd summoned had needlessly and actively distrusted everyone so much that he used his abilities to murder those he labeled dangerous to himself.
He even took out a Vassal Hero and nearly killed one of the other Cardinal Heroes he was summoned with, simply because he was too good-looking for the edgy Chunnibyo to get along with.
As a legit Cardinal Hero, this piece of work had accomplished more than any operatives placed in that world for the last few centuries by GODWORLD. He was so impressive that the head honcho had even considered the possibility of hiring him to deal with problems on other worlds…
Unfortunately, according to the end of that report, the Fan Hero had visited the Assassination Tools Hero's world via the Waves. And that visit had ended with her killing the bastard in one-on-one combat, in which nobody stepped up to help the edgy teenager whatsoever.
The Fan Hero then returned to her world, and ever since, that world had brought itself together and successfully fought back the Waves, even though it was missing one of its Cardinal Heroes.
So while it might have been unfair for the fox woman to not use her torture tools now that she was The Hammer Hero… there was at least a world out there that had a Hero Weapon that could make use of them…
Huh, what a weird line of thought for Momiji to have.
Especially because it hadn't involved her precious Moto in any way.
"Shall we go back to thinking about how we'll greet Moto when we see him?" Momiji asked.
"Yes! Please!" Ikuyo grinned widely in response.
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! "Ahhhhhhh!~"
The two enforcers sighed blissfully, even as Tulina continued to throw an angry tantrum over not being allowed to torture her victims in various ways anymore.
But oh well, Momiji and Ikuyo couldn't wait to see Motoyasu again.
Especially since their weapons would allow them to 'lovingly' torture him for all the time they'd spent apart :).
Till Next Time
Allen