"...It really can't be done?"

As they stood around the Table of Heroes, the five heroes, previously six, contemplated on how humanity could move forward. Although they'd just defeated the Five Sovereigns of the Hazerian Continent, it was only the beginning of their problems.

In their battle grand battle against the Five Sovereigns...they'd lost their greatest member. The one who sealed. Kasmos.

"...Regardless of how strong we are...we cannot bring back those who have departed."

A mournful silence ensued...until Maren, the Soul Hero spoke, "If I may...I might have a solution to this."

And the entire group turned to look at him inquisitively. as he continued, "Even if we have lost Kasmos himself...could we not find a replacement?"

"Replacement? But how?! There's nobody in Hazeria that has ever learnt Sealing Magic, aside from Kasmos. Where would we even find someone like that?"

At Soren, the Void Hero's outburst, Maren smiled, "Whoever said it'd have to be someone from this world? Didn't you explain to us yourself about how the many different worlds are connected by strands of mana?"

“And besides…that person doesn’t even need to have come into contact with Sealing Magic. As long as that person hasn’t been tainted by the mana of our lands…he will be able to learn any magic, wouldn’t he? We might not be able to learn his Sealing Magic…but the summoned one could.”

And hearing this, the Void Hero's face changed, "...You want to summon someone? Do you have any idea how much soul force that would take? It'll at least cost another one of our lives just to complete the summoning! What's the point in simply exchanging one life for another, when all of us are needed?"

"And why do you think we'll be using our own lives? Didn't the Spirit of the Charian Mountain choose not to side with us?"

Hearing that, a silence ensued amongst the group. And in the midst of that silence did a scoff echo through the halls. The Spear Hero was finally irritated.

"Have you finally lost the few fucking brain cells you had? You know as well as any of us that it was because she didn't like seeing bloodshed that she chose not to side with anybody. That doesn't mean she was against us."

The Soul Hero simply retorted, “And that inaction itself is a form of opposition. Were we the ones who attacked the Beastlands first? They attacked our lands first-”

“In response to us trying to send people to kill their Order of the Dragon. From their perspective, we sealed away their Emperor a thousand years ago simply because of our greed for dominance. And now, we’re stubbing their attempts at simply wanting to bring their Emperor back.”

And hearing those words, the group looked at the Spear Hero with strange gazes.

“Well, it’s not like I agree with what the Soul Hero is saying but…you seem like you’re sympathizing with those monsters? Regardless of who started it, it is a fact that tens of thousands of our kind have died in the war against the Beastmen.”

The Light Hero couldn’t help but speak up as she looked at the Spear Hero. However, he didn’t avoid her gaze. He looked right into her green eyes, as he spoke, “…I’m not trying to say who was right and wrong here either. I’m not going to join hands in killing the Fox Spirit when she hadn’t sided with her own kind even when they were being slaughtered.”

And with those words, the Spear Hero picked up his silver-shafted spear, as he walked through the entrance of the hallway, as the setting sun reflected the red light off the spear’s tip.

The Light Hero looked contemplative for a moment, before she also took a final look at the group and walked out shortly after.

There were only three left, as the Soul Hero and Void Hero looked at the Shadow Hero…who responded as they’d expected.

“I’m in. As long as you pay me enough if I help you.”

The Void Hero couldn’t help but speak up, “I haven’t agreed to it yet. But…you do have a point. There’s no way the Dragon Lord would leave humanity alone after being sealed for such a long time…”

“We must get someone who can strengthen the Dragon Lord’s seal once more.”

And with those words, they finally embarked on their journey.

* * *

As they travelled through the northwest of the Beastlands, shrouded by the Shadow Hero’s [Concealment] skill, they eventually finally reached the Charian Mountains.

Looking at the gigantic mountain with its snow caps looming into the heavens, the group was solemn, as the Soul Hero spoke, “…It’s time.”

The Void Hero summoned a sphere of spatial energy around them, and as they walked, the space between them and the mountaintop was compressed. Each step teleported them quite far above to an area where they had a foothold.

“Something is wrong, we’re not being attacked.”

At the Shadow Hero’s prompt, the Void Hero spoke, “She likely already knows that we’re here. And…she probably does not see the point in sending needless lives to their deaths just to slow us down a little.”

Soon, they finally surfaced above the clouds, as they stepped onto a plateau at the mountain’s top. And in front of the flat ground they were on, was a cliff that stretched a few hundred meters above to the true top.

And on the cliff’s surface, was a cave that seemed to lead into the void.

In silence, the party of heroes walked into the cave.

Driving the mana through their bodies, they walked. And soon, they were met with a voice.

“…As expected, you have truly arrived.”

Two blue and white wisps appeared in front of the party. Eyes. A corporeal voice spoke into their minds, with a gentle voice that was filled with sadness.

“Although I hadn’t held much hope to begin with…I hoped to have been wrong…”

The Soul Hero stepped forward as he spoke.

“We have to do this…I’m sorry. You claimed that the Dragon Lord is merciful, and would forgive our sins…but how could we believe someone who is on the same side as he is?”

And his eyes shone with determination, “The Sovereign of Earth killed the Sealing Hero, Kasmos. If we are to stand a chance at strengthening the seal, we have no choice but to kill you.”

At this, the wisps wavered, as the Fox Spirit spoke in confusion, “…I am afraid I fail to understand. What would killing me possibly accomplish, bar garnering further hatred from my kind?”

“…Well, you’ll find out soon enough.”

At those words, both parties went silent. The Fox Spirit finally realized that she would not be able to avoid this, as she sighed.

“Very well. You have journeyed here under the assumption that you will be able to kill me without fail. What you have failed to consider, however…”

The two blue wisps brightened, as a giant figure emerged from the darkness. A titan, in the shape of a white fox with blue outlines finally appeared in the parties eyes. The titanic wolf started to glow in an ethereal blue light, as two additional wisps of energy suddenly appeared around her.

Her voice reverberated in the surroundings, as it oozed with a sense of confidence and power.

“Is that I, Noha, have lived alongside the Dragon Lord during his time. And the very fact that I have survived to this day…”

And her body burst with energy. The entire cave suddenly glowed in blue, as bits of the earth on the cavern walls started to whittle away under the sheer power the Fox Spirit, Noha’s energy.

“Should serve as a testament to my power.”

And she disappeared.

The Void Hero’s eyes shook, as he immediately shrouded himself with Void Energy as he teleported away from the spot.

A split second later, the ground exploded, as Noha appeared in the spot the Void Hero had been standing on.

The Soul Hero immediately pulsed white soul energy through his feet, as he activated his [Soul Domain]. The Void Hero’s senses immediately sharpened, as he started to gain more control over his mana through the strengthening of his soul.

However…Noha didn’t seem affected by the domain at all. Or at least…it seemed like it.

One of the blue wisps started to spiral with immense speed, as it suddenly burst forth with speed towards the Soul Hero. At the same time, she shot towards the Void Hero, using the remaining wisp to coat her entire body in durable magic armour.

The moment the Void Hero started to channel his [Void Blades] and shot it at Noha, she immediately switched places with the blue wisp that was going to reach the Soul Hero, as she attempted to chomp down on him.

But before she could do so, an invisible black shroud suddenly appeared right above her head, as the Shadow Hero who’d been hiding suddenly emerged.

“Die!”

She shot down with a dagger in each hand, as they faced downwards. The Fox Spirit immediately reacted as she pushed herself forward with even more speed.

The Shadow Hero missed Noha’s neck as intended, but still managed to stab both daggers into her shoulders. Potent paralysis poison, derived from the Shadow Hero’s [Paralysis] skill impacted her.

A hysterical scream rang out, further crumbling away the walls of the cave. Noha’s soul, which had already been resisting the effects of the [Soul Domain] finally started to be affected by it a little.

“Soren, now!”

The Void Hero, Soren, immediately took out the [Relic of the Outer Worlds], a piece of a meteorite that had once appeared from the heavens, and started chanting words of power, as the Soul Hero appeared before him.

The Soul Hero started to drain the Fox Spirit’s spiritual energy, as he connected a channel between the Fox Spirit and the Void Hero.

He was finally feeling the slightest bit of relief at having succeeded the initial step, when the feral voice of the Fox Spirit echoed, “You really believe this much is enough?”

And with firm determination, the Fox Spirit severed both the tips of her own shoulders, causing them to fly into the air, leaving a giant wound on both shoulder tips.

And she firmed her soul. Although it didn’t stop the outflow of her own soul’s energy, it at least made it slower.

And then she tapped into the Spirit Plane.

A massive gate made of white rims opened behind her, as its entrance glowed with sapphire light. Then, tens, hundreds, thousands of spirits, all of varying colors, started to emerge. Flame spirits. Wind spirits. Earth spirits. Water spirits. There were even some who were of different colors.

All of them wielded different kinds of weapons, as they started to gain speed and took off into a dash towards the Soul Hero and Void Hero.

“Maya!”

The Shadow Hero appeared before the other two heroes to stand guard. She then created a [Gates of the Underworld] before her, as an army of skeletons started pouring out. In the constrained cave, spirits and the undead clashed. However, spirits had natural anti-undead properties, and quickly demolished the army of undead.

‘Are you done yet?!”

“Almost! Just a little longer!”

The Soul Hero clicked his tongue. He noticed that the Fox Spirit had already stopped moving, quite possibly because it was already straining its soul which was still being drained.

However, his full focus was still on draining the Fox Spirit’s soul energy. The slightest lapse in concentration would make their efforts in vain…but their lives were more important.

Right as he was about to cut off his connection…the walls of the cave beside them suddenly disappeared.

An ocean of flame suddenly swept through the sea of spirits…leaving nothing but a cloud of ash and flame that permeated the surroundings.

With the disappearance of the cave, light finally shined upon the battlefield…as footsteps could be heard.

Every step that the figure moved closer to them, the blistering heat in the area grew stronger. And eventually, a figure clad in red armor, holding a silver shaft with a spearhead made of flamestone appeared as he passed through the walls of flame surrounding them.

“Hoh? I thought you didn’t want anything to do with this…Spear Hero.”

The black-haired man had a conflicted expression on his face. However, his footsteps told otherwise. He walked with steady steps, as he spoke, “…I’m sorry, Noha. Even if this isn’t right…abandoning my comrades who’d fought alongside me would have been the bigger sin.”

At this, Noha simply sighed, “…If nothing else, I had at least expected righteousness from you.”

The disappointment in her voice was clear for all to hear. Although this pricked the Spear Hero’s conscience, he stayed firm.

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“It’s done.”

And at that moment, the Void Hero had finally formed the connection with the soul from another world. The soul that would replace Kasmos. Although it wasn’t complete, at least the initial connection had been formed.

The Soul Hero then took out the [Shard of Memory], which contained a portion of Kasmos’s wisdom as he started infusing it into the soul.

The Fox Spirit looked at the sudden wisp of white light, symbolising life with calm eyes. The heroes thought she’d given up. And they were right.

Only for the wrong reasons.

Without a word, Noha’s blue light around her body suddenly started fading, as the Void Hero smiled. He thought her soul was finally depleted, when the Soul Hero shouted with a panicked voice.

“No! She’s not…she’s destroying her own soul!”

The Soul Hero immediately dropped using the [Shard of Memory], instead choosing to focus his entire energy on draining the Fox Spirit’s soul faster than she could deplete it, even to the point of sacrificing a bit of his blood essence…but it wasn’t enough.

He knew words to convince the Fox Spirit otherwise would be completely useless, so he shouted to Soren, “Forget summoning another person…we already have the connection to the soul, so just summon anybody. Anything. It doesn’t even have to be alive, it just needs the ability to seal something.”

Although they were in a tight spot, they were indeed heroes who had undergone many trials to reach where they were. The Void Hero was decisive, and immediately changed the target of his summoning.

He hadn’t fully completed the summoning of the soul, but he made it such that the soul would slowly be transferred over to the container he would soon summon, even if it took years.

And now, he focused on the body. He traced the connection with the soul he’d come into contact with, as he started to search for any artifact in the soul’s memories associated with the keywords of ‘Seal’ or ‘Contain’.

And…I got it!

The Void Hero knew that it was only an artifact from the soul’s world that would serve to be the best container for the soul to live in. And so…he called upon his power.

And around the tiny soul wisp that floated above them, a transparent, clear vessel started to appear in physical form. The surface seemed to be made of a material akin to glass, as its surface shimmered under the light.

The top of the vessel was sealed with a small, rounded black cap that seemed to have sealed some transparent liquid inside, quite possibly an elixir, as it was on the verge of becoming corporeal.

“Haha! It’s done!”

The Soul Hero laughed triumphantly, but his smile dropped. Something was wrong.

“Soren-protect the vessel!”

The Void Hero burned his own life essence without hesitation, and formed a barrier of space around the vessel. A pressure rapidly started bubbling in the surroundings, and their hearts dropped as they looked at Noha.

The Fox Spirit, Noha, smiled.

And a pillar of light shot into the heavens.

The mountain was ruptured, as a resounding boom echoed throughout the world. Even the screams of the Heroes were drowned out, as their bodies started to disintegrate under the Fox Spirit’s detonation of her core.

Seconds at first, and soon almost an entire minute passed…as the light finally started to fade.

And what was revealed was...half of the mountain having disappeared, as there was nobody left in sight.

Aside from the Fox Spirit’s body that’d been severed in half, and the Spear Hero’s body which had lost an arm and all his armor, as his entire body was soaked in blood as he held a shield of Godstone in his remaining arm, his breathing shallow.

The Fox Spirit’s eyes had already lost most of its light, but it was still staring at a point in space above them. The vessel…had survived. A black orb of energy had protected it from the blast, although it was now already dissipating.

“So I failed…I should have expected no less from the Five Heroes who could kill the Sovereigns of the Beastlands…”

Each of its words were shallow, and it struggled to speak.

“…All we wanted was for our kind to live freely without the threat of humanity. And if I need to pay a price for this…”

“I will do it, even at the cost of my life. Even if I am to not roam these lands ever again.”

And the Fox Spirit’s body finally fell dead. A small, weakened wisp of the Fox Spirit’s soul out of its body, shooting towards the vessel.

The Spear Hero took a step forward, but in the end, he didn’t make a move.

The soul entered the vessel, as it suddenly lost its spatial energy…and fell into the depths.

The Spear Hero watched as the vessel fell down the mountain with a heavy heart.

They had come to find a way to prevent humanity’s downfall. A way to strengthen the seal of the Dragon Lord, who would soon escape.

And today…they had failed humanity.

And the Dragon Lord would roam these lands once more.

* * *

Kenji Sato sat on the bench near the park, as he stared into the sky.

He recalled the dream he had that morning. He floated through a lake, as lush greenery surrounded him. He was eventually picked up by a creature of small stature, which seemed to have green skin filled with freckles.

It reminded him of goblins he’d seen in video games that the other kids nowadays played. The goblin tried to figure out the what he was, only to throw him away after deeming him to be useless. He then fell back into the river, as he continued floating through it once more.

…Ever since that day when he was five, he’d constantly been having these different dreams of another land. When he’d tried to tell his parents that his water bottle had disappeared right from his hands, they’d simply coddled him and thought him cute for trying to seek attention.

All he’d been trying to do was trap a tadpole in his local lake in the bottle to bring home, when the bottle had disappeared.

Over the years, he started to think that it hadn’t really happened. After all, how the fuck could a water bottle just disappear? And of all things, why would it be a water bottle? And so, he eventually grew out of it, thinking it must’ve been a dream.

And if it wasn’t real, then what were these dreams about, anyway?

Kenji believed this to be a sign that his subconscious was sending him. His parents had always dreamt for him to become as intelligent as his elder brother, who’d gone on to become a doctor. And he had truly tried in his earlier years…but he just couldn’t do it.

He had always felt like a failure…but there was one thing that guided him. Something he was good at.

And that was the fact that he could fight. Although he wasn’t good at academics, he had never lost a single battle against any street thugs, or even adult gangsters who roamed the shadier neighbourhoods at night.

But…this wasn’t appreciated by his parents, who looked down on those who would only had physical talents. They used to say, “The pen is mightier than the sword isn’t a popular phrase for nothing, you know?”

Bullshit.

Well, at least there were some people who appreciated his talents. And he was interrupted by one of those very people as he was brought out of his thoughts.

“Sato-san?”

He looked up, to see a freckled boy with short black hair glancing at him nervously.

“I-I figured out-I figured out what’s really going on with Daisuke-San.”

Kenji waited calmy for the boy to finish. He reminded Kenji of himself in his younger years, when he’d roamed around in fear when he had been bullied.

“There really is a case of b-bullying going on…he went home…because he didn’t want you to see him…”

So it really is true…

Kenji’s fists tightened. Daisuke had already been avoiding him for weeks now. Although they’d been so close during middle school, one day in his first year of high school, he’d suddenly stopped wanting to see Kenji.

“I-I have a recording, if you wa-”

Kenji snatched the phone which had been held out by the boy, as he pressed ‘play’ on the video that was on the screen.

And what he saw made his eyes burn with fury.

A group of five high school kids stood around in the gym of Nagano High School, as they grouped up near the podium. Two of them were sitting on the podium playing cards, as one woman sat on a chair beneath the podium…stepping on Daisuke.

“Hey…did you really think you could just sneak away by crawling? Did we say you could leave?”

A boy then kicked Daisuke from behind, as he screamed in pain. He got dragged by the hair, as he was tossed onto an empty chair beside the woman.

“You already know what the punishment will be, so why do you keep trying to get away again and again?”

The woman sighed, then signalled to the boy who stood beside her. He took out a curling iron, as he brought it closer to Daisuke. He quivered in fear, as he pleaded for them to stop.

But the boy was merciless. He brought down the curling iron, fully hot, onto his arm, as he screamed in agony.

And it was at that moment that the video was suddenly cut, as Kenji shot a glare at the boy who’s face paled.

“I-I-I was afraid! I’m sorry! I didn’t know what th-they’d do to me if they found out!”

Kenji slowly exhaled, as his fists loosened. However, his heart burned hotter than ever.

How have you been enduring this all this while…

And he couldn’t help but feel sorrow…although he knew it was because his friend was ashamed, and didn’t want to drag him into his mess.

…You could still have told me.

Kenji got up, as he took out a 5000 yen note and passed it to the boy.

“And I also owe you a favour on top of that. If you ever face any trouble, you know where to find me.”

Although some might think this reward was excessive, Kenji had never been stingy when it came to his friends. And besides, the boy had put himself at quite a bit of risk for this, so he thought the reward was well deserved.

Now…it’s time to get started.

Kenji cracked his neck with one hand, as he started walking towards Nagano High School, which was basking under the reddish light of the setting sun.

It should already be mostly empty, but from what he got from the boy whose name he still didn’t know, these delinquents liked to stay until night to spend time there.

He walked through the courtyard of the high school, and travelled past the main building as he finally reached the entrance of the gym.

He could hear giggling voices coming from inside, as one of the guys was breaking out in hysterical laughter.

Laugh all you can now…you soon won’t be able to.

He stood for a moment, then pushed open the doors of the gym with both arms, as it shot inwards and banged onto the inner walls of the gym with a thud.

“Hah? Who the fuck is it at this timing? You lost or something?”

One of the boys glared at him, as he shouted.

It’s him. The one with the curling iron.

Kenji continued walking forward with a steady pace, silently staring at the boy.

“He’s wearing a school uniform, isn’t he?! He’s from Shiga High School isn’t he? He’s not an adult, so what the fuck are you waiting for?”

The woman with black hair scolded the man, as the man spoke out, “If you don’t want to get your face bashed in, best to walk away now. Are your ears deaf or what?”

Seeing that Kenji wasn’t stopping, the boy ran towards him, “You asked for this!”

And he drew back his arm, getting ready for a punch.

Too wide. His hips aren’t tilted either.

Kenji immediately sidestepped the punch as it missed, and grabbed the boy’s arms, while kicking the back of his knees, forcing him to kneel.

And he twisted his arm with all the force he could muster.

A deafening scream echoed throughout the hall, as the boy’s arm was completely dislodged. He started sobbing, but Kenji still held his hair, as he broke the other arm.

The boy screamed once more, as the two other boys quickly charged at Kenji, hoping to incapacitate him.

And they failed spectacularly.

Kenji dodged one of the boy’s punches, kicking him in the nuts as he elbowed the other boy’s face. He then proceeded to cripple the legs of both boys.

One of the remaining girls immediately jumped out of one of the windows near the podium, screaming for help.

The woman whom Kenji had seen tried to follow her, but Kenji dashed forward as he pulled her hair before she could jump out. She fell to the ground with a thud, crying in pain.

He picked up one of the curling irons that was on the podium, as he walked towards her.

She was blanked out at first, but her eyes slowly changed in fear as she saw the iron in his hands.

“D-Do you have any idea who I am?! Do you know who my father is? If he finds out what you’ve done, I swear to you that your entire family will get f-”

She couldn’t speak any longer as the sound of a slap resounded through the hall.

She fell to the ground, and tried to crawl away, before she was picked up and thrown onto the chair by Kenji again.

“…Why do you keep trying to run away? Don’t you know what the punishment will be?”

And at hearing those words, her eyes were filled with horror, “W-what the fuck are you sayi-”

The curling iron was placed against her arms, as she screamed.

And Kenji spoke, with cold eyes, “…Let me show you what it’s really like…for those whom you’ve so enjoyed torturing, you sadistic fuck.”

And the screams echoed for a long time.

* * *

The frogs croaked under in the midst of the serene silence of the night, as Kenji walked through the streets.

His gut was squirming, even though he was simply repaying what those bullies had done. Although he liked fighting, he hated using it to make people suffer.

He used to think it was a bad trait, but over the years, he’d realized that there were so many applications that would still be available if he learnt martial arts, ways to use it for good.

And today…perhaps he’d helped teach those bullies a lesson.

Perhaps Daisuke would be free from today onwards.

He had finally neared his home, as he entered the main street and walked along its pavement.

Soon, he would pass by Daisuke’s house, which was along the way back to his own home. He had tried to meet him several times already, but his parents would always say he was not at home.

It was only after investigating that he’d figured out that he was being bullied.

“Huh?”

As he neared his house, he caught sight of a white light from the far end of the road. He squinted his eyes, which then suddenly widened in horror.

Daisuke!

A truck was heading right for him…and he simply stood in its path, not even trying to avoid it.

The truck would stop, right? There’s no way it wouldn’t, cant he see through the lights?

But his body overtook his reason, as he desperately ran towards Daisuke. Perhaps he would move out of the way…or perhaps he wouldn’t.

The lights got closer, as Kenji neared Daisuke as well.

It’s not stopping…why isn’t he noticed him?!

And finally, the truck driver seemed to notice Daisuke as he attempted to immediately turn the steering wheel, but the truck toppled over…and its body slid right towards Kenji.

And it bashed into him at high speeds…squashing him against the wall.

And the last thing Kenji saw before the light faded from his eyes was the horror in Daisuke’s face, as he noticed what had transpired. Daisuke immediately ran towards Kenji in horror, shouting something, but Kenji was already losing consciousness.

At least…he’s safe.

And he finally left this world.

* * *

He waddled through a sea of darkness, only illuminated by tiny specks of light which he thought were stars.

…

Time passed, and he had already travelled for what seemed like years.

Am I not dead?...I’m sure I was hit by that truck pretty bad…

Perhaps the afterlife did exist. Or perhaps it didn’t? Regardless, Kenji certainly hoped that he was still alive. He didn’t know where he was…but he had a feeling that the moment he decided to give up on staying alive…he might not return.

And so he persevered.

…

Eventually…a light finally shone onto him, as a gigantic forest came into his view.

He tried to squint his eyes at the sudden change in environment…only to realize he had no eyes.

And yet…he could see?

The world was filled with trees that towered for at least a hundred meters in height, as he cruised along a river that spanned at least 50 meters. His soul was in shock, as it tried to comprehend what was going on.

And it was then…he noticed that he seemed to be looking through a glass surface. He then tried to look on his sides, only to realize the surface of glass on his right seemed to have a flat transparent rounded surface…while the surface on his left was rounded and opaque…in the color of black.

Alarm bells rang in his mind, as he felt an immense sense of familiarity at the sight. He had definitely seen something like this before.

But where…

He then tried to observe the outside world through the glass once more…when he finally noticed something.

On the surface’s slight reflection…he could see two wisps of blue staring at him.

And he turned around instantly.

And saw a gigantic fox of blue and white, staring into his soul, as it spoke.

“Ah…after so long…after 13 years. ”

And it had an amused tone to its voice. And as he heard ‘13’ years, his mind flashed like lightning, as his soul shook in shock.

13 years…that was when he’d lost his bottle.

“The destined hero has finally arrived.”

And he finally realized.

He was now a water bottle.