The castle enclosed within the centre of the capital, guarded by hundreds of guards, was the final front for humanity for many generations. This castle was known as The Order-Citadelis and housed the king, the royal family, the royal guards as well as many warriors and servants. The throne room located at the centre of the castle, the ultimate nucleus of the country itself as mathematically proven to be at the middle-point of the kingdom itself, invited two curious individuals on this unordinary day.
"Thank you for your time, your highness," said the female stranger
The king lifted himself from the throne and walked toward the strangers. The throneroom was the representative of the royals, the culmination of thousands of years of history. It was designed by the greatest architectures of the kingdom past and present to maximize its defensive capabilities as well as aesthetical and political. One of its functions was to show the disparity of authority, to cement his control, but now he was on the same level as them, humbling himself.
"Oh, no, no, you are more royalty than I am, it'd be wrong for you to refer to me as such. Please, just call me Johaness" replied the King, "More importantly, I trust that you two are truly heroes of the ages past, but my advisor still needs physical proof, so if you don't mind..."
The female stranger was Orchestra, the 99th hero. She was of royal blood, which could act as a catalyst to empower spells. As one of the few King-heroes, she was revered as a great ruler. However, as she took off her chest plate and exposed her back, dark feathered wings manifested themselves from thin air. This proved to the audience that she truly was the real deal and that the legends were true. The tale went that during the final confrontation with the demon lord, it became evident that their power outmatched Orchestra's and she retreated. However, on the path back, the hero encountered a powerful Pravus, perhaps even more so than the demon lord himself.
This devil offered the hero the strength of a Pravus, with no price attached. She knew that Pravuses were not to be dealt with but she also knew that Pravuses could never lie. This was not a mere deal but a magical contract, impossible to break. In desperation, the hero accepted the deal and gained demonic powers which allowed her to defeat the demon lord, but she fell on the battlefield alongside them. This legend was carried down among the generations, from one royal heir to another, from one peasant to another, The story lived on and she was immortalized as one of the greatest heroes. This cannot be said for many, as most heroes are forgotten by the brutal waves of time.
Orchestra put her armour back on, as her companion, Poda-Bruss took off his gauntlet and showed the back of his hand, where lay the royal guard's insignia. Only the head royal guard was allowed to have the insignia, which proved the fact that he was the royal guard hero, the 25th and the only one of his kind. However, his story was never truly known and his name remained shrouded in mystery. The fate of the demon lord is battled, of his King and even of his own lingered unsolved.
The King still put great trust in him and of course the King-hero. Being a hero meant that no matter who they were, they protected the kingdom. While not all heroes had a great relationship with the king, - such as Siege - most instances were cooperative, and he wanted to do everything in his power to assist these great heroes he looked up to.
"Please, if there is anything you need - or want - let me know," said the king
"Thank you for your generosity my liege, but we came here to merely announce our return," replied Poda "We felt the need to declare our presence. It seems that there may be grave danger ahead as 2 - or perhaps more - heroes were resurrected, but there is no need to worry. We will not bother you too often and will keep Your Highness updated on any development"
"Heroes, the Order-Citadelis will always welcome our saviours, feel free to ask for anything you need. I understand the graveness of the situation and will keep a high alert"
"Also, please keep our return a secret from the general public, we do not want any rumours or panic to circulate. I'm sure we will be able to find out why we were resurrected sometime soon, and there is no guarantee that there will be a danger. Hopefully, the one who resurrected us just did so in benevolence." added Orchestra
"Yes, of course. I wish you, heroes, luck on your journey."
"I wish you luck as well, Johaness"
The heroes left the grand throne room and the massive door closed behind them, the king sat back on his throne and sighed. This was not a good sign. He thought himself a decent king, and this era was one of the most peaceful in human history. However, he didn't have any extraordinary charisma or intelligence, the peace was mostly thanks to the demon lord not waging their generational war against the kingdom. This was the first time such a thing happened. Of course, the demon lord would still send a few bomber planes once in a while to 'attack' cities, but there was never a single casualty or property damage.
This was absolutely nothing compared to the great wars fought centuries ago. There was even one time the entire kingdom was destroyed and had to be rebuilt from scratch. The king felt that perhaps the demon lord and he were a lot alike. They both wanted peace. He knew that the bomber planes were sent only to remind the human kingdom of the demon lord's existence - or the Dominion of Sonosis as the Pravuses called it.
The king was a deeply religious man, having faith in the Goddess. The Goddess blessed the kingdom with a hero every time there was peril. Without her divine intervention, humanity would not be here today. He also believed that the Goddess created all humans and was the mother of all people. He did not pray much to the Goddess, he knew that such insignificant wishes were not the concern of such a great being. However, just this time, he prayed with all his heart.
"Please let tomorrow just be another boring day..."
While the king prayed earnestly, the heroes were already out on the streets of the royal capital. They borrowed some hooded cloaks to conceal their identity if someone managed to recognize them. Though their faces were forgotten and only their names remained, it'd still be trouble if any suspicion arose. Therefore, Orchestra chose 'Oracle' as her alias while Poda-Bruss chose 'Bruss'.
"Lady Oracle, where should we head next?" asked Poda-Bruss
"Well, we should probably go to an inn, the night is approaching"
"I shall go find the best inn right away"
Poda quickly ran into a pub and exited it a few moments later.
"I hear that 'The Valon Inn' is the best inn in this area, let us make our way in an orderly fashion"
"What did you even do..."
"Please don't worry about it, my lady"
While Orchestra never knew of Poda-Bruss before - and Poda-Bruss logically did not know of Orchestra as he lived ages before her - he still treated her like his king. Of course, the royal guards were not only royal to the king but to all of the bloodline, but it still felt weird having another hero serve her like this.
"Bruss, you don't have to call me 'lady' or 'highness' or anything. We're both equals as heroes as all heroes are. There is no need for you to treat me any differently than you do your comrades"
"Of course, my lady"
"..."
"Oh, I am sorry," said Poda as he took one knee to the ground "I am just so used to using titles, I'll try my best next time"
"Well, at least don't act like my servant. I need a comrade, not another maid"
A small bell rang as the pair entered the inn. However, they realized that since they did not have much money on them when they reincarnated, they could only afford one room with a single bed. Orchestra thought back on what the king said and winced at how stupid she was. She should've at least taken some gold with her, but she just wanted to leave quickly for another adventure. The truth was that she was not a hero for a long time, and only a few months before the encounter with the demon lord did she start training.
It wasn't her fault though, the Goddess seemed a bit lazy in her eyes. She was forced to cheat the battle by dealing with the devil, but her descendants somehow romanticized that as a royal sacrifice. For all her life, Orchestra put up a dignified appearance not to disappoint others as the king and hero, but with such a loyal and diligent person like Poda around, she couldn't help but feel a bit guilty.
"This is fine my la-... comrade. I will just sleep on the floor"
"What! I cannot let my companion sleep like this. My Pravusic body is much more adaptable (I think), so you should sleep in the bed instead."
"Do not worry, I am used to this. I was born into a poor household, so this is nostalgic for me. Also, the Goddess blessed me with incredible defence, you should be the one sleeping in the bed."
"Well... Uhh... Can't we just share the bed?..."
"I am sorry, but my conscience will probably kill me. I cannot let the King sleep with a mere guard on the same bed"
"Then," said Orchestra as she picked up the blanket, "take these at least"
Orchestra then freed her back, summoning her wings.
"These wings should keep me warm for the night, I cannot let my guard catch a cold under my watch!" said Orchestra as she hugged herself with her wings.
"...Thank you, my liege"
"I said no honorifics!"
And so, the night ended as Orchestra's new chapter just began. The moon shone brightly tonight, and the future seemed promising for the pair of heroes.
Some things in the human kingdom never change and Poda-Bruss woke up to the familiar sound of roosters crowing. Orchestra was still fast asleep and Poda decided not to wake her up. He instead ate half the breakfast provided and left a note of his whereabouts. He was going to patrol the city for the old time's sake when he was a mere city guard. Not only that, but it'd be crucial to see how the kingdom progressed to find out who could've possibly resurrected them. Poda suspected either an incredibly powerful human mage or a god, so starting at the capital was fortunate. He put on his armour and left the inn.
Walking around the city, he was impressed by how peaceful everything was. The day seemed to be Monday as everyone was getting back to work. This bustling, peaceful city life was what he always truly fought for. He believed that a strong leader led to a strong nation, so his job as the royal guard helped protect not just the king but the people as well. He also worked as the military and general advisor to his king and was very very close with him, that was until -
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Poda's recollections were interrupted as he saw a large crowd gather in the middle of the street. Since he was taller than most, he could easily see a greatsword stuck in the middle of the road with multiple large men pulling on it. He sensed a menacing aura radiating from this black claymore and decided that he should remove it from the street.
"Excuse me, could you tell me what's going on?" Poda asked a young man
"A random sword was just here on the ground when we woke up. Now, everyone is trying to pull it out but even a dozen men can't! It must be a legendary weapon!"
He walked toward the sword and asked politely if he could have a go. As expected, the sword was enchanted and the sword only budged a little bit before sinking back into the ground. However, he felt a strange sensation when he touched it as if his surroundings fell silent and a quiet voice was whispering. He could not hear what the voice said but he concluded that the sword must be cursed.
"Hey, Cynder, maybe you should give it a try," said a teen boy, jokingly
"Yeah, maybe you're the chosen one!" snickered another girl
"A- alright..."
Cynder, a small timid girl walked toward the sword. She did not dislike her friends, it was just that she was not good at refusing them. She was the type of girl to take a joke seriously and convinced herself that she needed to try and lift a sword. After she held the sword, she began tugging on it seriously with all her might.
"Let's go Cynder! Yeah!" said a member of the crowd
Now everyone around her was cheering. However, she was able to pull the sword out. The crowd went silent from shock for a few moments before cheering even louder than before. They surrounded her and lifted her into the air.
"Y- yay...!"
Cynder was very nervous with this many people looking at her but felt a little happy. Then, she heard a mysterious female voice speak to her.
"Hehe, finally, a cute girl!"
At that instance, a wave of magical energy pulsed out from Cynder and the sword, pushing everyone away except Poda-Bruss. Now, Cynder was completely possessed. Her expression and posture were unfitting, filled with arrogance and malice.
"Who are you!" shouted Poda
"Heh, my name is Kaizer and today marks my glorious return!"
"I have never heard of a 'Kaizer' in my life, reveal yourself!"
"You must be stupid to not know who the great Kaizer is, but I'll enlighten you since I am in a good mood: I am the 78th hero and the greatest hero!"
"You are no hero! Come with me peacefully!"
"Hoh? Trying to order me around? I'll have to teach you younglings some respect!"
Kaizer vs. Poda-Bruss & Orchestra
Kaizer's clothes changed to a dark costume, extending directly from the sword. Cynder's red hair turned pink and her eyes turned red as an evil aura emanated from her skin. Poda summoned his spear from his belt as well as a large rectangular shield made of reinforced wood.
"Here I come!"
Kaizer rushed toward Poda at a blinding speed. Her small form made her more agile and Poda was a larger target, easy to approach from any side.
However, no matter how many times she swung her disproportionately large greatsword, Poda kept blocking the strikes with his shield. Tired of the exchange, Kaizer decided to use her true talent.
"⌈Dichotomisierung⌋!"
At the utterance of this skill, Kaizer's greatsword moved instantly and Poda's wooden shield split perfectly in half vertically.
"Finally, no more of that annoying shield"
Poda was impressed with Kaizer's power, this must've been her talent. His shield was not just a wooden shield, but one enchanted with many powerful spells to strengthen its defence. It had never broken against any opponent before.
"⌈Dichotomisierung⌋!"
Hearing this, Poda instantly summoned a shield made of pure mana, which was cut in half again, this time horizontally. He felt that this strength was unnatural and that there must be some conditions to this powerful skill. He backed away out of the reach of the greatsword.
"Heh, you're probably wondering what that skill is. That is my talent, and it allows me to cut any object perfectly in half, with no limit!"
"And why are you telling me this?"
"Well, think of this as a pity toward a dead man"
Kaizer lunged for another strike and Poda created another shield. He knew this would not go on for too long as each shield drained a chunk of his mana reserves. He estimated that he could create 6 more shields before he was out. However, during the prolonged exchanges, Poda-Bruss realized that the material of the shield did not matter, and he made the mana shields with much lower density, making them faster and easier to make. Now he could make at least 100 before he ran out, however, this would still be a difficult fight as he had next to no offensive capabilities outside of his spear.
However, before Kaizer could reach the shield, a lone sword flew through the air, redirecting Kaizer's strike. The sword then split in half.
"Aw man, that was my favourite sword"
In the distance, Poda could see that Orchestra was awake with her armour on, ready for battle.
"My lo- comrade!"
"Who are you?" asked Kaizer
"I don't need to answer to any criminal!"
Orchestra spread her wings and flew toward Kaizer. Thankfully everyone had run away so no one saw her transformation, but the jet-black feathers fell onto the street. Orchestra made sure to remind herself to clean up afterwards. She summoned another blade and struck Kaizer's. The two swordsmen pushed against each other until Kaizer used her skill.
"⌈Dichotomisierung - Wind Blade⌋!"
[https://i.imgur.com/C4x7gDD.jpg]
This time, the skill activation sent a gust of wind but missed the Orchestra and hit the building behind them. The structure was cut cleanly in half and she could see that even the furniture within the house was cut along the same path. Orchestra quickly took wing and brought Poda and herself to safety before the building collapsed on itself.
"She has the skill to cut any entity in half. We have to be careful in our approach!" said Poda
"Alright, but we have to relocate first, this is too concentrated of an area for a battle, just make sure to follow me"
Orchestra flew and slammed Kaizer before taking off into the sky and Poda quickly followed. It seemed that when Orchestra grabbed her, Kaizer could not do much but struggle as her greatsword was focused on range and weight, not being able to hit the opponent this close by. This made it easy for Orchestra to throw Kaizer directly into a large empty construction site. By the time Orchestra reached the ground, Poda-Bruss was there as well.
"You take her right, I'll take her left, we can keep summoning weapons right?" said Orchestra
"Well, I only have 6 more mana shields before I run out"
"That's plenty! Let's go!"
Orchestra felt that Poda was much less formal during battles and she preferred this much more than his usual butler antics.
While she did not fully grasp her demonic abilities, she still had the unnatural strength and stamina of a warrior. Her technique was honed for only a few months, but with the greatest instructors of the kingdom assisting her at the time, she understood most fundamentals. With Poda on her side, she believed their victory was guaranteed.
As they kept pressuring Kaizer with a continuous assault, they could see that magical energy was building inside her.
"No fair! This isn't fair!"
Kaizer unleashed a blast of energy that pushed the duo back. She then struck the ground, cracking it open with her claymore and causing a light earthquake. The pair decided to put all their strength into a final strike to stop the battle from dragging on any longer and causing even more damage to the area. They began to gather what energy they had left when,
"Who the hell is causing all this noise?"
The mysterious voice caused all to look at the sky. With the sun behind his back, the floating silhouette of a boy almost seemed like that of a god.
Reginn vs. Kaizer
Reginn descended from the sky and landed gently on the cracked street. He skipped his morning class as he sensed a strong presence and thought it to be another hero, but he had now found 3 whole new heroes.
"What a pain... Who do I have to kill to stop all this?"
"You do not scare me, stranger, and I may spare your life!"
Reginn was now truly ticked off. He just wanted to end this quickly, but someone was just too eager to die for that.
Orchestra wondered if Kaizer was brave or stupid, but she knew that was a mistake as she could sense a terrifying aura around the boy. However, perhaps Kaizer's confidence was not baseless, as her talent was unstoppable.
"⌈Dichotomisierung⌋!"
Without any warning, Kaizer used her skill, but his blade just swung in the air, unable to find its target. Reginn tapped her on the shoulder, standing behind her which caused her to use her skill again.
"⌈Dichotomisierung⌋! ⌈Dichotomisierung⌋! ⌈Dichotomisierung⌋!"
No matter how many times she used the skill, the blade never reached Reginn. He was just far too fast. However, this did cause a considerable amount of collateral damage, destroying the open area to an unrecognizable degree.
"Did you think that I would let that filthy blade of yours touch me?"
"Kuh... ⌈Dichotomisierung - Wind Blades⌋!"
This time, the blade sent out multiple gusts of air. Reginn dodged these mana-concentrated air vacuums which hit the building behind him, destroying it. Poda-Bruss and Orchestra were both under the building and Poda's quick reaction time saved their lives. However, Reginn did not pay them any mind.
He displayed his right hand in front of Kaizer, calling for her attention, then into a fist as he smiled. This was a threatening gesture, not one a predator shows to its prey, not a soldier to their victim nor a murderer to the soon-to-be murdered. He revelled in the fear of others, he could smell it. The atmosphere was so pungent, palpable with this sense of dread, which made the devil within him glee. Kaizer was frozen, unable to leave and truly defeated. Her pride and sense of identity were destroyed, having been toyed around. The difference between their strength was far greater than the difference between her strength and an ant's. She regretted how she would die so quickly after being reincarnated.
"Shit... Only if I chose a stronger vessel..."
Reginn extended his index finger and gently placed it on Kaizer's forehead. This was going to be the end.
"Wait!" Poda-Bruss shouted "The sword is possessing an innocent girl! You need to destroy the sword"
"...Huh, the sword eh?" replied Reginn as he casually removed the sword from Kaizer's paralyzed hands.
The colour of her hair and eyes returned to normal and she collapsed to the floor exhausted. However, Reginn did not catch her, instead letting the pavement smear her skin. P oda-Bruss quickly came to bring her to safety and fed her some water he had in his pouch. He also pulled out some emergency supplies to tend to her few wounds. While she was tired and slightly injured, she would survive this experience.
"Ho? Are you trying to possess me?" said Reginn to Kaizer in her sword form "Good, keep trying"
Since Reginn had a natural immunity to mana, it'd be impossible for Kaizer to possess him. The process usually went that the possessor would push their mana into their victim, overwhelming their mana supply and taking over their consciousness. The exact mechanic processes of this consciousness transfer were unknown, which is why possessions were rare even among the most knowledgeable sorcerers. However, against an opponent with a lot more mana or against those who are immune to mana, the efforts would be futile.
"Hey," shouted Reginn toward the pair of heroes tending to Cynder "can I keep this?"
"O- of course, as long as you keep it safe" replied Poda
He believed that Reginn was fit to secure the sword since he seemed immune, more than anyone else. He knew that he was susceptible since he was affected when just touching the sword. In the future, he vowed to be more careful in situations like these. Though, even if they wanted to retrieve the accursed blade, he doubted they had the strength to pry it out of this stranger's hands.
"Well, I gotta get back to my classes, see ya," said Reginn as he walked away
Orchestra and Poda watched as Reginn faded beyond the dust cloud created by the destruction. This monstrous stranger left as quickly as he came, but at least the problem was resolved for now.
"We should return this girl to her guardians immediately," said Orchestra
"Yes, I'll take care of that"
"No," replied Orchestra, grabbing his wrist "We will take care of that"
And so the two walked away from the carnage, toward the inn to ask if anyone knew Cynder's parents. Soon they were on their way to bring her home.
"Thank you," said Poda "for saving me"
"Heroes do as heroes do, I was just looking out for a comrade"
Poda smiled. Back in his time, he had many rivals but not many friends. Of course, he had those who respected him and took his orders, but no one knew him like his king. The king was not just considerate of him but actively looked out for him. This made Poda even more royal to the kingdom, perhaps without his king, he would be much more bitter. He imagined that if they were not a king and a guard, they would be best friends in the army. Just two brothers living life. Orchestra reminded him of the old king. It was clear that she was his king's descendant as she shared many mannerisms and ideologies.
He was glad that he was resurrected. Now he had a chance to repent for his sins.
After they returned to Cynder, they decided to hit the road once more. They heard a rumour from Cynder's family about the current hero, Siege's secret hideout. Siege was an illusive hero, rarely contacting the public and the king. He simply did his job efficiently and left as swiftly as he came. This location was indeed just a rumour but they decided to check it out anyway. The location was nearby so it wouldn't be a waste of time even if it turned out to be fake.
The orchestra was excited that they had their first real battle after the resurrection. Truth be told, she never really fought anyone other than the demon lord so this was a special experience. It was a bit disappointing how the red-haired boy just appeared and stole the show, but it was a great day nonetheless. She was now looking forward to future encounters and meeting new companions.