The Rising Of the Shield Hero!
You and your step-brother Naofumi had never been particularly close, even as you grew up. Your mother's attention had always favored Naofumi, much to your annoyance. Despite disliking your brother, you find yourself su...
As the light gradually encircled us, dragging us into its clutches, my voice was suddenly lost to me, my throat constricted with fear. I was rendered utterly speechless, unable to utter a sound, my mind racing in a panic.
Naofumi, on the other hand, let out a blood-curdling shriek, as if his life depended on it.
Meanwhile, I was still frozen in place, unable to process the uncanny sight before me. Not to mention the sheer terror of free-falling into an unknown darkness.
'THUMP' I hit the ground and felt a sharp sting somewhere in my body, a sensation of utter dizziness overwhelming me. Slowly coming around to my senses, it took a moment for my vision to come back into focus, the faces around me still vaguely blurry.
I found myself surrounded by a group of individuals clad in black robes. "Did we do it?" One of them asked excitedly.
"Hold on, wait a second-" another chimed in, "Where did the fifth one come from?"
Ignoring the mysterious figures who stood over me, I slowly glanced around, my vision still blurred. Then, a sudden realization dawned upon me where the hell was my brother?
'Hold on... where is Naofumi?' I wondered to myself, still feeling lightheaded and queasy. 'Right, did I mention how sick I get in high places?' I recalled, remembering that childhood carnival ride that took me on a wild ride of nausea.
Still feeling nauseous as I lay there, I suddenly heard a familiar voice, it was my brother Naofumi. "What the hell?" he spoke up, his tone revealing his confusion and distress.
Upon recognizing his voice, I felt a faint rush of relief flood my body as I realized I wasn't all alone in this strange situation.
"Where are we?" Naofumi asked, his question mirroring my thoughts.
I gradually stood as I heard my brother's voice. I still felt quite hazy, but I was indeed getting better.
Looking around, I noticed that, in addition to Naofumi, myself, and the hooded men, there were three other individuals.
One had blonde hair, another boasted black hair, while the other possessed light brown hair.
"Oh, great heroes, we beseech you to come and rescue our world, dear heroes, save us!," one of the hooded individuals proclaimed.
"You can't be serious, what are you even talking about?." asserted the individual with light brown hair, seeming utterly flabbergasted and perplexed.
"The reason may prove difficult to explain at this moment...but we conducted an ancient ritual to summon you, the Four Cardinal Heroes, to this world!" The hooded figure stated. 'Four? But there are five of us' I pondered silently, as I cast my eyes downward.
"The very fabric of this world hangs in the balance as we speak... Please, heroes, lend us your strength," the hooded individual implored us, bowing their head in reverence.
Naofumi was just about to speak up, but was quickly cut off by the black haired guy "I refuse," he stated emphatically, crossing his arms.
"Same here," the light brown haired individual stated in a calm and dignified manner. "I request that we be returned to our world," the blonde fellow added in a rather unfeeling tone, leaving Naofumi utterly dumbfounded by their lack of empathy.
Looking at Naofumi's stunned face, I couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. He was far too naive to grasp the danger we were in if those guys had expended enormous effort to summon us for help, the situation must be truly dire.
"Do you not feel any remorse for summoning us here without any permission?" The black-haired man exclaimed, his sword pointed aggressively at the hooded man. This act jolted me back to reality, as he had every reason to be upset with them. After all, they had summoned us without our consent.
"Suppose, after our toil and sacrifice, we were to be cast back to our world without any reward? We would have labored for nothing." The light-brown haired man interjected.
The blonde-haired one piled on to the protest with, "How much of our demands are you willing to fulfill?" while Naofumi stood by, paralyzed and speechless, resembling a helpless, spineless loser.
"If your response does not meet our liking, we will not be so cordial," the blonde-haired man stated firmly.
"They have not simply accepted this circumstance... but they are trying to negotiate rewards.." Naofumi muttered.
"This is more than reckless, it's downright foolish," I exuded a menacing edge as I spoke, "Considering they're unaware of the strength of the entities in this world. Here I thought they had some semblance of intelligence." Having maintained a still silence, I finally spoke.
"What did you just Say!?" The blonde man roared, his expression filled with rage.
"Did you fail to comprehend what I said? Very well, then, I shall reiterate it for you, you dimwit all of you are being utterly foolish! You have 0 notion of just how immensely potent the individuals you will potentially confront may be. The mere fact that they succeeded in bringing us here to begin with demonstrates just that. Don't behave like a moron and utilize the few brain cells you have, idiot." I spoke, thoroughly irritated, as I directed a cold gaze at the blonde man.
"Enough, already!" Naofumi attempted to put an end to the conflict, imploring, "Stop this now." "All I did was tell the truth," I protested with a tinge of irritation.
"Heroes, please, curb your quarreling. Our audience with the king shall provide an opportunity to convey your requests. Follow me," the hooded man exclaimed. "Agh, fine," the blonde-haired guy barked. As I rolled my eyes in annoyance, I sauntered along in compliance.
"A fifth hero...this has never taken place before," a mysterious figure asserted, their tone fraught with curiosity and incredulity.
The figure rose and gave a smile, as they voiced their puzzlement, "Why does he resemble that person so much...hm?" They continued, their manner cordial, "Very well, then...I hope to cross paths with you soon, mysterious hero."
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(A/N: Alright folks that would be the end of chapter 2 sorry if it's really short)
