The Rising of the Scythe Hero

The Waves of Catastrophe — a strange phenomenon mercilessly tearing apart the world to which the Legendary Heroes had been summoned. Fighting the Waves — that was the very reason for summoning them.

Some might've been excited by such an adventurous twist of fate, but Naofumi Iwatani — one of the summoned heroes, the Shield Hero — wasn't thrilled in the slightest.

Sure, maybe he would've even enjoyed going on an adventure, carving his own story… but this world did absolutely everything to turn the life of the one meant to protect it into pure hell. Especially its people.

But then why was he, the one who had faced nothing but betrayal and injustice in this new life, fighting so fiercely right now to protect these same people?

Naofumi could've said a lot about that. But the truth would never leave his lips.

He was kind. Way too kind. And no matter how hard he tried to act like the complete opposite — that fact wasn't going to change.

Naofumi Iwatani was capable of doing terrible things. But the moment someone showed him even a sliver of kindness… he couldn't help but repay it with ten times more. That's just how the Shield Hero of this era was.

"Naofumi-sama!"

"I know! Shield Prison!"

Blocking yet another insectoid monster that lunged at one of the villagers from Ryute Village, Naofumi wasted no time turning to the next enemy.

Relentlessly blocking the endless attacks of the swarming monsters clinging to him from head to toe, the Shield Hero kept scanning the battlefield, searching for anyone else who might need help. Counting on the other heroes was pointless — for them, only killing the boss mattered.

But for Naofumi, saving the villagers was the real priority. Besides, if you asked him, he owed a lot to the people of Ryute Village. Some scythe kiddo would've called him an idiot for thinking that way, but right now… this wasn't about him.

Suddenly, Naofumi's gaze caught a shadow flickering at the edge of his vision. And then, amidst the chaos of blocking non-stop attacks, he noticed something odd — the density of enemies wasn't what he remembered from his initial glance.

Sure, the villagers were trying to fight back too, but… their efforts were barely effective.

"Did someone come back?" — Naofumi wondered.

Gradually, he started noticing how the familiar shrieks of the monsters changed. From threatening and disgusting… to almost desperate?

With a roar, Naofumi shook off the clingy mass of locust-like bugs and quickly scanned his surroundings. What he saw… made his mouth fall open in disbelief.

Nott. The Scythe Hero — as he called himself, and as many others believed him to be. Yeah, he was summoned alongside them and wielded a scythe, but… over time, enough little details had surfaced to make Naofumi seriously doubt who Nott really was.

But right now, that didn't matter. The kid who was summoned to this world the same day as Naofumi… was effortlessly slaughtering the Wave's monsters.

His speed was so insane that Naofumi literally lost track of him sometimes.

One moment, he cleaved through a swarm of locusts with a single swing. The next, he spun around and thrust his hand forward. His lips moved soundlessly, and a second later, a pack of zombies was shredded by spectral scythe blades erupting straight from the ground. Then, without missing a beat, he dashed toward the next group.

Violet crescent blades flew from his scythe, illusionary copies appeared here and there, distracting the incoming waves of monsters, and the blade itself sliced through enemies like butter.

"What level did he even reach while we were apart?" Naofumi couldn't help but wonder.

The ease with which the Scythe Hero dispatched enemies was a painful reminder for someone like Naofumi — someone who, by design, couldn't attack at all, only defend and endure damage.

"Naofumi-sama! Watch out!"

He was so lost in thought, he completely ignored his surroundings.

Which is why he didn't notice the colossal club descending toward him from above until it was almost too late.

'How the hell did I miss something that huge?!'

An enormous zombie-like creature, only this one wasn't your average undead — armored and massive beyond reason.

'I'm done for.' Naofumi had just enough time to think, reflexively raising his shield when…

Whoosh

The club's speed plummeted mid-fall, its trajectory thrown off, grazing his shield at an angle. A blow like that? The Shield Hero could tank it no problem.

Looking up, Naofumi saw the giant frozen in place, helplessly dropping his club and lowering his arms. And just as confusion set in…

"Yo!" Nott popped up right in front of him, giving a casual wave. "Why isn't he falling yet?" He tilted his head at the undead giant. "Ooooh, watch out!"

Nott gently shoved Naofumi to the side. A split second later, the massive zombie keeled over… and with the motion, so did its head. Completely detached from its body.

'One… hit…' Naofumi watched in shock as the hulking corpse crashed to the ground with a thunderous boom.

"Incredible… That was… impressive, young man…" Naofumi turned to see the village elder approaching.

"What the hell are you doing here, old man?!" The Shield Hero was far from thrilled.

"Well, Hero-sama? This is our home! We're not just handing it over to those monsters! Alright, men! Let's protect our village!"

"YEAH!"

The villagers, armed with whatever they could find — pitchforks, rakes, hoes — were ready to charge into battle, but…

Just as Naofumi was about to scold them for their foolishness, Nott's cheerful expression suddenly shifted to something dead serious.

"Cast your shield! Now!"

Naofumi didn't understand the sudden urgency, still rattled by what he'd seen, but the abrupt tone made him react instinctively.

"Shield Prison!"

The shield barrier instantly surrounded him, Raphtalia, and the village elder, shielding them from whatever unseen threat Nott had detected. They were close enough to huddle together. The rest were still approaching.

A few seconds later, something slammed into the shield's surface with a metallic clang.

"How long can that shield hold, Naofumi?" To his surprise, Nott asked the question with unsettling calmness. So calm, Naofumi felt a chill crawl down his spine.

"Fifteen seconds." The Shield Hero managed to answer. "But I can lower it sooner if—"

"No. Don't. The threat's still here."

"But the attack's already over…" Naofumi frowned, confused.

"The threat isn't for us. Just… hold the shield, Naofumi." Nott took a deep breath. And exhaled, like he was… calming himself down?

'Is… is he angry?'

If only Naofumi knew… Or saw… The expression on Nott's face right now… He would've understood everything without words.

He wasn't angry. Not irritated, either.

He was furious.

Nott didn't remember every detail of the original storyline. It had been a long time, and there were way too many minor events to keep track of. Besides, back then, it didn't even seem necessary. You only remember the interesting or impactful moments. And only now, after the attack, did Nott recall this incident.

As their shield prison began to dissolve, Nott had managed to suppress most of his boiling emotions in those fifteen seconds. But not all of them.

"Hoooh… So that's the Shield Hero, huh?" As the shield disappeared, a squad of soldiers approached. "And look at that, the fifth hero's here too. Hiding in the back while the brave three heroes are fighting with all they've got. How typical…"

The sheer arrogance dripping from the soldier's voice made Naofumi instantly want to punch him. He even noticed, from the corner of his eye, Raphtalia preparing to lunge at what was obviously the knights' captain.

But there was a small problem…

"Didn't expect anything less… Bwhack!" In the blink of an eye, the knight speaking found himself airborne, coughing up blood.

And standing where he had just been… was Nott, calmly lowering his foot back to the ground.

"Captain! You bastard!"

The remaining soldiers rushed him, and Naofumi was about to intervene when he realized… there was absolutely no need.

The attackers didn't even register what happened. The arm swinging a sword at the Scythe Hero bent at an unnatural angle. A scream of pain followed — the first of many over the next few minutes.

Soldiers were flung aside like ragdolls, powerless before the overwhelming force of someone the world called a Legendary Hero.

Effortlessly twisting the next attacker's arm, Nott yanked him forward, making him stumble, then drove his knee into the guy's stomach. Even from where he stood, Naofumi heard the faint crack of bones.

The next strike came at him from behind, but Nott casually blocked it with his forearm — the sound of metal clashing against metal echoed. The soldier's arms trembled, while Nott didn't even flinch. Until he spun around… and kicked the guy halfway across the battlefield.

Twenty seconds. That's all it took for a squad of soldiers, supposedly trained for years, to turn into a moaning pile of broken bodies.

But apparently… that wasn't enough for Nott.

His eyes locked onto the mages — whether by chance or luck, most had been thrown to one side.

Approaching them, he crouched and stared one of them dead in the eye.

"He gave the order to attack even though we were inside the blast radius, didn't he?" Nott asked calmly, nodding toward their leader.

"Go to hell, you damn monster!" The soldier spat at him. "I didn't sa… Gah!" Naofumi didn't even catch when Nott's hidden scythe materialized, the blade driving into the ground… right between the man's legs.

"Friendly advice — don't be rude. I asked a simple question. 'Yes' or 'no'?" Nott casually tugged on the scythe. The blade started to rise, plowing through the dirt.

"Wait, wait, wait! Yes! Yes! We said we'd hit the villagers too! But the captain said it didn't matter!"

"Gotcha. Thanks for the chat." Nott stood and slowly walked toward the captain, who was barely getting back on his feet.

"You bastard… You won't get away with th… Ugh!"

With sudden speed, Nott was right in front of him, lifting him off the ground by the throat.

"I figured you were too dumb to think straight. But I never thought you'd be this dumb…" The man flailed and gasped as Nott stared him down, calm and cold. "You summoned us here to risk our lives for you. You need our help. Our strength. Our protection." The man's struggles weakened. "And yet you idiots do everything in your power to make us hate you instead. And if that's really what you want…"

By the end of his words, the knight was unconscious — but Nott's grip remained firm.

Should I stop him? Naofumi wondered. If he kills him, it'll come back to bite me too…

But while Naofumi hesitated… someone else acted first.

"Nott-sama!" Raphtalia rushed to the Scythe Hero. "Please, stop! You don't need to kill him! The Wave is still going! We have to protect the people!"

Naofumi was honestly stunned. He never thought Raphtalia would be so bold. Not that he'd ever admit it aloud, but even he found this whole situation… a little terrifying.

And understandably so. It's one thing to quietly hate everyone and wish them dead. It's a whole different thing to act on those thoughts.

Nott, meanwhile, turned to Raphtalia with an unreadable look. Then glanced back at the knight. Then at Raphtalia again…

"Haaah…" He exhaled long and heavy.

Thud

The unconscious, but alive, knight hit the ground.

"That's exactly why I didn't save you myself." Nott muttered so quietly, even Raphtalia with her sharp demi-human hearing barely caught it. Then, louder: "But yeah… I got a little carried away. This whole thing's just… annoying."

He cast one last glance at the body on the ground, then turned toward the advancing monsters.

"Hey, old man." He called over his shoulder, his scythe returning to combat form.

"Y-yes, Hero-sama?"

"Those idiots are definitely gonna say we attacked them for no reason. Hell, they might even off one of their own and blame us. So… at the very least, make sure they don't drag the Shield into it. The rest doesn't matter."

"But Hero-sama…" But Nott wasn't listening anymore. With a powerful kick off the ground, he dashed forward.