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It's time for the debut of my new series: Dawn of Courage. Hope you'll all enjoy it. (Warning: contains mild language, mild violence)
The world of Edyn. A magical world filled with monsters and possibilities. Here an ancient battle continues to wage on. The dark shadow that is the Undead King is rising to power once again. His arch-nemesis, the Demon King, knows it’s time to summon a new champion in order to face this threat. Past champions have come and gone but none have been successful in stopping the Undead King and his Undead Army permanently. Will the newest champion succeed where all others have failed? Or will the Undead King return and turn Edyn into a world of decay and discord?
On Earth a young man was stirring from his slumber as dawn broke over the horizon, smacking his beeping alarm clock in annoyance to silence it. As he slowly came out of his sleepy state of mind he yawned and stretched. His eyes were a sparkling emerald green while his coral pink hair was messy from his slumber. He slowly emerged from his bed and stood up. His appearance could be best described as “unremarkably average”, as his structure and height were that of most other men his age, with a smooth, kind face. He made his way to the bathroom to begin his morning grooming routine.
“Finally, Friday,” he said in a rather cheerful tone. “One of my days off from work. Although I have to do some grocery shopping today, as I’m getting low on everything. And I think I should be expecting some packages of goodies today so that’s something to look forward to. Hopefully they come before I get back from grocery shopping so I can put everything away all at once. Now, enough talk, time for breakfast for both me and my fine feathered friend.”
He first made his way into the living room and removed a blanket from a cage, revealing a light blue ringneck parrot. The parrot got excited when it saw its master.
“Good morning, Zeke. Did you sleep well?”
Zeke, the parrot, starting chattering, saying various phrases like, “Morning”, “I love you”, “Peekaboo”, and others, making the young man chuckle. He took out the parrot’s food dish, dumped the old contents out, and filled it up with fresh food, along with a branch of millet. He then made his way to the kitchen. After debating on what to have with what he had left he made himself a breakfast sandwich with some orange juice. After polishing off his meal he returned to his room to change into more comfortable clothes consisting of a loose-fitting red t-shirt and cargo pants. He ventured down into the living room to start making his list.
After a few minutes he said, “Okay, that looks like a good shopping list. I can’t go just yet as the grocery story I frequent isn’t open yet so I might as well play a game or two until then.”
Nodding, he walked into another room that was decorated with various game consoles and a cabinet of games and DVDs. After selecting a game he popped it in one of the consoles and began playing for a while, a smile forming on his face. After enough time had passed he turned off the game console and made his way back down to the living room.
“Yeah, that was fun,” he said. “But now it’s time to go shopping. Let me gather everything up and head on out.” After a few minutes of collecting his stuff he said, “Okay, I got my Digi-Pack, my Hoverboots, my tote shopping bags, my house keys, my shopping list, and my wallet. Normally I’d drive to the store but I had to loan my car to my parents for the day, as mom has a doctor’s appointment while dad works today, so I’ll be giving the Hoverboots some exercise today. Now, time to shopping.”
After double-checking to see if he had everything he opened the front door, walked outside, closed and locked the door, and activated the Hoverboots, allowing him to hover off the ground before rocketing himself down toward the nearby town.
About 90 minutes later the young man was heading back home. In his Digi-Pack were bags of groceries, yet it wasn’t the slightest bit heavier.
He smiled, “Okay, I got almost everything. They were out of my favorite lemonade but I got everything else. Now, let’s hope that my other packages arrived while I was out.”
He rocketed into his driveway and smiled, seeing three fair-sized packages sitting on his front doorstep.
“Ah, excellent! They did arrive while I was gone. Not that I’m too surprised, as deliveries tend to come early around here.”
When he got to his front stairs he deactivated the Hoverboots before taking a look at the packages. However, something caught his eye. Sitting on top of the boxes was a golden ring. It was a fair size, consisting of two separate yet connected segments. On the top half were six different symbols that were alien to him while the bottom half seemed to have a small arrow pointing to the symbols, and finally a small gem nestled in the middle.
He quirked an eyebrow, “Hmm? What’s this strange ring? Did the UPS driver drop it? I don’t recall ordering a ring like that. And what are those symbols on it? They look almost like some kind of meter with different settings. I dunno what this ring is, though it might make for some fun cosplay jewelry.”
As soon as he touched it the gem on the ring glowed brightly, blinding him. Suddenly, without warning, he, the ring, and the packages vanished without a trace in a burst of light. He then reappeared in an unknown location, crashing in a heap on the ground, his packages landing next to him.
“Ow! What the hell was that!?” He then noticed the ring was now resting on his right pointer finger, “Eh? When did this get there?” He tried to pull it off but to no avail, “What the? It’s stuck! It almost feels like it’s been glued on or something, as I can’t get it off.”
Suddenly, the gem glowed again, making the young man panic, only for a shadowy figure to appear in a projected image from the gem.
“Do not be alarmed, Nova Blitz, I am not your enemy,” the shadowy figure stated.
“W-W-What?!” Nova sputtered. “How do you know my name!?”
“Oh, I know more than you realize, young one. But that is a subject for another time. Right now, we need to have a quick but important talk. For starters, I am the Demon King: Belzebuth. You have been selected to be my champion against my most hated foe: the Undead King named Muu. You have been summoned to the world called Edyn to fight against this ancient evil. You are to use my treasured weapon: the Demon King Ring, which now rests on your finger, to fight him and his Undead Army.”
Nova gained a horrified expression, “Y-You’ve gotta be kidding me! You isekai'd me and expect ME to fight an army of zombies and their leader?! I’m terrified of undead and ghosts! Why would you choose me of all people!? Surely there are better options out there than a worthless, cowardly loser like me!”
Belzebuth replied, “Perhaps, but I selected you to be my champion. You have something that I need in order to defeat the Muu once and for all. And I’m aware of your plasmophobia, I’ve done my research. However, you possess a trait that could finally end this 3,000-year nightmare once and for all. And before you say anything, I know I could do the deed myself but Muu expects that. He’s a filthy coward who refuses to fight me, staying hidden and using decoys to keep me distracted, so I have to use champions in order to lure him into a false sense of security and finally destroy him. As a result, you are my newest champion, and I have complete confidence you’ll succeed in the task, as there is more to you than even you know.”
“But how am I going to fight him with a ring!?”
“The Demon King Ring contains a finite amount of magic. Using the ring will allow you to use magic and any other task that requires mana. You’ll have to study up on the subject yourself, but the ring gives you an effective cheat, as you only need to know the spell’s name in order to cast it. Moving on, the ring has several different modes that increase the magical output: Lesser Devil, Devil, Demon, Ifrit, Lucifer, and Armageddon Mode. Lesser Devil is the weakest while Armageddon is the strongest. And don’t worry about using up the ring’s magic, as it’ll continuously recharge when it has less than a full tank. The rest you’ll have to learn on your own. I have complete confidence that you’ll succeed. Now, head for the nearest village in order to gain your bearings and move on from there. Good luck!” and the shadowy figure vanished from view.
“W-W-Wait!” Nova choked. “You can’t leave me hanging like this! Hey!” After getting no response he gave a heavy sigh, “If this world is going to rely on me to end this Muu guy and his army then they’ve just bet on the wrong horse. If I may quote a certain Cybertronian rat, ‘We’re all gonna die’, because that’s exactly what’ll happen if this isekai world is relying on me to save it.” He gave another heavy sigh, “But it looks like I’m stuck with this job until I either complete it or die, the latter of which seems the most likely. Well, let me just put these packages into my Digi-Pack and see if I can find this village before something tries to eat me, because I doubt undead are the only enemies around here.”
With great reluctance Nova put the unopened boxes into his Digi-Pack and started to look around for a settlement. A few minutes later he spotted a small, cozy farm village with what looked like a watchtower off to the side just a short distance from where he was dropped off so he made a beeline for it. There were some villagers working on the crops when he approached. They all looked at Nova funny when he became level with them.
“Whattya want, kid?” an older man huffed.
Nova replied sheepishly, “I was wondering if you or someone here could help me. This is rather hard to believe but this… Demon King… isekai’d me into this world to be his newest champion, but I’m definitely in over my head. So I kinda need some help.”
A younger man huffed, “Yeah, like we’re gonna believe a loser like you is the Demon King’s newest champion.”
Suddenly, an older woman walked up, saying, “I believe him. I saw the light of his arrival from the village. And if you want further proof, look at his right pointer finger. Show them.”
Nova reluctantly showed his right hand, revealing the Demon King Ring. This reveal caused all the people working on the farms to stop and become wide-eyed.
“H-He really is the Demon King’s newest champion!” a man sputtered.
The older man looked Nova over before saying, “He’s not quite what I’d expect from the Demon King’s newest champion. His appearance is rather… unremarkable. And doesn’t seem too sturdy or strong, either. I harbor doubts that this young one is up to the task.”
Nova replied sadly, “I’m not, especially due to having one crippling flaw that severely complicates matters for me… I’m afraid of undead. I have plasmophobia: fear of ghosts and undead, and yet the Demon King, who knew this, still selected me to be his champion against Muu and his Undead Army. Plus… I’m not the bravest of sorts, either. But I’m stuck here until I either do what I’ve been assigned to or die, though the latter seems more likely. I’m not up for this task yet I’m stuck with it, so I don’t blame you for thinking I’m not good enough. But in order to get back home I need to at least try, but I need help getting off the ground. Do you think any of you can at least point me in the right direction on what I should do?”
The older woman replied, “I suggest you go to Galvatar Kingdom. It’s not only the most powerful kingdom in the world, but they have the best intelligence network. They can, at the very least, give you some support and possibly allies. Unfortunately, you’re in Phoenixwing Kingdom, a neighboring kingdom, so you’ll have to make the dangerous trek to the border in order to cross into Galvatar Kingdom. And, before I forget, you’ll need a passport from the Phoenixwing Kingdom’s king: King Blazar, so that’ll take even more time. But you can’t cross the border without a passport so you’re gonna have to head to the capital and meet with King Blazar in order to get the passport. And that’s not mentioning the various monsters that roam the land. You’ve got a long trip ahead of you, young one. At least for tonight you can stay here so you can brace yourself for your dangerous mission tomorrow.”
Nova nodded sadly, “Yeah, I figured it wouldn’t be simple. But I thank you sincerely for at least giving me a chance as I know that my story sounds pretty farfetched. Any help you can give me is very much appreciated, as I’m completely in over my head. I’m not qualified for this job but I have to at least try, right?”
The older woman nodded and guided Nova to the village. However, just as they entered a man came running in.
“An Undead Platoon is approaching us!” he said in a panic.
The older woman replied grimly, “I’d be willing to bet they figured out where the current Demon King champion is and want to eliminate him before he becomes a threat to Muu. Well, young one, looks like it’s time to test if you have the ability to fight back, as your life depends on it.”
“Yay…” Nova said, completely deadpan. He quickly looked around, trying to figure out any possible strategy before asking, “That watchtower, does it have an oil lamp or two?”
A man nodded, “Yes, it does. Why?”
“Okay, that’s helpful. And tell me what the most basic Fire spell is?”
“Fireball,” a woman replied. “But why do you…”
It then dawned upon them, making them smile.
“I see where you’re going with this,” the older woman replied. “That’s a smart strategy. It’ll sacrifice the watchtower but better it than us. At least the watchtower can be rebuilt, unlike a person. Get to work.”
Nova gave a heavy sigh before running out of the village. He saw what looked like a small army of skeleton soldiers lead by a more impressive one. He could instantly feel his fear grip him as he saw the very thing he was terrified of. He managed to swallow it down and gained a determined look on his face, although it was clear he was still frightened.
“Hey, you boneheads!” he called out. “If you’re looking for the Demon King’s newest champion, then let’s see if you can keep up with me!”
The head of the skeleton army chuckled, “Not a very bright idea. But at least you’ll make this easy for us. Especially since you look to be the most pathetic Demon King champion to date. Undead Soldiers… ATTACK!!!”
The various Undead Soldiers roared and charged toward Nova.
“Here goes something,” the pink-haired man gulped. “Hoverboots, on! Maximum Burn!”
The soles of the Hoverboots became alight with strong energy before said energy increased in potency significantly. He then rocketed toward the watchtower, the Undead Soldiers chasing after him, completely ignoring the village and the villagers. Nova used a wagon as a ramp to launch himself into the air before grabbing the ladder on the watchtower, having gotten over 2/3rds up the watchtower. He quickly deactivated his Hoverboots and scrambled up the watchtower, the Undead Soldiers hot on his heels.
He jumped into the hub of the tower and saw two oil lamps. Suddenly, he felt the tower shake. He looked down to see the Undead Soldiers climbing up it from all sides. Clearly frightened but nevertheless determined Nova unscrewed the two oil lamps. He dumped the contents of one lamp all around the top of the watchtower followed by using the second one to pour it over the sides, splashing some of the Undead Soldiers, much to their confusion. After confirming that every Undead Soldier was clinging to the watchtower Nova looked at the ring on his finger.
“Here goes something. Umm… Devil Mode.”
The ring automatically adjusted itself, now on the second symbol. Just then the leader of the Undead Soldiers had reached the top.
“End of the line, Demon King puppet!” he snarled.
Nova replied shakily yet strongly, “I agree. Goodbye, bone breath! Fireball!”
He summoned a fireball in his hands before launching it at the lamp oil. He then quickly jumped off the watchtower as the fireball struck the oil, causing the entire watchtower to go up in flames. The fire quickly engulfed the Undead Soldiers, making them scream in agony as the flames devoured them. Nova had activated his Hoverboots again to slow his descent to ground level while also gliding to a certain degree. When he landed he quickly put some distance between himself and the watchtower. After he felt he had gotten far enough away he and the villagers watched as the watchtower collapsed on top of the Undead Soldiers, crushing them and burning them to ashes. What looked like wisps of ghostly energy emerged from the burning remains of the watchtower before vanishing into nothingness, indicating the Undead Soldiers had been slain.
“He actually did it!” a villager cheered.
“He took out the Undead Soldiers!” another said happily.
A younger woman cried happily, “It cost us our watchtower but who cares? We’re saved!”
Nova’s legs suddenly gave out underneath him, causing him to fall onto his backside, his eyes wide, drenched in a cold sweat, panting.
The older woman walked up to him, “Well done, young one. While you definitely need to work on your courage you still saved us all from the Undead Army. More will follow, especially now that you’ve escaped this platoon’s clutches, but you have earned your first victory over Muu and the Undead Army. Looks like there’s more to you that any of us thought, including yourself. You have our thanks. Allow us to reward you with food and rest. After all, tomorrow, you’ve got a long journey ahead of you.”
Nova replied, deadpan, “Yeah, I can’t wait… but thank you. Just… give me a minute to recover…”
After a minute or two Nova managed to get back up and was escorted into the village, the villagers singing his praises, much to his embarrassment. They graciously treated him to a filling meal and a soft bed to rest on. As the three moons glowed in the night sky Nova was dreading what was to come.
Meanwhile, in a hidden location, what looked like an undead imp scurried over to a massive shadowy figure.
“My Lord Muu,” it said. “I’ve got bad news. The Undead Army that was tasked to kill the Demon King’s newest champion… has failed.”
Muu, who was concealed by shadows except his sunken, glowing eyes, growled, “It would appear that the current champion is a bit more resourceful than Captain Boneregard anticipated. But he was one of my lowest ranked Captains so I’m willing to cut my losses. At least it proved one thing: this new ‘champion’ is afraid of our kind. This’ll make eliminating him easier, as fear is a powerful weapon. The Demon King certainly bet on the wrong horse this time. Not his usual standards, I must say. But keep a close eye on this new ‘champion’ and terminate him with extreme prejudice when the perfect opportunity arises. Let’s show that fool, Belzebuth, what happens when he chooses a completely inferior being as his champion.”
Next Chapter: On a Firewing and a Prayer
That's it for today. Tune in next time to see what Nova has to face in this new isekai adventure that he didn't want.
Undead Rising
The world of Edyn. A magical world filled with monsters and possibilities. Here an ancient battle continues to wage on. The dark shadow that is the Undead King is rising to power once again. His arch-nemesis, the Demon King, knows it’s time to summon a new champion in order to face this threat. Past champions have come and gone but none have been successful in stopping the Undead King and his Undead Army permanently. Will the newest champion succeed where all others have failed? Or will the Undead King return and turn Edyn into a world of decay and discord?
On Earth a young man was stirring from his slumber as dawn broke over the horizon, smacking his beeping alarm clock in annoyance to silence it. As he slowly came out of his sleepy state of mind he yawned and stretched. His eyes were a sparkling emerald green while his coral pink hair was messy from his slumber. He slowly emerged from his bed and stood up. His appearance could be best described as “unremarkably average”, as his structure and height were that of most other men his age, with a smooth, kind face. He made his way to the bathroom to begin his morning grooming routine.
“Finally, Friday,” he said in a rather cheerful tone. “One of my days off from work. Although I have to do some grocery shopping today, as I’m getting low on everything. And I think I should be expecting some packages of goodies today so that’s something to look forward to. Hopefully they come before I get back from grocery shopping so I can put everything away all at once. Now, enough talk, time for breakfast for both me and my fine feathered friend.”
He first made his way into the living room and removed a blanket from a cage, revealing a light blue ringneck parrot. The parrot got excited when it saw its master.
“Good morning, Zeke. Did you sleep well?”
Zeke, the parrot, starting chattering, saying various phrases like, “Morning”, “I love you”, “Peekaboo”, and others, making the young man chuckle. He took out the parrot’s food dish, dumped the old contents out, and filled it up with fresh food, along with a branch of millet. He then made his way to the kitchen. After debating on what to have with what he had left he made himself a breakfast sandwich with some orange juice. After polishing off his meal he returned to his room to change into more comfortable clothes consisting of a loose-fitting red t-shirt and cargo pants. He ventured down into the living room to start making his list.
After a few minutes he said, “Okay, that looks like a good shopping list. I can’t go just yet as the grocery story I frequent isn’t open yet so I might as well play a game or two until then.”
Nodding, he walked into another room that was decorated with various game consoles and a cabinet of games and DVDs. After selecting a game he popped it in one of the consoles and began playing for a while, a smile forming on his face. After enough time had passed he turned off the game console and made his way back down to the living room.
“Yeah, that was fun,” he said. “But now it’s time to go shopping. Let me gather everything up and head on out.” After a few minutes of collecting his stuff he said, “Okay, I got my Digi-Pack, my Hoverboots, my tote shopping bags, my house keys, my shopping list, and my wallet. Normally I’d drive to the store but I had to loan my car to my parents for the day, as mom has a doctor’s appointment while dad works today, so I’ll be giving the Hoverboots some exercise today. Now, time to shopping.”
After double-checking to see if he had everything he opened the front door, walked outside, closed and locked the door, and activated the Hoverboots, allowing him to hover off the ground before rocketing himself down toward the nearby town.
About 90 minutes later the young man was heading back home. In his Digi-Pack were bags of groceries, yet it wasn’t the slightest bit heavier.
He smiled, “Okay, I got almost everything. They were out of my favorite lemonade but I got everything else. Now, let’s hope that my other packages arrived while I was out.”
He rocketed into his driveway and smiled, seeing three fair-sized packages sitting on his front doorstep.
“Ah, excellent! They did arrive while I was gone. Not that I’m too surprised, as deliveries tend to come early around here.”
When he got to his front stairs he deactivated the Hoverboots before taking a look at the packages. However, something caught his eye. Sitting on top of the boxes was a golden ring. It was a fair size, consisting of two separate yet connected segments. On the top half were six different symbols that were alien to him while the bottom half seemed to have a small arrow pointing to the symbols, and finally a small gem nestled in the middle.
He quirked an eyebrow, “Hmm? What’s this strange ring? Did the UPS driver drop it? I don’t recall ordering a ring like that. And what are those symbols on it? They look almost like some kind of meter with different settings. I dunno what this ring is, though it might make for some fun cosplay jewelry.”
As soon as he touched it the gem on the ring glowed brightly, blinding him. Suddenly, without warning, he, the ring, and the packages vanished without a trace in a burst of light. He then reappeared in an unknown location, crashing in a heap on the ground, his packages landing next to him.
“Ow! What the hell was that!?” He then noticed the ring was now resting on his right pointer finger, “Eh? When did this get there?” He tried to pull it off but to no avail, “What the? It’s stuck! It almost feels like it’s been glued on or something, as I can’t get it off.”
Suddenly, the gem glowed again, making the young man panic, only for a shadowy figure to appear in a projected image from the gem.
“Do not be alarmed, Nova Blitz, I am not your enemy,” the shadowy figure stated.
“W-W-What?!” Nova sputtered. “How do you know my name!?”
“Oh, I know more than you realize, young one. But that is a subject for another time. Right now, we need to have a quick but important talk. For starters, I am the Demon King: Belzebuth. You have been selected to be my champion against my most hated foe: the Undead King named Muu. You have been summoned to the world called Edyn to fight against this ancient evil. You are to use my treasured weapon: the Demon King Ring, which now rests on your finger, to fight him and his Undead Army.”
Nova gained a horrified expression, “Y-You’ve gotta be kidding me! You isekai'd me and expect ME to fight an army of zombies and their leader?! I’m terrified of undead and ghosts! Why would you choose me of all people!? Surely there are better options out there than a worthless, cowardly loser like me!”
Belzebuth replied, “Perhaps, but I selected you to be my champion. You have something that I need in order to defeat the Muu once and for all. And I’m aware of your plasmophobia, I’ve done my research. However, you possess a trait that could finally end this 3,000-year nightmare once and for all. And before you say anything, I know I could do the deed myself but Muu expects that. He’s a filthy coward who refuses to fight me, staying hidden and using decoys to keep me distracted, so I have to use champions in order to lure him into a false sense of security and finally destroy him. As a result, you are my newest champion, and I have complete confidence you’ll succeed in the task, as there is more to you than even you know.”
“But how am I going to fight him with a ring!?”
“The Demon King Ring contains a finite amount of magic. Using the ring will allow you to use magic and any other task that requires mana. You’ll have to study up on the subject yourself, but the ring gives you an effective cheat, as you only need to know the spell’s name in order to cast it. Moving on, the ring has several different modes that increase the magical output: Lesser Devil, Devil, Demon, Ifrit, Lucifer, and Armageddon Mode. Lesser Devil is the weakest while Armageddon is the strongest. And don’t worry about using up the ring’s magic, as it’ll continuously recharge when it has less than a full tank. The rest you’ll have to learn on your own. I have complete confidence that you’ll succeed. Now, head for the nearest village in order to gain your bearings and move on from there. Good luck!” and the shadowy figure vanished from view.
“W-W-Wait!” Nova choked. “You can’t leave me hanging like this! Hey!” After getting no response he gave a heavy sigh, “If this world is going to rely on me to end this Muu guy and his army then they’ve just bet on the wrong horse. If I may quote a certain Cybertronian rat, ‘We’re all gonna die’, because that’s exactly what’ll happen if this isekai world is relying on me to save it.” He gave another heavy sigh, “But it looks like I’m stuck with this job until I either complete it or die, the latter of which seems the most likely. Well, let me just put these packages into my Digi-Pack and see if I can find this village before something tries to eat me, because I doubt undead are the only enemies around here.”
With great reluctance Nova put the unopened boxes into his Digi-Pack and started to look around for a settlement. A few minutes later he spotted a small, cozy farm village with what looked like a watchtower off to the side just a short distance from where he was dropped off so he made a beeline for it. There were some villagers working on the crops when he approached. They all looked at Nova funny when he became level with them.
“Whattya want, kid?” an older man huffed.
Nova replied sheepishly, “I was wondering if you or someone here could help me. This is rather hard to believe but this… Demon King… isekai’d me into this world to be his newest champion, but I’m definitely in over my head. So I kinda need some help.”
A younger man huffed, “Yeah, like we’re gonna believe a loser like you is the Demon King’s newest champion.”
Suddenly, an older woman walked up, saying, “I believe him. I saw the light of his arrival from the village. And if you want further proof, look at his right pointer finger. Show them.”
Nova reluctantly showed his right hand, revealing the Demon King Ring. This reveal caused all the people working on the farms to stop and become wide-eyed.
“H-He really is the Demon King’s newest champion!” a man sputtered.
The older man looked Nova over before saying, “He’s not quite what I’d expect from the Demon King’s newest champion. His appearance is rather… unremarkable. And doesn’t seem too sturdy or strong, either. I harbor doubts that this young one is up to the task.”
Nova replied sadly, “I’m not, especially due to having one crippling flaw that severely complicates matters for me… I’m afraid of undead. I have plasmophobia: fear of ghosts and undead, and yet the Demon King, who knew this, still selected me to be his champion against Muu and his Undead Army. Plus… I’m not the bravest of sorts, either. But I’m stuck here until I either do what I’ve been assigned to or die, though the latter seems more likely. I’m not up for this task yet I’m stuck with it, so I don’t blame you for thinking I’m not good enough. But in order to get back home I need to at least try, but I need help getting off the ground. Do you think any of you can at least point me in the right direction on what I should do?”
The older woman replied, “I suggest you go to Galvatar Kingdom. It’s not only the most powerful kingdom in the world, but they have the best intelligence network. They can, at the very least, give you some support and possibly allies. Unfortunately, you’re in Phoenixwing Kingdom, a neighboring kingdom, so you’ll have to make the dangerous trek to the border in order to cross into Galvatar Kingdom. And, before I forget, you’ll need a passport from the Phoenixwing Kingdom’s king: King Blazar, so that’ll take even more time. But you can’t cross the border without a passport so you’re gonna have to head to the capital and meet with King Blazar in order to get the passport. And that’s not mentioning the various monsters that roam the land. You’ve got a long trip ahead of you, young one. At least for tonight you can stay here so you can brace yourself for your dangerous mission tomorrow.”
Nova nodded sadly, “Yeah, I figured it wouldn’t be simple. But I thank you sincerely for at least giving me a chance as I know that my story sounds pretty farfetched. Any help you can give me is very much appreciated, as I’m completely in over my head. I’m not qualified for this job but I have to at least try, right?”
The older woman nodded and guided Nova to the village. However, just as they entered a man came running in.
“An Undead Platoon is approaching us!” he said in a panic.
The older woman replied grimly, “I’d be willing to bet they figured out where the current Demon King champion is and want to eliminate him before he becomes a threat to Muu. Well, young one, looks like it’s time to test if you have the ability to fight back, as your life depends on it.”
“Yay…” Nova said, completely deadpan. He quickly looked around, trying to figure out any possible strategy before asking, “That watchtower, does it have an oil lamp or two?”
A man nodded, “Yes, it does. Why?”
“Okay, that’s helpful. And tell me what the most basic Fire spell is?”
“Fireball,” a woman replied. “But why do you…”
It then dawned upon them, making them smile.
“I see where you’re going with this,” the older woman replied. “That’s a smart strategy. It’ll sacrifice the watchtower but better it than us. At least the watchtower can be rebuilt, unlike a person. Get to work.”
Nova gave a heavy sigh before running out of the village. He saw what looked like a small army of skeleton soldiers lead by a more impressive one. He could instantly feel his fear grip him as he saw the very thing he was terrified of. He managed to swallow it down and gained a determined look on his face, although it was clear he was still frightened.
“Hey, you boneheads!” he called out. “If you’re looking for the Demon King’s newest champion, then let’s see if you can keep up with me!”
The head of the skeleton army chuckled, “Not a very bright idea. But at least you’ll make this easy for us. Especially since you look to be the most pathetic Demon King champion to date. Undead Soldiers… ATTACK!!!”
The various Undead Soldiers roared and charged toward Nova.
“Here goes something,” the pink-haired man gulped. “Hoverboots, on! Maximum Burn!”
The soles of the Hoverboots became alight with strong energy before said energy increased in potency significantly. He then rocketed toward the watchtower, the Undead Soldiers chasing after him, completely ignoring the village and the villagers. Nova used a wagon as a ramp to launch himself into the air before grabbing the ladder on the watchtower, having gotten over 2/3rds up the watchtower. He quickly deactivated his Hoverboots and scrambled up the watchtower, the Undead Soldiers hot on his heels.
He jumped into the hub of the tower and saw two oil lamps. Suddenly, he felt the tower shake. He looked down to see the Undead Soldiers climbing up it from all sides. Clearly frightened but nevertheless determined Nova unscrewed the two oil lamps. He dumped the contents of one lamp all around the top of the watchtower followed by using the second one to pour it over the sides, splashing some of the Undead Soldiers, much to their confusion. After confirming that every Undead Soldier was clinging to the watchtower Nova looked at the ring on his finger.
“Here goes something. Umm… Devil Mode.”
The ring automatically adjusted itself, now on the second symbol. Just then the leader of the Undead Soldiers had reached the top.
“End of the line, Demon King puppet!” he snarled.
Nova replied shakily yet strongly, “I agree. Goodbye, bone breath! Fireball!”
He summoned a fireball in his hands before launching it at the lamp oil. He then quickly jumped off the watchtower as the fireball struck the oil, causing the entire watchtower to go up in flames. The fire quickly engulfed the Undead Soldiers, making them scream in agony as the flames devoured them. Nova had activated his Hoverboots again to slow his descent to ground level while also gliding to a certain degree. When he landed he quickly put some distance between himself and the watchtower. After he felt he had gotten far enough away he and the villagers watched as the watchtower collapsed on top of the Undead Soldiers, crushing them and burning them to ashes. What looked like wisps of ghostly energy emerged from the burning remains of the watchtower before vanishing into nothingness, indicating the Undead Soldiers had been slain.
“He actually did it!” a villager cheered.
“He took out the Undead Soldiers!” another said happily.
A younger woman cried happily, “It cost us our watchtower but who cares? We’re saved!”
Nova’s legs suddenly gave out underneath him, causing him to fall onto his backside, his eyes wide, drenched in a cold sweat, panting.
The older woman walked up to him, “Well done, young one. While you definitely need to work on your courage you still saved us all from the Undead Army. More will follow, especially now that you’ve escaped this platoon’s clutches, but you have earned your first victory over Muu and the Undead Army. Looks like there’s more to you that any of us thought, including yourself. You have our thanks. Allow us to reward you with food and rest. After all, tomorrow, you’ve got a long journey ahead of you.”
Nova replied, deadpan, “Yeah, I can’t wait… but thank you. Just… give me a minute to recover…”
After a minute or two Nova managed to get back up and was escorted into the village, the villagers singing his praises, much to his embarrassment. They graciously treated him to a filling meal and a soft bed to rest on. As the three moons glowed in the night sky Nova was dreading what was to come.
Meanwhile, in a hidden location, what looked like an undead imp scurried over to a massive shadowy figure.
“My Lord Muu,” it said. “I’ve got bad news. The Undead Army that was tasked to kill the Demon King’s newest champion… has failed.”
Muu, who was concealed by shadows except his sunken, glowing eyes, growled, “It would appear that the current champion is a bit more resourceful than Captain Boneregard anticipated. But he was one of my lowest ranked Captains so I’m willing to cut my losses. At least it proved one thing: this new ‘champion’ is afraid of our kind. This’ll make eliminating him easier, as fear is a powerful weapon. The Demon King certainly bet on the wrong horse this time. Not his usual standards, I must say. But keep a close eye on this new ‘champion’ and terminate him with extreme prejudice when the perfect opportunity arises. Let’s show that fool, Belzebuth, what happens when he chooses a completely inferior being as his champion.”
Next Chapter: On a Firewing and a Prayer
That's it for today. Tune in next time to see what Nova has to face in this new isekai adventure that he didn't want.