Detour 5 - The Shield Master that Fell in the Abyss

Shield Master, Tetsurou Akagi

Three months since my best friend left, I held a grudge at everyone, they threw out Ash from the castle and branded him as a criminal.

What's more, when I tried to go after him, they've stopped me, I couldn't do a thing but listen to them for now. But once I'm strong enough, I'll snuck out of this castle and find my best friend who was out there in the world.

After that certain event, Nakamura suddenly joined up with the main party group, Atsushi's party. I was alone, everyone tried to invite me, but of course, I didn't join any of them, my job was defense focused, but even so, I found a way to fight with defensive skills.

When Asher learned of my job, he helped me figure out some things about the job, and helped me train.

He said: "That job's gonna be awesome! You'll be like captain America waving your shield around, and since I'm a synergist, I'll be Iron man!"

Thinking about our childhood days, both of us have been obsessed with super heroes, comics and power rangers. Fighting evil and protecting the world. Thinking about it now, it was funny because we ended up in another world with insane powers. We'll be fighting against Devils that was starting a war against humans.

Finally, the time came when we'll be going to the Scarlet Labyrinth. apparently, that was where they'd be training us while fighting monsters.

Honestly, I don't feel like it, my best friend was out there suffering, and here I am, dungeon crawling my ass on some labyrinth.

Soon, we entered it, the parties filled in ranks, I, of course, being alone was left in the back along with the knights.

Our expedition went without a hitch, the main party, was clearing their way on the lower parts. Once a monster attacked us in the back, before the knights could do a thing, I've already moved and bashed the monster with my shield.

It continued on like that, for a while, soon we reached the twentieth floor. And some monster, a Rockmount came attacking the group, it almost flattened the back line of the main party, but Noel was able to prevent that.

Then unable to control the stupid anger he had; Atsushi almost collapsed the cave with a powerful AOE attack. He, of course, he got scolded by Captain Noel.

Then, we found some precious crystal which turned out to be a trap, thanks to Daichi's idiotic moves of trying to impress the girls by getting it.

The magic circle glowed bright, then grew large enough to encompass the entire room. It was just like the day we had been summoned.

"Crap, retreat! Everyone, get out, now!" Captain Noel's words spurred everyone into action, and they all scrambled for the exit... but they didn't make it in time.

Light filled the room, and before long white was the only thing anyone could see. Everyone was assailed by a momentary sensation of weightlessness.

I could feel the atmosphere shift. A moment later, we all fell to the ground with a thud.

My defense is pretty high, so I didn't feel much pain. The main party's front liners are already on their feet.

We had been teleported onto a massive stone bridge. It was around one hundred meters in length. The ceiling also towered a full twenty meters above them. Below the bridge was not a river, but instead a dark abyss with no visible end. The gaping chasm resembled the very pits of hell.

Though the bridge was ten meters wide, it had no railing at all, so if someone slipped, there would be nothing to catch their fall. we had been sent to the middle of the bridge. One side of the bridge was a passage heading further in, while stairs leading upward were at the other end.

After confirming the situation, Captain Noel curtly barked out orders.

"Everyone, get up and head for the stairs! Now!" His voice boomed louder than thunder, and the students hurried to follow his orders.

However, labyrinth's traps were not so easy to escape. We would not be allowed to retreat so easily.

New magic circles suddenly appeared on either side of the bridge, accompanied by a swirling torrent of dark red mana. The magic circle on the passage-side of the bridge was ten meters wide. The ones on the stairs-side were only one meter each, but there were many.

The dark red magic circles resembled pools of blood, and gave off an ominous feel. They pulsed once, and waves of monsters began pouring forth.

From the countless magic circles near the stairs came a horde of skeletons wielding swords, Tram Soldiers. Their empty eye sockets gleamed with the same blood-red light as the circles they came from, and they rolled around like real eyes too. Within seconds, the stairs were teeming with nearly a hundred of the creatures, and more were still pouring out.

Despite their numbers, Asher thought what was coming out on the passage-side of the bridge was far more of a threat.

From within the ten-meter wide magic circle emerged a monster as big as the circle that summoned it. It stood on four legs and had some kind of helmet on its head. To Asher, the closest thing it resembled was a triceratops. However, unlike a triceratops, its eyes glowed bright red, and as it clacked its wicked sharp claws and fangs together, flames sprouted from the horn on its helmeted forehead.

Everyone stared at it in slack-jawed horror, and Captain Noel's terrified whisper resounded surprisingly clearly throughout the room.

"Oh my god... It's... a Behemoth..."

Unease fell over us when we saw the captain, the reliable knight who'd always been their reassuring pillar of support, break out in a cold sweat.

Atsushi got cocky and led an assault against the behemoth, but of course, Captain Noel tried to stop him.

I did, to the best of my abilities to try and protect everyone, even though I really want them to die now, but even I wouldn't stand a chance at it alone.

My classmates were all disoriented, they all struggled to fought for dear life without discretion, even I can't rally them. Only the ball of misguided justice and his charisma could calm them down.

"Atsushi!!" I screamed.

"Akagi!?"

"Akagi-kun!?"

"You need to retreat! You have to go back where the others are! They need you! Now!" I yelled at him angrily.

"What do you mean? More importantly, why are you here?! You shouldn't be here!"

I punched him hard in the face and grabbed his collar.

"This isn't the time to be a fucking hero!!" I yelled at him in anger. "look behind you for fuck sake! Our classmates are in the jaws of death! I can't do shit about that with my abilities! We need someone with enough fire power to breakthrough those skeletons!" Atsushi looked at me in a dazed before furiously shaking his head.

"Yeah, I get it now. We're retreating! Noel-san, sorry-"

"Get down!" a massive shockwave headed towards us. I immediately raised my shield and used the "Shield Barrier" skill. my skill had managed to lessen the force a little... but then the Behemoth let out a huge roar and the dust cleared, only to reveal Captain Noel and the other three knights lying on the ground, moaning in pain. The shockwave had robbed them of their ability to move.

Atsushi and the others had collapsed too, but they were able to quickly get back up. Since they'd been behind both my wall and the knights, they hadn't taken as much damage.

"Gah... Ryu, Mei, can you buy us some time?" Atsushi asked. They were in pain but they stepped forward. Since the knights had been defeated, we had to do something about the behemoth ourselves.

"Not like we have a damn choice!"

"…We'll manage" the two of them charged the behemoth after uttering those responses.

"Kaede, you need to heal Noel-san and the others"

"G-Got it!" at Atsushi's command, Kaede ran over the knights. The poor girl had been suffering since Asher was driven out, then she was forced to help out in this expedition. She's already in a ton of pressure adding this situation, I won't be surprised if Kaede just break here and now.

After, Atsushi ran for the others, Kaede and the others also retreated.

Captain Noel and I were the only one left in the middle of the bridge. I was using my 'Castle of Stone' skill to hold down the monster from advancing any further, but it was hard to maintain.

"Kid, you need to get out of here, we'll hold it off, so you run, now"

Instead of obeying, I desperately yelled out an alternative plan. It was possibly the only that could save everyone. However, it was also insane and reckless that would give me better chances at winning a lottery than surviving.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Hell, yeah" Noel laughed and broke out into a grin when he saw the resolve in my gaze.

"Never thought I'd trust my life to you of all people... I promise I won't leave you behind. So... don't let me down, kid!"

"Yes sir!" Captain Noel finished talking and ran to the students.

I, on the other hand, charged in recklessly, and held the Behemoth's helmet with my own shield and activate every defensive skill I have to hold it off.

After long minutes of desperately trying to hold the monster down. Volleys of magic bullets came raining down on the monster. I managed to look back and saw Captain Noel screaming.

"Kid! Run now! We'll cover you!!"

I disable all of my skills and ran, pushed my legs to the limit of what I can.

Among the multitude of spells flying at the Behemoth, one of them had a slightly lower trajectory... And it was heading straight for me. Someone had clearly aimed their attack right at him.

I quickly braced my legs in an attempt to stop, even with my defense, exploding fireballs in my face still hurts. The shockwave blasted me back toward the behemoth who was struggling to get up. Because of the explosion, my senses are jumbled, I could barely stand.

I struggled to my feet and started running again, I can't die now! I'm gonna find Ash, we'd go home together! Her sister will kill me if she knew I left him behind. We made an oath, I'll always be on his side, till the day we die. I won't let it be the day!

Despite my valiant struggle, it all went in vain when the bridge collapsed under me. Everything went in slow motion. I saw it clearly, my classmates, I saw Kaede desperately trying to reach me, possibly because I was Ash's best friend, well… she was in-love with Ash so, she probably couldn't stand the thought that her love one's best friend was dead. The others trying to hold her back, my other classmates were all pale as well, covering their eyes or mouth with their hands as they watched. Captain Noel and the other knights all watched with painful expressions on their faces as they saw me fall.

It was like thirty minutes of that, I saw their expressions vividly, but in reality, it was mere seconds.

The next thing I knew, the rapidly fading light of the sixty-fifth floor in the distance and the abyss boring its jaws on me.

Synergist, Asher Guren.

"The Hero party, fell into a trap!?" I yelled.

My hands were placed on Will's desk, he, of course, was calmly relaying me the news, according to him, it was just the other day, after spending half a day in the labyrinth, the hero party went back up again, they've reported a new kind of trap in the twenty second floor that transported them down to the sixty-fifth floor.

"Yes… unfortunately, they lost one of their comrades"

"Who?" fear gripped into my heart, I had a creeping feeling, but I don't want it to be true.

"the shield master… Tetsurou Akagi…"

"We need to save him now!" shit! It had to be Tetsu! Of all people it was my best friend! I can't let him die; I have to save him!

"No, we can't, he's fell in the 65th floor, who knows how far long he'd gone down, or if he's even alive. Might I remind you, the labyrinth had only been cleared up until the 50th, if we try a rescue mission, we could lose more men than we could get"

I stormed off from his office into the workshop.

Even if it's just me, I have to save him! I packed up what I need, the new pistols I've made, then a bunch of bullets, food and water.

Cecilia walked inside and saw me packing, she already heard the news and had probably guess ed what I was doing

"What are you going to do? Walk down there?"

"If that's what it takes"

"You heard Will, he's most likely dead"

"You don't know that"

"Even so, we can't lose you in this"

"I don't care if I lose my life, Tetsu is my only friend, I can't let him die, even if he's dead, I want to bring his body back to give him a proper burial"

Cecilia was rational, she gave me every rational point, I know that too, but I don't want to just give up on a friend that didn't abandon me.

"We swore an oath, we're together till death, I'm not planning on dying, but I'm confirming whether he's alive or not."

"Ash…"

She followed me to the gates, I stopped and looked at her.

"You once said, we had duty, protecting the world. I can't do that if I can't protect my best friend, you gotta let me go"

She held my hand with a regretful expression and handed me a transponder device that I made.

"Don't die… once you've got him, call me, I'll pick you up"

I nodded and dashed off towards Horus, the HQ was near Horus, about a thirty-minute horse ride, but I was running, so It'll probably take an hour or so.

I finally made it into the inside of the Labyrinth, thanks to the 'Stealth' skill I have. Sneaking into the labyrinth was easy, I just need to sneak into the 22nd floor and find that trap that will teleport me into the 65th floor.

It's only been half a day since the news spread out, the chances of Tetsu surviving is still high, if I considered that the fall didn't kill him though.

Soon enough, I've reached the floor and saw the collapsed wall and the giant Glantz crystal, it was a chuck too big to be true, who's dumb enough to even fall for that? Anyway, I took a deep breath and touched the crystal.

A magic circle appeared below me and had me teleported.

Next thing, I saw was a middle of the bridge. It was a large chasm, both up and down.

Then both sides suddenly summoned monsters, one was a behemoth the other was skeleton soldiers.

"Well… I got here…" muttering to myself as I slowly back away from the behemoth. "What the hell was step 2?"

The monster charged at me, the skeletons did too, having not much of a choice here, I decided on a gamble that will get me to Tetsu's position as fast as possible.

I ran for the railings and jumped off the bridge.

"This is a bad idea!!" a sudden regret to my decision.

I'd love to tell you I had some deep revelation on my way down, that I came to terms with my own mortality, laughed in the face of death, et cetera.

The truth? My only thought was: Aaaaaggghhhh!!!

The bottom of the abyss raced towards me at an alarming speed. Wind ripped the breath from my lungs.

Thankfully, despite my disoriented thoughts, possibly my self-preservation instincts kicked in and drew the hunting knife resting on my waist and stabbed it to the wall.

The knife of my fall stopped my fall, thanks to the velocity I was going at, the moment I stopped, my arm felt like it snapped, and dislocated by the sudden force.

It hurt like hell, but thanks to that, I was only about two stories from the bottom.

I pulled out the knife from the wall and jumped down. Landing down, I put back my hunting knife on the sheathe on my back waist, then pulled out one of my pistols while clutching my left arm.

It will probably heal in about half an hour, but it still hurts. It was dark down here, but thanks to that 'perception' skill, my eye glowed in the dark and I'm able to see through clear as day.

I walked around for a while, using 'stealth' I managed to avoid strong looking monsters. But with my silencer on, I killed them off quietly.

Walked and walked through the darkness, I hoped Tetsu was still alive somewhere in here.

A few minutes after, I saw a silhouette near the water, it could possibly him. I approached him and saw, it really was Tetsu, thank goodness he's alive.

I checked for pulse, there were no visible injury, possibly because of his vitality and defense, it helped him survive the fall, and the water help, probably.

I cracked a glowstick and laid it down, the luminous light lit up the dark cave. Lightly slapping him up to wake

"Tetsu… Tetsu!"

"Who is… who is there…?" he said in a daze

"It's me! It's Ash"

He looked over me and smiled in daze, it's like he wasn't awake yet.

"Ash… Ash…"

I helped him up to his feet. Lightly I touched his face for any injuries.

"I thought you were dead…"

"I thought you were smaller…"

He noticed it, I did too, back then, I was smaller, only shoulder height of Tetsu but now, we're roughly in the same height, it was that surprising.

A roar suddenly came in from the distance.

"We need to get out of here"

I slung his arm and assisted him walking.

"What happened to you?"

"I joined an army"

I recalled him the events of what I went through in the past three months as we quietly escaped with my 'Stealth' skill.

"Did it hurt?" he asked. He meant the serum, well.

"A little"

"Is it permanent?"

"So far"

"What are we gonna do now?" he asked "We're in the bottom of the abyss, you know"

"Yeah, pretty much got that"

"Even if we climb up, we got that behemoth waiting at the 65th floor. There's no way we can survive that. You shouldn't have come"

I slapped him up and grabbed him by the collar.

"Hey, we swore an oath. I'm with you till the end of the line, this isn't the end of the line, you're not dying on me!"

He looked at me, the light in his eyes returned once more and nodded back at me.

"What do we do?"

"We fight"

Guardian Force HQ, near Horus City

William sighed helplessly at his table; Bella served him some tea. Three weeks had passed since Asher snuck out of the base, and went for the Labyrinth.

"Master William, worrying about the inevitable would only stress you further." Bella advised "Drink some tea and hope for the best that Master Asher would return safely"

Cecilia stood at the corner of the room looking through the window, patiently waiting for Asher's return.

"Why'd you even let him go?" William said "You do know that he's our only weapons engineer in this whole operation. If we lose him, we'd have no chance in defeating the Houkai with our magic and weapons"

"With respect sir, I don't regret my actions, neither do I think, Asher did too"

"I don't give a damn about your opinions" William cried out "now, our golden boy is dead and so is our chances of defeating the Houkai, because you had a crush!"

"It wasn't that sir" she said and looked at William "I had faith"

"I hope that faith would carry us through the fights ahead of us"

Despite their arguments, neither had noticed the commotion growing on outside of the mansion.

"What's that?" Bella was the first to notice.

They all went outside and saw Asher hauling his battered body towards the gates of the HQ with a young man beside him. Both of them had been through definite hell. Faces smudged with dirt; clothes ripped to shreds.

Tetsurou's shield was barely holding before completely crumbling into pieces. In Asher's waist holstered two new guns, the Key of Destruction.

William, Bella and Cecilia welcomed them with a glare.

Asher tottered towards William and showed him the new guns he'd found in the bottom of the abyss.

"Found a Divine Key in the Labyrinth, who'd have thought that journey, would be worth it." He plastered a mocking grin at William.

He knew that William was furious about him disobeying orders, but the discovery of a Divine Key was more important in this case, Asher retrieved a divine key, fought the behemoth, raised their levels sky high, and went back to the HQ with a victorious event

William didn't say anything, the other people in the base, helped Tetsurou to his feet and led him to the infirmary, he'd been through so much especially that he was tanking damage from high level monsters from deep in the labyrinth.

William turned back and looked at Cecilia. "Faith, huh…"

Then he walked off with Bella in tow, on the other hand, Cecilia was trying not to smile at Asher, she more than glad to see him alive with the annoying grin on his face.

"You're late."

Asher showed her the demolished transponder that she gave him the other day.

"Couldn't call my ride"