The day was supposed to be peaceful.
For once, in the rebuilt village he now called home, Naofumi Iwatani allowed himself a moment of quiet. He watched Raphtalia teach swordsmanship to a group of eager demi-human children while Filo, in her human form, happily devoured a mountain of fruit pies. The sun was warm. The air smelled of woodsmoke and freshly baked bread.
It was the smell of something worth protecting.
Then the colors started to leach out of the world. A cold, judicial silence fell over the village square, snuffing out the children's laughter.
A figure stood at the village entrance, where a moment ago there had been nothing. It was not a monster of flesh and blood. It was a tall, androgynous being made of polished, unforgiving silver, its body covered in engraved, glowing red runes. It held no weapon, but its posture radiated an unshakable authority, like a judge about to pass sentence.
Raphtalia and Filo were instantly at his side, weapons drawn.
"Naofumi-sama!" Raphtalia's voice was tense, her tail puffed out in alarm.
"It feels… cold," Filo chirped, her cheerful demeanor gone, replaced by the instinct of a Filolial Queen sensing an unnatural predator.
The silver being, an Auditor-class Redactor, raised a hand. Its voice was not a sound, but a series of metallic chimes that translated directly into their minds.
[Audit in progress. Sector: 18-SH.]
[Analyzing subjects for canonical deviancy.]
Its glowing red gaze fell upon Filo.
[Subject: Filolial Queen. Classification: Monster. Deviancy: Unnatural domestication. Subject harbors an unnatural affection for its natural prey. Sentence: Condemned.]
Glowing red chains, formed from the same runic text covering its body, shot from its palm and wrapped around Filo. She didn't even have time to dodge. She shrieked, not in pain, but in confusion, as her body began to flicker. Her strength felt distant, her connection to Naofumi growing thin.
"Filo!" Naofumi roared, instinctively shouting a command. "Air Strike Shield!"
A green, ethereal shield materialized between the Auditor and Filo, but the chains passed right through it as if it were mere light. This wasn't a physical or magical attack. It was a judgment.
The Auditor's gaze swiveled to Raphtalia.
[Subject: Tanuki Demi-human. Classification: Slave. Deviancy: Wields holy and illusionary magic incongruous with base status. Carries a false sense of self-worth. Sentence: Condemned.]
More chains erupted, wrapping around Raphtalia. Her light magic sputtered, her sword arm trembling as a deep, ingrained feeling of worthlessness—the one she had fought so hard to overcome—crept back into her soul.
"No…" she whispered, staggering.
"That's enough!" Naofumi yelled, his fury boiling over. He slammed his shield down. The air crackled with crimson energy. "You want to condemn someone? Try me!"
[CURSE SERIES: RAGE SHIELD UNLOCKED]
The message flashed in his vision, but the Auditor remained unimpressed. Its chilling, dispassionate gaze finally settled on him.
[Subject: Shield Hero. Classification: Cardinal Hero. Deviancy: Widespread rejection by populace. Criminal record. Reliance on slave and monster companions. Utilizes forbidden power series.]
[Verdict: Unworthy.]
[Sentence: Revoked.]
This time, a single, thick chain, glowing with the heat of a thousand brands, shot toward the small green gem embedded in Naofumi's Legendary Shield. This was the final judgment, the ultimate erasure. It wasn't aimed at his life, but at his very title. At his reason for being.
Naofumi braced for an impact that never came.
The chain struck the shield's gem.
And stopped.
The runes on the chain began to flow into the gem, disappearing one by one. The shield wasn't blocking the condemnation. It was absorbing it. The Legendary Shield, a weapon that grew stronger by enduring every possible affliction, had just registered 'conceptual revocation' as another form of attack.
A new icon appeared in Naofumi's status window.
[New Skill Learned: Conceptual Absorption (Judgment-Type)]
[Analyzing absorbed data…]
The Auditor tilted its head, a flicker of what might have been surprise in its metallic chime-voice. [Error. Judgment rejected.]
Naofumi let out a harsh, disbelieving laugh. Rejected. Of course it was. He was the Shield Hero. He'd been rejected by the entire world. This thing's condemnation was just another Tuesday.
"My turn," he growled.
The Auditor, realizing its primary method of attack was useless, changed tactics. Its entire body began to glow, the silver plates retracting to reveal a core of pure, blinding red energy. It was gathering power for a single, overwhelming blast.
[Executing planetary-grade canon purification protocol. Erasing all associated deviants in vicinity.]
A beam of pure, conceptual invalidation, wide enough to swallow the entire village, shot from its chest. This was it. The backspace key for his entire life.
Naofumi didn't hesitate. He thrust his shield forward. "I won't let you!"
He didn't just stand his ground. He poured every ounce of his will, his anger, his love for the people behind him into that shield. Not the Rage Shield, which sought vengeance. Not a specific defensive skill. He willed the shield itself—its very essence—to protect.
And the Shield answered.
"Shield of Salvation!"
The green gem pulsed, not with anger, but with a warm, unwavering light. The world-ending beam of condemnation slammed into it. For a heart-stopping second, Naofumi's arm buckled. He felt every false accusation, every sneer, every ounce of hatred the world had ever thrown at him concentrated in that one blast.
But he held. The Shield held.
The beam didn't rebound. It didn't explode. It simply flowed into the gem, the roaring red torrent vanishing into the quiet green light.
Then, the energy was released.
It wasn't a blast of force. It was a gentle wave of soft, golden rain that fell over the entire village. Wherever the droplets landed, the drained color returned to the world. The children's fear washed away, replaced by calm. Raphtalia and Filo's chains shattered, the false condemnations erased, their spirits soaring with newfound conviction. The very land seemed to sigh in relief.
The Auditor, having poured its entire being into a judgment that was absorbed, inverted, and turned into a blessing, began to crack. The silver plating shattered like glass, the red runes fizzling out. With a final, discordant chime, it crumbled into a pile of metallic dust.
Naofumi fell to one knee, panting. The familiar green shield icon in his vision flickered, turning a cool, systemic blue for a moment. A new window, unlike any he'd seen, overlaid his own UI.
[Legendary Shield has demonstrated innate Edit-Resistance.]
[Authority Type: Conceptual Conversion (Salvation). Turning condemnation into restoration is a canon-level paradox.]
[Synchronizing User: Naofumi Iwatani.]
[Welcome to the Gate network. There are others who protect.]
As the window faded, a fleeting image burned itself into his mind: a young man with a checkered haori and a scar on his forehead, his eyes impossibly kind, yet burning with the light of a sun that refused to set, shielding a demon girl behind him. Another protector.
Naofumi got to his feet, Raphtalia rushing to his side. He wasn't alone in this.
But a familiar, cynical thought still crossed his mind. Great. More trouble.