Author Note :-
Pls do mention if you find any mistakes in this chapter.
I don't have a beta reading, and I write for fun mainly.
And this is an AU, so some things will definitely be different.
I plan to diverge from the canon story in the anime.
Enjoy ^_^
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Chapter 1
It's a pretty strange feeling, watching something for the first time and thinking man, I wish I was there and then actually being dropped there for real.
Stranger still because you would expect something like this to happen to someone who's an avid reader, or in my case, watcher of the said thing. Not someone like me who barely even finishes half the shows they start.
Below me, I can hear some people in robes speaking—almost shouting, really. The echo in this massive summoning room makes everything sound more intense than it probably needs to be. "Oh Heroes! Please save our world!"
And then the collective response from four people who seemed to be in a similar situation as me: "WHAT?!"
At least they're on the ground. I'm just… floating here. About ten feet up. Which is weird even for me, and I've had these powers for two months now.
"There are many complications in this situation, but to offer a simple answer to your question, we have just completed an ancient ceremony and summoned you four Heroes."
"Summoned?"
"Our world teeters on the brink of destruction. Heroes, please lend us your strength," said the robed men, bowing very deeply. Their foreheads practically touched the marble floor.
"Well, it wouldn't hurt to…" one of them began to reply, but the other three guys spoke up quickly.
"I don't think so."
"Yeah, me neither."
"We can go back to our world, right? We'll talk about your problems after that."
At this point, I decided to tune out their voices. The whole back-and-forth was getting repetitive, and I had bigger problems.
Why is this happening to ME?!
The scene unfolding below me—it looks exactly like the scene I saw in the anime Rising of the Shield Hero. Same throne room layout, same robed priests, same confused Japanese guys holding glowing weapons.
Below me, I can see the four of them: Naofumi as the Shield Hero, Itsuki as the Bow Hero, Ren as the Sword Hero, and Motoyasu as the Spear Hero. I recognized them from the character designs, even if I couldn't remember half their personality traits anymore.
What I don't understand is why this is happening to me. I'm not even a big fan of this anime I seem to find myself in.
I only watched Rising of the Shield Hero season one. And I don't even remember a lot of things about it—I watched that thing so long ago, a few years now. I didn't even watch season two because the quality of the anime was so bad I just gave up. Dropped it three episodes in. I was never a big fan of this franchise, so why am I here? Why not drop some hardcore fan who memorized the light novels or something?
Sure, I have esper—or psychic—powers, which I got almost two months ago in what I can only describe as the weirdest Tuesday of my life.
But that's it. All I have are some basic superpowers—telekinesis strong enough to lift a few cars at best, a bit of telepathy I barely use because people's thoughts are annoying, and some precognition that basically gives me better perception of my surroundings.
Like having eyes in the back of my head, which is useful for avoiding people I don't want to talk to.
And I don't see a holy weapon, or am I supposed to say Cardinal weapon, on me like those four below me right now. No glowing spear, sword, bow, or shield. Just me, my favorite hoodie, comfortable PJs, and the basic black outdoor shoes I threw on before… well, before I ended up here apparently.
Okay, so how am I actually supposed to talk to these people? Four Japanese guys from some anime I watched a few years ago, and these robed priests? Summoners? Ah fuck it, they're just some weirdos for now. Do I just… float down? Write something in the air? I'm not great at the whole 'talking to people' thing on a good day, and this is definitely not a good day.
I mean, I'm really bad at social interaction. My average social interaction is just playing online games, sure cursing everyone and their mother in chat, but I never even used VC. The most social interaction I ever get is when my parents force me to go to parties between our family friends, and my university class presentations—which I usually just skip by making some excuse to the teacher and later just send a recording to the professor for the marks. Works every time. And my only real friends are online anyway.
"Okay, so what hero is he?"
I blinked. That was Motoyasu's voice the 'spear guy'. He was pointing up at me.
Shit. While I was monologuing in my head, their conversation seems to have almost been wrapped up.
The priests umm....weirdos looked at each other with confused expressions. One of them, an older guy with a long gray beard, spoke up nervously. "We… we do not know. The ritual was designed to summon the four Cardinal Heroes to save our world. This… person seems to be a stowaway. Or perhaps just a mistake."
A mistake. Great. That's exactly what I needed to hear today. Yeah, that does fucking wonders for my already crap social self-esteem.
I take a breath and slowly start floating down. Might as well face this awkward situation head-on. Or as head-on as I can manage.
As my feet touch the ground—weird feeling after floating for however long that was—I scratch the back of my head a little while looking at everyone staring at me. The four heroes, the robed weirdos, even some guards by the doors. All eyes on me.
Fuck it. I'm way too nervous to actually speak out loud right now.
I raise one finger and focus my telekinesis, making glowing text appear in the air in front of me. The letters form slowly, shimmering with a faint blue light.
"UM… hi. Name is Nhilux."
Yeah. Strange name. Especially considering the other four were clearly Japanese.
If anyone decided to ask whether it was my real name or not, I was absolutely not answering that.
The room went quiet in that very specific way where nobody knows what to say, but everyone is definitely thinking something.
Motoyasu was the first to recover. He leaned forward a bit, squinting. "Is that… magic text?"
"Telekinesis," I corrected automatically. Then realized that, yes, that counted as talking. Out loud. Damn it.
Naofumi glanced at me, then at the priests. "He doesn't have a weapon. Is that normal?"
"It is not," the bearded priest said quickly. Too quickly. "However, the ritual has already concluded. Whatever he is, he has been summoned alongside the Heroes."
Whatever he is. Cool. Love that phrasing.
Great. Everyone was staring now.
Hey, at least I managed to introduce myself… however awkward that was.
I counted it out in my head—eight long, painfully uncomfortable seconds passed without anyone saying a word. Yes, I was counting. Don't judge me.
Finally, the bow guy spoke up. Itsuki. Right. That was his name.
"What's your deal?" he asked, frowning at me. "Why are you acting so weirdly? Can't you just speak normally?"
I felt my jaw tighten.
This bastard. Not everyone can just talk to random people like it's nothing.
I opened my mouth, then closed it again. Explaining my entire social dysfunction to a stranger in a fantasy dark room with barely any light source didn't sound appealing.
Wait. Very little light source in this room?
…Great. I really wish I wasn't glowing when I was flying. It happens by default—sure, I can suppress it, but only if I actively focus on it.
"Working on it," I said instead, flatly.
That seemed to satisfy him about as much as I expected.
Well, at the very least, my saving grace was that I was naturally good at maintaining a poker face. So fucking good, in fact, that it was one of the main reasons random people usually didn't approach me in the first place.
A few more painfully stiff interactions followed mostly introductions, half‑questions, and a lot of side‑eyeing in my direction. My social meter was already hovering around halfway empty, so I answered everything the same way: by writing it in the air. Short. Simple. Minimal effort. Before we were finally told to move.
Guards led us out of the summoning chamber and into a long hallway that sloped gently upward.
The throne room. we should there in about a few mins at best.
One of the nicer things about my powers when they weren't being invasive or annoying was this. The ability to sense my surroundings. Not just hear or see, but feel the space around me in my mind.
Walls weren't really barriers.
I could tell where the corridors branched, where guards stood at attention, where open space widened ahead. The throne room was close. Big. Open. Heavy with people.
It was like having a mental map updating itself in real time—though the range wasn't anything impressive. About 20 meters by default. Anything beyond that meant actively spreading my psychic perception outward, which took focus and effort depending on how far i wanna reah to feel the surroundings.
I focused just enough to keep track of where I was walking and get a general lay of the place and the people around me, careful not to push too far.
Last thing I needed was a headache before meeting a king.
The other four heroes walked ahead of me, talking among themselves. I lagged slightly behind, hands in my hoodie pockets, quietly taking everything in.
Something flickered at the corner of my vision.
I didn't turn my head just shifted my focus slightly. A translucent shape hovered there, faint.
Right. Status magic.
That was one thing I did remember from the anime. All the Heroes had it. Levels, stats, skills basically an RPG system duct‑taped onto reality.
Seeing that thing lingering in my peripheral vision at least confirmed one thing: I had something like that too.
I deliberately didn't try to open it. Doing that in the middle of a hallway with guards, priests, and four summoned Heroes around sounded like a bad idea. I could deal with it later. Preferably after meeting the king, when everyone was already staring at me anyway.
I frowned slightly. What was my status even supposed to be?
I didn't have a Cardinal Weapon anchoring it. No Shield, no Sword, no Bow, no Spear. Just… me.
I really hoped that meant my status magic would compensate somehow. Unlock new abilities. Enhance what I already had. Anything.
Because I remembered this much clearly: every Hero eventually ended up with a ridiculous number of skills.
And if I didn't get access to any of that…
I doubted I'd be very useful when these so-called Waves of Catastrophe started getting stronger.
At least, that's what the robe‑wearing people who dragged us here seemed to think.
At some point, I stopped walking.
It wasn't a dramatic decision. I just… let go of the floor. My feet rose an inch, then another, until I was floating a comfortable distance above the stone.
It was easier, honestly. And it beat pretending my legs weren't still stiff from being yanked into another world.
I ignored the looks.
The guards noticed immediately. I felt it before I saw it muscle tension tightening, grips shifting on spear shafts and sword hilts. Nothing drawn, but close enough that the message was clear.
I kept floating.
The four in front of me didn't react at all. Motoyasu was too busy talking. Itsuki was focused straight ahead. Naofumi stayed in his own head. Ren glanced back once, eyes flicking up and down like he was checking… then looked away again.
Didn't care. Or decided it wasn't worth caring about.
That was fine with me.
I had a reason for doing it, after all.
The king was expecting four heroes. Four legendary weapons. Four neat, easily explained solutions to a very inconvenient apocalypse.
Considering the whole flying‑in‑the‑summoning‑circle situation, there was no way I'd gone unnoticed. Someone—priest, mage, attendant—had almost certainly run ahead by now to report that there were five people instead of the expected four.
Which meant the king already knew.
By the time we reached the throne room, the king wouldn't be surprised by my existence. Confused, maybe. Annoyed. Curious. But not blindsided.
And that mattered, because from what I remembered, the king wasn't exactly known for being… sharp in the anime.
Any competent ruler would see an unexpected individual with obvious power and at least pause before discarding them. Ask questions. Test boundaries. Figure out how to use them.
This one?
There was a real chance he'd look at me, decide I didn't fit neatly into his plans, and quietly shove me to the side.
I wasn't interested in that.
So if being a little flashy just enough to be impossible to ignore and leaning slightly into the drama kept me from being dismissed outright, then fine.
I could live with that.
Soon we entered the Throne room.
The first thought that crossed my mind when I actually stepped inside was...
Damn. This place looks good.
High ceilings, polished stone, banners hanging just right, not cluttered, not empty either. Everything screamed wealth without trying too hard. Whoever designed this knew exactly how to make power feel permanent.
An important-looking older man sat on the throne at the far end of the room, leaning forward slightly as he spoke.
"Huh. So these kids are the four Holy Heroes?"
That would be him.
He made a decent first impression. Old enough to be someone's grandfather, posture still straight, voice steady. Honestly, if you judged by sound alone, you'd think he was younger than he looked.
"My name is Aultcray Melromarc the Thirty-Second," he announced. "I rule these lands. Heroes, show me your faces!"
He didn't need to shout.
We were already close enough that I could count the wrinkles around his eyes if I really wanted to. Still, I supposed projecting authority was part of the job.
"Now then," he continued, settling back slightly, "I shall begin with an explanation. This country no, this whole world—is on the brink of destruction."
Regal enough. Points for delivery.
The four heroes responded before I did.
"Well, I guess that makes sense," one of them said. "Calling us from another world and all."
"Yeah," another added. "Figures."
At that point, I mostly tuned out.
Not because it wasn't important I already knew the script. Waves. Monsters. End-of-the-world schedule.
What held my attention instead was the room itself. I couldn't remember exactly how the throne room looked in the anime, but this? This was excessive in a very intentional way.
The path leading up to the throne was covered in a deep red carpet. Out of curiosity, I brushed it lightly with my perception and immediately paused. It didn't feel like fabric at all. Too dense. Almost… reinforced.
Magic, probably. Or at least a material unique to this world, enhanced to survive decards of boots, armour, and ceremony.
The rest of the room followed the same philosophy. Extravagant, but also practical.
Massive chandeliers hung from the ceiling, each one glowing softly, not with fire, but with what looked like captured sunlight.
That illusion made more sense once I noticed the windows huge panes of glass lining the left side of the hall, stretching from floor to ceiling and running nearly the entire length of the room. Sunlight poured in through them at a low angle, warm and amber‑tinted, the kind that only showed up later in the day.
Judging by the way the light stretched across the floor, it was probably approaching evening.
The walls themselves were covered in intricate carvings. Most were decorative flourishes, patterns, symbols meant to impress. But a few stood out. Those told stories. Battles. Crowns. A kingdom being founded, expanded, and defended over generations.
Some of the battles were straightforward enough humans clashing against other humans, banners raised, swords crossed. But a few scenes made me pause.
Human soldiers fighting… humans with animal ears.
Maybe that is just depicting some weird helmet worn by warriors. Did this country have a history of fighting demi-human nations.....
Fuck i can't remember.
Above all that, along a raised gallery overlooking the hall, stood dozens of people watching us.
Nobles, if I had to guess.
Some were dressed in restrained elegance, eyes sharp and appraising. Others wore excess proudly, jewelry heavy enough to be a liability. A few looked bored. A few looked excited. More than one was already calculating how we might be useful to them. Many of them had widely different hair from each other.
I felt their attention settle on us.
On the weapons with the four.
And then inevitably on me.
By the time the king finally wrapped up his story, I felt like I'd heard a compressed version of a very long lecture.
If I had to summarize it: there was a prophecy about the end of the world. Waves would appear again and again, washing over the land until nothing remained. Unless those waves were repelledand the disasters that came with them until the world was finished.
The prophecy was ancient, but the timing was very much not. Somewhere in the kingdom, there was a massive hourglass tied to it, and about a month ago, its sands had started to fall. According to legend, each wave would arrive at one‑month intervals.
I seriously doubted the one month intervel part.
Their entire schedule was based on a vague prophecy and a grand total of one wave so far. One data point did not make a pattern. If anything, it just told me the timing was going to vary probably at the worst possible moments.
Naturally, people ignored it at first.
Then the first calamity hit.
A fissure opened within Melromarc itself a tear into another dimension in the sky and monsters poured out in numbers big enough to turn disbelief into panic. Knights and adventurers managed to push them back, but only barely. And the prophecy claimed the next wave would be worse.
With no reliable way to stop what was coming, the kingdom did the only thing it thought it could.
They summoned heroes from another world.
I'd always wondered how kingdoms like this even figured out that was an option in the first place.
Summoning people from an entirely different universe wasn't the kind of thing you stumbled into by accident. It had to come from somewhere ancient research, lost civilizations, trial and error paid for in bodies.
But listening to the king talk, I doubted they actually knew the origins themselves.
More likely, they inherited the ritual, the prophecy, and the instructions wholesale. Follow the steps. Trust the legend. Don't ask too many questions.
Which meant if I asked how they learned to do it, I'd probably just get another vague story about destiny and ancient wisdom.
Not actual answers.
That was about it.
Oh and apparently the Legendary Weapons also handled language translation. Which explained why the four of them could understand everything without issue.
That raised a small question for me, considering I didn't have a weapon at all.
But I understood everyone just fine.
At least when it came to speech. I hadn't seen enough written text yet to be sure if that carried over. If it didn't, that was going to be inconvenient in a very specific, very annoying way.
I chalked it up to magic doing magic things and moved on.
"All right," one of the heroes said after a moment. "I think I understand where you're coming from. But are you basically commanding us to help you?"
"Seems all fine and good… for you," another added.
"I agree," a third voice chimed in. "This all sounds pretty self‑centered to me. If your world is on the road to destruction, why should that automatically involve us?"
I caught the barely hidden giggle at the end of that one. Condescending. Excited. Like he secretly thought this whole situation was kind of awesome.
Then it was Naofumi's turn.
"As they've said," he began calmly, "we don't really have a responsibility to help you. If we dedicate our time and lives to bringing peace to your kingdom, do we get anything besides a 'thank you' and being sent on our way?" He paused. "And more importantly—do you know of any way for us to return home?"
"Hm." The king glanced sideways at one of the men standing near his throne an advisor, by the look of him. "Of course we are planning to compensate you for your efforts."
The mood shifted instantly.
The heroes pumped their fists, grinning like they'd just unlocked a quest reward.
"Naturally," the king continued, "I have made arrangements to support you financially and to provide whatever resources you may require, in thanks for acting on our behalf."
"Oh yeah? In that case, sure," one of them said. "I don't see a problem."
"Don't think you've bought us off," another added. "But as long as we aren't enemies, I'll help."
"Agreed."
"Um...Same here."
I resisted the urge to sigh.
Why did they all have to sound so superior about it? We were standing in a throne room, in front of a king, after being dragged across universes and they were negotiating like this was a casual business deal.
Still, I supposed it was better to clarify expectations now than to have everything fall apart later.
And hey, if these 4 can handle the talking, can reward themselves with the monarch, well that just works out for me.
Hell i doubt i could made a fair deal with the king without being majorly ripped of.
Only then did I realize something else.
I was still floating.
Technically, I was hovering slightly higher than the others. Barely above eye level with the king, given the height of his throne but still.
Yeah. That probably came off as rude.
I let myself drift down and stood properly beside the others.
From left to right, the order settled naturally: Itsuki, Ren, Motoyasu… me… and finally Naofumi.
The king leaned back and spoke quietly with his advisor for a moment.
I noticed they kept glancing my way.
I got the distinct feeling I was the topic of discussion.
Eventually, the king straightened.
"Very well then," he said. "Heroes. Tell us your names."
"My name is Ren Amaki. I am 19th years old, and a high school student."
The Sword Hero, Ren Amaki.
He was… attractive. Objectively so. Handsome face, composed expression, black hair cut short and neat. He was on the shorter side—maybe around one‑sixty—but carried himself with a quiet confidence that made up for it. Sharp eyes, pale skin, and a build that fit the image of a quick, slender swordsman.
If he cross‑dressed, I had no doubt people would mistake him for a girl in about three seconds flat.
"All right, I'll go next," said the man beside him. "My name is Motoyasu Kitamura. I'm twenty‑one, and a college student."
Well. He was definitely the shortest of the group. No contest there.
The Spear Hero, Motoyasu Kitamura.
Light‑hearted. Friendly. The kind of guy who smiled easily and probably meant it. He gave off strong older‑brother energy. His face was well kept—at least as much as Ren's and he looked like the type who never had trouble getting dates. Around one‑seventy, maybe. His hair was tied back in a ponytail.
I usually hated ponytails on men.
Annoyingly, it worked on him.
"Okay, my turn," the next one said. "I'm Itsuki Kawasumi. I'm seventeen, and still in high school."
The Bow Hero, Itsuki Kawasumi.
He had that calm, serious look the kind of guy who seemed like he played piano or spent too much time brooding in quiet rooms. Neat hair, focused eyes, posture just a little too proper. He gave off the impression of someone who believed strongly in rules.
Then there were no more people to my left.
Oh.
Right.
Me.
Okay. Simple. Just say your name and age. Two things. That's it. No need to be clever. No need to overthink it.
Take a breath.
"…"
"…"
"…"
My mind went completely blank.
I botched it.
I could practically feel my soul sinking into my Black hoodie, desperately trying to disappear.
"He is Ni—"
"Nihi-."
Oh come on.
Shield guy.
Could you not have waited two more seconds?
I knew he was trying to help. I really did. But now it looked like I had interrupted him on purpose, like I'd jumped in halfway through his sentence just to correct him.
Fantastic. Great first impression.
I met Naofumi's eyes for half a second and, before I could overthink it, reached out.
{Help me}
Naofumi hesitated.
I could see it in his eyes the brief flicker of confusion, then understanding. He sighed quietly, the kind of sigh you made when you realised you were already involved whether you liked it or not.
"This guy, is Nihilux," he said, gesturing toward me with his shield arm, "doesn't have a Legendary Weapon like the rest of us. But he's not powerless."
That got the king and his advisor's attention.
"He's been using telekinesis since we arrived," Naofumi continued. "Moving objects, floating himself, even projecting words in the air when he doesn't feel like speaking. It's… not magic the way you seem to expect it. More like a natural ability.....i think."
A few murmurs rippled through the gallery above.
"He hasn't told us everything," Naofumi added carefully, and I appreciated that more than I probably should have. "But from what I've seen, his powers let him manipulate things at a distance. Control movement of objects"
He glanced back at me, just briefly.
"That's about all I know."
Which was perfect.
No mention of voices in the head. Just the things I'd already shown.
I exhaled slowly, some of the tension finally draining out of my shoulders.
Thank you, Shield Hero.
From what I remembered of the anime, you had a rough road ahead of you.
I silently resolved then and there to do what I could to make it less miserable.
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I wrote this mainly for Fun, so the upload schedule will be like once a week or every 2 weeks.
tho i do plan to make each chapter around 5k-ish words.
If you like it pls do comment. reading comments makes me motivated to write more.