The Substitution of the Shield Hero

It was a one-sided battle. But, unfortunately, it wasn't a massacre.

Grima was basically floating over the world itself and blanketing the sky.

S'yne was able to stop his attacks and harvest some parts, but it was just chipping away at the Fell Dragon, not a decisive blow.

"Hm." I rubbed my chin to think as I stared at Grima. "I may have miscalculated a bit."

I was thinking that the dragon would be around the size of a continent or a few mountains. But to be large enough to breach the atmosphere was a bit much.

Lucina watched S'yne fight with wide and amazed eyes. "She... is fighting back. Truly, resisting and damaging the Fell Dragon."

I nodded. "Yep. But I don't think we have the tools to kill it yet."

Lucina froze and turned to look at me. "Naofumi...? Even you, with all your power, cannot...?"

"Relax, Lucina. I said 'yet.' I wish I could just magic or BS the guy out of the sky and away, but..."

I took a closer look at Grima and did a mental calculation.

The sheer energy requirements to cast a magic spell strong enough wouldn't work. At least, it would be far too inefficient.

Fragarach was amazing at killing and cutting concepts. But Grima was less of a 'concept' of a Fell Dragon and more 'giant lizard with access to world sundering levels of energy.'

Granted, he was also emitting miasma that was turning the surroundings into hell on earth, but that was a secondary matter-

A burst of crimson lightning shot towards S'yne and was instantly redirected towards me.

My eyes widened and I quickly jumped away from Lucina.

Morgan finally recovered from the shock he was in and ran forward with the Falchion. "Mister Naofumi!"

Contact.

A burst of heat, lightning, and just raw energy that vaporized my entire body except for the area behind my Portal Shield copy.

Lucina let out a scream filled with despair.

Morgan froze and roared with fury and grief.

S'yne shouted. "NAOFUMI!"

*FOOLISH MORTAL! TO CHALLENGE A-*

I coughed out the ash in my lungs, my health and body instantly restored two seconds after the lightning. "Son of a bitch."

Lucina froze.

Morgan's eyes widened.

S'yne gasped.

And even Grima looked stunned.

My clothes were a lost cause, so I opened up my menu to equip some new ones. A simple black shirt and jeans. Then I said, "Note to self. Lightning stings like a BITCH."

Lucina trembled and said, "N-Naofumi? But...?"

I tilted my head to look at her. "What? I told you it's fine. At least, I think I did? Maybe I forgot-"

Morgan's hands around Falchion trembled a bit. "M-Mister Naofumi. How...?"

"Magic. But anyway..." I looked up at Grima and taunted him. Dumb snake. You'll need to do a lot better than that-"

A surge of mana.

Black spikes pierced up from the ground, no doubt a spell to murder me, Lucina, and Morgan in one go.

[My Body as a Shield] redirected it all to me, piercing me through with the black spikes.

Lucina screamed again. Especially as my blood splashed onto her.

But I was fine, already healed to full health as the attack ended.

*WHAT ARE YOU!?*

Grima was clearly bewildered.

Good.

I flipped him off and said, "Suck it, Snake. Anyway." I called out to S'yne. "Keep harvesting parts, S'yne! Since he's there, might as well grab useful things!"

S'yne, still floating in the air, glanced down at me. Then she slowly said, "You are ridiculous, Mister Naofumi." She giggled. "But fine!" She pulled out her giant shears again and said, "I'll make you the best dragon leather clothes you've ever had!"

*FUTILE GNAT! BE GONE!*

That time, Grima rushed through the air with his wings to physically bite S'yne.

> [My Body as a Shield] activates!

> The attack is redirected!

My eyes widened. "W-Wait a minute- WHOA!?"

It was a bug. No, not a bug, an oversight.

Despite being conceptual, the laws of physics still somewhat applied.

Most attacks would get redirected towards me and have the attacker rush towards me.

But Grima was the size of the literal sky.

So instead...

*HMPH! FINE! THEN I WILL DEVOUR YOU INSTEAD!*

...I was pulled through the air.

I think I heard Lucina scream again.

I'd have to apologize to her later since I was definitely giving her heart attacks.

But before I could think anything else, I was suddenly chomped by monstrous and large dragon fangs, shredding my body.

It hurt, of course.

But pain was just proof of life.

And I'd had worse.

So instead, I took the chance to swing Fragarach at the fangs, cleaving them and storing them in my inventory.

*WHAT?!*

"You know." I ripped out the dragon's tongue too. "You keep acting surprised. Are you even conscious? You're acting like a cardboard cutout of a character."

*YOU MORTAL! YOU DARE-*

"I dare fight you, I dare attack, yada yada." I started treating Grima's internal body as a mineral vein... which it pretty much was, and started collecting resources. "Anyway, thanks for bringing me to you. Don't mind me. I'll just help myself to your heart."

*WH-WHAT?! NO! GET OUT!*

The fleshy walls around me filled with miasma, dense, burning, and energy rich haze that would atomize any living creature.

Normally.

But the laws of physics applied to me.

A second was all I needed to keep being at full health.

And it would take more than a second to completely erase my body.

So I just ignored the pain and kept walking, collecting as much as I could while I carved pieces off with Fragarach.

===

"M-Mother." Morgan looked concerned. "I-Is Mister Naofumi-"

*GET OUT! YOU INSUFFERABLE MORTAL! YOU DARE TREAT ME AS A RESOURCE TO MINE?!*

Lucina burst out laughing.

The fear, grief, despair... the raw hopelessness she had felt seeing Naofumi be attacked completely vanished.

Because she understood now why he was unbothered despite learning all about Grima and seeing such a terrifyingly large dragon.

Lucina wiped her tears away and let out a bright smile. She placed her hands over her heart and said, "You are a terrible man, Naofumi. No wonder Mein says to be careful of you."

It had been a terrifying and gruesome sight. Naofumi's clothes turning to ash. His body, burnt to a crisp. And then, a few seconds later, hale and whole, like nothing had happened.

Even when attacked with [Grima's Truth], the terrifying dark spikes that had slain all of Lucina's friends...

Naofumi was pierced through but lived.

Lucina quietly wiped the blood from her face. Naofumi's from that last attack. Then she looked up at Grima, being treated as if a pure mineral vein by S'yne and Naofumi.

The Fell Dragon flailed in the sky, undulating as if trying to hack out a fish bone. And he also flew around to try and smack S'yne out of the air.

But it was inevitable.

By Grima choosing to attack them, he had pulled Naofumi towards him...

Which meant that, since Grima was so large and without any arms or hands...

All the Fell Dragon could do was rage.

Morgan looked at Lucina and said, "Do we just... sit here, Mother?"

Lucina took a look around.

They were in Ylisstol. The capital of what had once been her homeland and country, Ylisse. Specifically, the palace.

But they weren't alone.

Risen had gathered due to the commotion. Undead beings dripping of black rotting flesh and dark magic.

Lucina took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Then she roused her fighting spirit, remembering the days spent desperately fighting just for another minute of life here. Holding up her left hand, she gathered her mana, causing a flickering flame to burst forth. [Elfire], an anima magic spell that normally required a tome. But...

"Lady Tiki mentioned that in the days of yore, magic could be cast with naught but intention and understanding. And I understand fire enough now." Lucina held out her hand, turning a Risen mercenary to ash. "Morgan, my dear child. Will you escort your mother? There are some things I wish to examine."

"Of course, Mother!"

"Good. Then..." Lucina straightened her body.

The terrified, dimmed, and victimized woman was still there.

But so was the courageous, unyielding, and determined teenager who was given the fate of the world to carry.

"...Help your mother but these lost souls to rest."