"The magi refused to give up. They kept exploring ways to reach the 'Root' through other worlds. By analyzing and acquiring the power systems of those worlds, our world broke free of the limitations of magecraft alone. The expeditionary army grew dramatically stronger, and even powerful natives of those worlds voluntarily joined its ranks to invade other worlds.
Having tasted success, the leadership established an interworld alliance in Chaldea's name. Recognized by every Heroic Spirit and the Holy Grail, Ritsuka became the essential key to opening bridges to Otherworlds. The magi hailed her as the head of the 'Chaldea Alliance,' but in reality, all authority remained in the hands of the Elder Council established by the leadership."
Among the Chaldean army shown in the images were many strange-looking humans and nonhumans. Ye Uchiha spotted quite a few familiar fictional characters among them:
The potbellied pirate Blackbeard Teach from the One Piece world, and the frivolous Donquixote Doflamingo in his pink feather coat; Sōsuke Aizen from the Soul Society World, wearing an arrogant smile, and the Espada Army radiating a terrifying presence; Madara Uchiha from the Naruto World, and Obito Uchiha with wrinkles covering half his face; the thirteen members of the Phantom Troupe from the Hunter × Hunter World, the Ant King Meruem, and his three Royal Guards...
What was this?
An all-villain cast? A grand gathering of fictional bad guys?!
Ye Uchiha wore a strange expression as he watched all those familiar villains gather together. The fact that they had not started fighting was downright unbelievable.
Still, anyone willing to join an invading expeditionary army could hardly be called a good person, especially these ambitious archvillains. Thinking of it that way, it made sense.
In a vast, magnificent open-air palace, an orange-haired girl in a Chaldea uniform sat silently on a throne, surrounded by Heroic Spirits. A representative of the Elder Council stepped forward and stood before the assembly, delivering an impassioned, inspirational speech. Below him, the magi and powerful figures from other worlds voiced their agreement and discussed his words.
Looking at the orange-haired girl on the throne, Ye Uchiha exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't Ritsuka Fujimaru male?"
Romani corrected him with some indignation. "Although Ritsuka is male in certain worldlines, in my world, Ritsuka Fujimaru is a beautiful girl through and through."
Watching Romani get inexplicably upset, Ye Uchiha's mouth twitched. With that expression and attitude, had this guy fallen for Gudako?
Noticing the odd look Ye Uchiha gave him, Romani realized he had said too much. Keeping his expression unchanged, he immediately changed the subject and continued:
As the Chaldea Alliance expanded, more powerful figures from other worlds joined it. With hundreds upon thousands of worlds under its rule, such an immense force could probably stand against even a world where the Age of Gods was at its peak.
Their confidence inflated beyond measure, the leaders of the Chaldea Alliance became intensely arrogant about their strength and prepared to attack an Otherworld with an extraordinarily high degree of Mystery.
They had heard that the world contained treasures called the 'Dragon Balls.' Gathering all seven would allow someone to summon Shenron and have a wish granted. Whether it was an immortal, indestructible body or restoring a destroyed planet, either could be achieved with ease. The Elder Council coveted them.
Yet before they could put their plans into action, the Chaldea Alliance faced an unprecedented threat of annihilation.
As its territory expanded rapidly, the Chaldea Alliance struggled to govern its many worlds. Some worlds even formed rebel armies, attempting to resist the alliance. Meanwhile, as membership continued to grow, internal disagreements and conflicts became inevitable, giving rise to numerous factions with tangled relationships.
At some point, the magi who had originally sought the Root changed completely. Invincible strength and near-immortality clouded their minds. They kept searching for Otherworlds containing Mystery, seeing each as a rich treasury with its doors thrown open, waiting for their arrival.
The alliance's actions were so tyrannical that even voices within its ranks objected. But the Elder Council at the top paid them no heed. Ignoring the complaints and protests from below, it continued conquering unexplored Otherworlds—until disaster struck.
Absorbing the resentment and hatred of the dead from countless worlds, black mud bearing curses of boundless malice seeped from the Holy Grail, corrupting and eroding all matter. As the Grail's holder, Ritsuka was corrupted into an incarnation of all the world's evil, along with every Heroic Spirit under her command.
When the black mud touched metal and earth, it transformed them into indestructible giants of steel and stone that demolished the buildings symbolizing human civilization.
When the black mud touched fire, trees, and water, it spawned evil spirits capable of controlling natural elements, destroying everything before them.
When the black mud touched living creatures, it demonized them into powerful, terrifying, deformed monsters that hunted down every surviving being.
After being assimilated by all the world's evil, Ritsuka Fujimaru became enormous, as though she had deliberately been turned into a chibi character. Her head was larger than her body, and she wore an eerie smile. (For reference, see Gudako, the world's strongest chaotic evil, who tore Grand Solomon apart with her bare hands in "Learning with Manga! FGO.")
Even looking at her from afar, one could feel malice that sank deep into the marrow. She was like an embodied Evil of Humanity. All attacks against her were nullified, and anyone she so much as brushed against became her plaything.
Gudako?
Seeing Ritsuka Fujimaru's transformation, Ye Uchiha suddenly found his brain unable to keep up. He did not even know where to begin commenting. Was this some kind of crossover intrusion?
In the images, the Heroic Spirit Servants corrupted by the black mud of all the world's evil gained physical bodies and its blessing. They slaughtered everyone who resisted the strongest chaotic evil-Gudako.
Even those hailed as the strongest beings in their worlds could not withstand the army of corrupted Heroic Spirits. One after another, they fell or became corrupted themselves, joining Gudako's forces.
Facing the terrifying power of the gigantic Gudako, an 'Evil of Humanity,' the Chaldea Alliance suffered a crushing defeat. Worlds consumed by the black mud began destroying themselves, and the corruption continued spreading to other worlds.
Gudako sat like a tyrant upon an enormous throne, surrounded by beautiful corrupted female Heroic Spirits attending her. With a lecherous grin, she toyed with them in her hands, drawing alluring, bashful moans from them. The male Heroic Spirits below turned their heads away, their bodies trembling slightly as they struggled to keep silent.
Ye Uchiha stared, dumbfounded. What the fuck凸(艹皿艹)! That move... I'm so jealous... Pah! How vile, forcing people to do things against their will! If I were there, I'd definitely stop that wicked Gudako. She's far too brazen!
Even Romani beside him could not help covering his flushed face. Unable to look directly at the images, he skipped past Gudako's scene.
Worlds collapsed, stars fell, and endless seawater swallowed the land. Black rain poured from a gloomy, darkened sky. Whether living creatures or lifeless objects, everything covered and consumed by the black mud was annihilated in the truest sense.
"...That was what happened. The malice of every world ravaged by the magi descended, becoming the black mud of all the world's evil. It overflowed through the Holy Grail and destroyed Chaldea and every connected world.
At the last moment, Chaldea secretly developed a time machine, hoping to save everything by changing what had happened. But we both succeeded and failed. Beings without Master aptitude couldn't enter the time machine, and apart from Ritsuka, nearly everyone with that aptitude had been slaughtered by the corrupted Servants.
With no other choice, we sent the 'Guardian Heroic Spirit Summoning System: Fate,' modified by Da Vinci, into the past, hoping to find a Master who could change everything. You happened to possess Master aptitude and became the current Chaldea Master. Most likely, you're also the last."
Hearing Romani's words, Ye Uchiha frowned slightly and asked, "The last? Were there other Masters besides me?"
Romani nodded. "Yes. Nine Masters possessed the system before you, but all of them ultimately failed. They died at the hands of the future Ritsuka Fujimaru, who had become all the world's evil. If you don't work hard to change the future, you'll die at her hands as well."
Upon learning that his opponent was Gudako, who had torn Grand Solomon apart with her bare hands, Ye Uchiha's mouth twitched. He suddenly felt rather panicked.
Noticing his strained expression, Romani reassured him. "Don't worry. As long as you change the predetermined future, you can avoid your impending death."
"So did the nine Masters before me succeed?"
"Uh... no." Romani was immediately stumped and stammered for a while before answering.
Ye Uchiha had nothing to say. He simply rolled his eyes at Romani and let him figure out the meaning himself.
The other nine Masters all failed and got killed. How am I supposed to beat Gudako? Reform her through love and justice?
Remembering how savage Gudako was in the manga, Ye Uchiha shuddered deeply. She was the strongest chaotic Evil of Humanity, who tore Solomon apart with her bare hands and, even after quantum-jumping into the distant prehistoric past, survived all the way to Chaldea with nothing but a stone hammer. Gudako had no money, no love, and no feelings. Maybe I should just lay down my weapons and join the enemy.
Romani's figure began turning transparent. Watching the change, he spoke in a subdued voice. "It looks like I don't have much time left."
"First, let me make a few things clear. One: never try to kill Ritsuka Fujimaru to change her predetermined future. After becoming an 'Evil of Humanity,' she is no longer bound by time or space. If she senses that her past self's life is threatened, she will tear through time and instantly destroy whatever threatens her. Your predecessors learned that lesson in blood."
"Two: don't cause destructive, world-scale catastrophes. All the world's evil stems from disasters and human malice. When a world falls into despair, it becomes nourishment for that evil."
"Three: never touch the black mud expelled by all the world's evil. Those consumed by it either lose their reason and become its puppets or are erased completely. No one is exempt."
"Four, and this is the last point: you've already received the Throne of Heroes, haven't you?
I used Solomon's power to steal part of Alaya's authority. The Throne of Heroes can do more than summon Heroic Spirit Servants-it can also form contracts with Servants. Make good use of that ability. Don't think you're invincible and run off to challenge all the world's evil alone. You'll die a very horrible death."
"That is my final advice. I hope you remember it well. If you meet my past self, don't reveal anything, because Ritsuka, now an 'Evil of Humanity,' can perceive the past, present, and future alike.
This place is a remnant of my memories and falls outside the scope of any world, so she doesn't know about our conversation.
The course of your fate has already been concealed because you were chosen by the 'Guardian Heroic Spirit Summoning System: Fate.' Ritsuka won't discover your existence. With you here, the future is no longer set in stone.
You are Chaldea's last hope and its only variable. If you fail, it means everything will end. So we're entrusting the future to you!"
Romani's figure vanished completely, leaving only his lingering words echoing through the space. The surrounding space began twisting and shattering. Before Ye Uchiha could react, it swept him into a vortex, and he disappeared.
Thanks to 'Empty Fap,' 'Warrior305,' 'God-Slaying Divine Angel,' and 'Song Amid the Yu' for the tips!!! (P.S. Although 'Song Amid the Yu' is actually me.)
I previously saw a reader comment that the worlds' power systems could easily fall apart. I've thought about that too, and I'll use the system and the differences between world tiers to restrict the strength of the protagonist and characters from other worlds.
For example, when someone from a High Martial World enters a Low Martial World, their strength will initially drop drastically, then slowly recover over time. There will also be an upper limit imposed by that world.
As for the complaints about the Shield Hero World's tier and claims that the protagonist is invincible there, that idea doesn't hold up. Based on the current progress of the manga and novels, it should be on par with the Naruto World, or even much higher.
Unlike the anime, which hasn't shown many powerful characters yet, Shield Hero's power system basically goes completely off the rails later on. Readers who have watched the anime, please don't use what has aired so far as the basis for the world's overall power tier. Let me state this clearly: the Shield Hero World is not much weaker than the Naruto World. If you doubt that, please read past chapter fifty of the manga.
Just look at the divine beast that protects the world in the manga-the Spirit Tortoise. A single stomp can basically wipe out a city. Add its immortality and its practically endless familiar minions, and even Kage Level fighters absolutely cannot defeat it. I feel even Six Paths-level fighters might struggle.
Its size alone should tell you that even the Ten-Tails probably wouldn't reach the Spirit Tortoise's thigh. The story won't fall apart, so please rest assured.
Readers, please stop flaming me. At most, the protagonist's strength will let him dominate the early stages of Shield Hero.
Later on, it'll be like when Six Paths Madara and Princess Kaguya appeared in Naruto. Apart from SasuNaru, who received Yin-Yang Release from the Sage of Six Paths, the Five Kage weren't even qualified to serve as cannon fodder. So please stop saying the protagonist is invincible in Shield Hero. Its later stages run even deeper than Naruto's.
Before you continue