Rise of the Sword and the Shield

Retribution

Lyall the Werewolf: Originally on FanFiction.Net, I am now cross-posting Rise of the Sword and Shield on Wattpad.

So, without further ado, let's get started.

(I don't own Senran Kagura or Shield Hero)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

It was almost time for the duel to begin.

After the mess in the ballroom, Naofumi was guided to the left-wing armory, where Asuka was waiting. As he entered, he found her standing in the middle of the room in silence.

For a while, Naofumi wasn't sure of what to say. He wasn't sure if Asuka was still possessed or not. For all he knew, she could direct her homicidal rage at him. She did say he didn't care about her, and maybe there was a grain of truth to that. If so, it meant making things right, Naofumi would face Asuka's wrath.

"Asuka..." he quietly called out.

"Haa... I can't believe it..." Asuka muttered. She turned around to face Naofumi with comically tear-filled eyes. Her eyes were no longer glowing blue and were back to their usual brown color. To Naofumi's shock, she was back to normal.

"Y-You're back?" Naofumi asked.

"I can't believe I let you and everyone see me like that! It's so embarrassing!" Asuka whined as she covered her face in shame.

"I'll take that as a yes," Naofumi said with a growing smile on his face. As relieved as he was that she was back to her old self, seeing Asuka mortified by her prior behavior was refreshing in a way.

"The possession wore off while I waited here..." Asuka sighed, "I don't know how I can go out there with so many people watching and expecting me to go all psycho!"

"I thought you didn't care about the public's perception of you. If you ask me, you should let that rage out more often. That way they'll respect you." Naofumi said.

Asuka looked at Naofumi with a pouty face, "I knew you wouldn't understand! Respect through intimidation might work for you, but I can't use my angry possessed self on command!"

"Is that so?" Naofumi asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'll... admit, it felt good seeing them all squirm," Asuka mumbled sheepishly.

"I can tell you got a real kick out of seeing Motoyasu piss his pants," Naofumi smirked. Now that the tension was gone, he wasn't afraid to show the satisfaction of seeing Motoyasu peeing himself in front of a whole crowd.

"Please stop! I don't wanna think about it!" Asuka pouted.

"Haha!" Naofumi laughed. He was glad his worries were for nothing. However, it didn't mean he could forget about the duel and what was at stake.

He wasn't the only one.

"Seriously though, let's forget about that for now." Asuka said seriously, "Why are you here, Naofumi-kun? Did they make some changes to the duel without telling me?"

"Actually, yeah... thanks to Itsuki's proposal," Naofumi said as he recounted what happened after Asuka stormed off from the ballroom.

[-Flashback: Ball Room-]

"You wish to participate in the duel as well, Itsuki-dono?" Aultcray asked.

"Yes, and not just me. Naofumi-san as well. In a two-on-two battle. Motoyasu-san and myself vs Asuka-san and Naofumi-san." Itsuki said.

The crowd was surprised to hear this. Some were intrigued at the prospect of the Cardinal Heroes dueling each other in the arena. It would make for good gambling.