Kiyosuke took a deep breath as he wiped his face, the tears having finally dried up for the day. He sat back against his bed.

He blinked.

There…weren’t anymore tears for now?

His chest…didn’t feel tight?

In fact…he didn’t feel like staying in his room at the moment at all.

He tilted his head, but shrugged and picked up his sword. He didn’t have a reason to train anymore, not really, but he felt like he wanted to do…well…something.

He walked over to the training room, at a leisurely pace. He looked around the facility.

Everything seemed so unfamiliar.

In fact…it felt like his first time seeing this place at all.

He had a strange feeling in his chest as he made his way into one of the practice rooms. He heaved a sigh.

Ok, what to do?

He grabbed the blade at his side.

Phantom Slash…Phantom Storm?

He frowned as his heart began to pound.

No, not those. He had developed those for a very specific purpose. They made him feel…a way he didn’t currently want to feel.

But what else could he do? Basic shinobi techniques? Basic physical training? Chakra control exercises?

All seemed…pretty boring to be honest.

Then…he had a thought.

Something he barely registered…that only came back to him now.

Something that had occurred in the moment…

Perhaps…the beginning of a new technique?

Kiyosuke shrugged and took a stance with his sword. If it didn’t work out, it didn’t work out. But it seemed as good a place to start as anywhere else.

He gripped his sword and tried to remember exactly what it was he did…

When he had cut through space itself.

Arvid grunted as he lifted the barbell up into the air. He lay on a bench, holding a bar bending under the massive weights on either side. He grunted as he lowered the bar back into its resting place.

He sat back up, wiping his forehead and taking a swig from his water bottle.

He heaved a sigh.

Obviously, his body wasn’t exactly going to get stronger. But that’s not how it worked. What he could do…was add to the saga. Add a feat of strength in excess of all that had come before. This would in turn, be recorded and added to the strength of the blessing.

Infinite growth, so long as he continued to surpass the limit of what came before.

But…this was perhaps the slowest way to do it.

Arvid sighed.

The two shinobi…continued to train, improving upon their skill and technique. Saydaa was off training with a powerful master, honing her raw power with precision and focus. Elise could simply upgrade her tech and swap out her weaponry to improve her overall capabilities.

But Arvid’s strength…was largely static.

And he knew why.

He glanced at the blade leaning against the wall of the gym. He knew that the blade was more than just a weapon. That the blessing went beyond a boost to strength and some old memories.

Being the chosen hero was more than that, after all.

And that…was the problem.

Arvid was having fun with the Nemesis gang. He was…grateful to have friends again. Real comrades who had been through a lot together.

And he was a tad worried that he may not be doing his part. That should he be content to remain where he was…then perhaps their merry little band would not last.

After all…he had been helpless when Kiyosuke’s brother had separated them. Were it not for a lucky fluke on Kiyosuke’s part, friend Saydaa may no longer be with them. Even breaking through the barrier to reinforce them…had largely been Elise and Nana’s joint effort.

Mere strength…may not be enough.

And his experiences…seemed increasingly out of date for the challenges they faced.

He knew…there was more to his powers. More he could unlock. Greater feats that could be done.

For despite their mighty battles and grand struggles…nothing he had yet done had improved the saga. None of his achievements surpassed that of his forebears, despite him being the strongest yet.

But that was the problem.

To take up that power…to explore it in its totality…was to accept the identity that came with it. The expectations. The responsibilities.

To be a hero.

And all that that meant, good and bad.

Arvid tore his eyes from the blade and heaved a sigh. He walked over to the rack and grabbed a few more weights, piling them onto the bar before laying down on the bench once more.

For now…he was still strong enough. He could continue on as he had. Kiyosuke’s brother had been a one time thing, and he was now dead.

Nemesis did not require a hero. That was why he enjoyed fighting alongside them.

But deep within his heart…in the pit of his stomach…something boiled. He felt…soon would come the day he would have to make a choice. Would he be willing to pick up the sword for this team, and all that would come with it? Or would it be better to go his own way once more, whatever that might mean for his friends?

Who would he want to be?

He grunted as he pushed on the bar.

‘Twas a thought for another day.

Bob was in the cafeteria, eating a sandwich, when Elise walked up to him.

“Hi Elise, how are you?”

“Status Report: All systems nominal, Commander Bob.”

“And your organic components?”

Elise went silent for a moment. Bob put down his sandwich, giving her his full attention.

“...Reluctant Request: May I ask you for something, Commander Bob?”

Bob nodded.

“Feel free to ask me anything, Elise. I can’t promise I’ll do it until I hear what it is, but I’m always willing to hear you out.”

Elise nodded, and then looked into Bob’s eyes.

“Request: Elise requires hardware upgrades, Commander Bob.”

“Upgrades, you say?”

“Elaboration: This unit has finished analyzing data from the latest campaign. Conclusion: Current arsenal is insufficient. Speculation: Concordat engineers' focus on cybernetics and gravity manipulation technology led to neglect in other areas, especially the performance of conventional weaponry against non-standard energy types. This unit’s arsenal is therefore ill-equipped to handle probable future adversaries.”

Bob rubbed his chin and nodded.

“I see. Well that’s fine, I can talk to Kanna and see if she has anything new cooking up.”

Elise paused for a moment.

“Apologetic Refusal: Engineer Kanna’s weaponry is appreciated, but this unit believes such an upgrade to be merely iterative. Tentative Proposal: I…have cross-referenced combat data and Commander Bob’s blueprint archive and have designed a new component I believe would provide a transformative upgrade. Reluctant Request: Would Commander Bob…take a look?”

Bob gave her a smile.

“I look forward to seeing what you came up with.”

Elise nodded.

“Relieved Response: Elise is…happy to show you, Commander Bob.”

A few minutes later Bob held in a sigh.

Oh, the blueprint was good. Very good. Kanna would be kicking herself for not having thought of it.

There was just one problem.

The necessary materials.

He glanced over at Elise. She was staring straight at him.

“...Hesitant Query: Requesting Commander Bob’s opinion.”

Bob swallowed a sigh and pat her shoulder.

“I’m extremely impressed, Elise, this is good work. It’ll take some time to gather the materials…but we’ll make it happen.”

Elise remained silent for a second…then gave Bob a hug.

“Expressing Gratitude: This unit thanks Commander Bob.”

Bob hugged her back and then waved as she left.

Once she had left the room he sighed.

He really would prefer a break from the adventures. At least Sir Notfeld would be happy.

Jungle tours are so annoying.

Nanna stood at the firing range, holding her chakra blaster in both hands. Her brow furrowed as she focused in.

Not on the target, she could hit a stationary target at this range in her sleep.

But on the blaster.

More specifically, the chakra within.

She was reaching the limits of chakra shaping. Oh sure, chakra shaping was a ceiling-less skill one could always improve on. But making the chakra net slightly thinner or thicker, or making a dark point one percentage point thinner would have a marginal effect on her actual combat effectiveness.

It was time to try something new.

She took a deep breath and molded her chakra.

She squeezed the trigger.

What she fired was a simple bolt, no shaping whatsoever. A simple round ball of chakra that flew straight into the target.

And then the target burst into flames.

Nanna smiled.

Water…wind…and now fire. Earth was proving difficult but as regular bullets were already hunks of metal that wasn’t much of a concern. She could always just pick up a rock and launch it from her blaster after all.

Of course, she heard that true elemental infusion was an extraordinarily difficult technique and most shinobi could only manage it with a single element…but she didn’t need true infusion. Even a simple elemental alignment greatly increased the variety of projectiles she could fire from her chakra blaster.

Every little bit…made her that much more useful for Bob-sama.

She wanted to continue, to try one more time.

She put away her blaster.

She had made good progress today. The most helpful thing she could do at this particular moment…was to refuel. So she cleaned up the range and headed for the cafeteria.

After her meal she headed towards the living quarters, planning to rest a bit before bed. But as she opened the door, she yelped and flickered, quickly appearing in the center of the room on one knee.

"Greetings, Bob-sama, how may I serve you?"

Bob held in a sigh. She was making so much progress, too.

"At ease, Nana."

"Y-Yes!"

Nana stood straight up, her spine pointing straight to the ceiling.

"I've noticed you've been taking more breaks lately."

Nana's eyes widened. Then started to tremble. Against all her attempts...they started to moisten...

"That's good. I see you are maturing, and learning the value of rest. I'm proud of your growth, and not just in skill."

Nana's eyes moistened for a different reason.

"B-Bob-sama..."

Bob reached into his pocket.

"Which is why I believe you're ready for this."

He held out a small USB drive. Nana wiped her eyes and took the drive with trembling hands.

"W-What is this?"

"Homework. The techniques contained within are extremely complicated and difficult. But I believe you will master them, in time."

Nana trembled.

"Um...B-Bob-sama..."

"Yes, what is it?"

"I...am truly grateful for this gift. But...should this not go to Amano-kun? Or at least...the both of us?"

Bob shook his head.

"Kiyosuke has his own techniques to worry about. And his techniques are from his clan. They are more innate, but they are also more constraining. All his training and focus limits him down a specific path. He will reach great heights on that path...but it would take him much time and effort to pivot to another."

Bob pat Nana's shoulder. The girl jumped slightly.

"You, on the other hand, are self-taught. Your techniques and training are like a blank slate. You have yet to go beyond the basics...but that means any path is open to you. And from what I understand, the techniques in that scroll are less about intuition and much more about precise calculation. And that comes not from talent or heritage, but from endless repetition and countless, tiny optimizations. The exact kind of training you've been doing."

Nana felt her heart leap into her chest. Something welled up deep within her, her chest felt as if it would burst. This time, she could not stop tears from welling up in her eyes.

"Bob-sama...I swear...I will not let you down."

"I know you won't...just remember to keep resting."

"Yes!"

Bob chuckled as the girl practically leaped into her room. Ah well, one all-nighter shouldn't hurt. He shook his head as his mouth curled into a smile.

All those shinobi and cultivators...fighting over a little scroll. And yet...none of them thought to simply make a digital copy.

Which is why none of them knew to seek the USB Drive of Demonic Binding.

Lunchtime the next day. Nana robotically picked up her tray of food, dark bags beneath her half-open eyes. She turned to find a seat when her eyes opened and widened all the way.

Kiyosuke was eating in the cafeteria.

She paused for a moment before stepping towards him.

“Hi Amano-san, h-how are you feeling?”

Kiyosuke paused from his meal and glanced at her. He took a deep breath.

“Hi, Ueno-san. I’m…fine.”

Nana’s eyes widened. That was perhaps the most he had ever responded to a greeting from her.

“Um…would you mind if I joined you?”

“...fine.”

Her jaw dropped.

He had…acquiesced? To eating with people? That Amano-san?

It took her about a minute to realize she hadn’t moved. She quickly sat down, her face flushing slightly.

“Ah, my friends! Come, and let us feast together!”

Soon Arvid and Elise joined them. Kiyosuke continued to eat in silence…but he did not complain, nor speed up his meal.

In fact, he suddenly stopped eating, and began glancing around. Nana too started looking around but she didn’t see anything abnormal.

“W-What is it, Amano-san?”

Kiyosuke frowned.

“It’s…nothing. It’s just, I don’t see the annoyance. Which normally means something annoying is about to happen.”

“Status Report: Friendly Saydaa is on a training excursion. She is scheduled to return in a few days.”

Kiyosuke looked down at his food.

“Oh, I see.”

He resumed his meal without another word.

Meanwhile, Saydaa was crouched in front of a geometric pattern, her brow furrowed. She sighed, and slowly raised her hand, about to infuse the pattern with her magic…

THWACK!

She let out a yelp as Baba Yaga’s cane smacked her head.

“Fool girl, what did you do wrong?”

“I…the calculations must be off.”

“Wrong!”

Saydaa just sighed, and looked down.

“This formation…is perfect!”

Saydaa swung her head up, her eyes wide.

“What’s wrong…is that you’re doing magic distracted! You didn’t even realize you were right! What have I told you about that?”

Saydaa simply frowned and looked down.

“I’m sorry.”

Baba Yaga raised an eyebrow at her, and then sighed.

“Go on then, git.”

Saydaa tilted her head.

‘Um, weren’t we supposed to train a few more days?”

“That’s right but you clearly have other things on your mind. I don’t want any explosions in my home, so git!”

Saydaa opened her mouth to protest, but ultimately just sighed and began packing her things. Baba Yaga kept her eyes on the girl the entire time. She sighed and shook her head as Saydaa walked out of the room.

“Girlie, one last thing.”

Saydaa stopped, and turned her head over her shoulder.

“I'm all for doing what you want…but make sure it IS what you really want.”

Saydaa paused for a moment, then nodded. She walked out of EL Bank and into the city streets.

A few days later the Nemesis grav-jet arrived at the rendezvous point to pick her up.

As per procedure, they waited for a while. It took time to get out of the city…and one does not tell Baba Yaga when to end her lessons.

And so a day passed.

And another.

And another.

In the end…Saydaa never showed up.