I was a Nerfed Hero in Another World

Arthur's Perspective

(We left from Arthur's defeat, with the soldiers carrying their exhausted bodies inside a dungeon. And that dungeon is located underground, guarded by some soldiers near the gates.) 

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Before these soldiers took us away, I instructed everyone to place their weapons inside their inventory. We wanted to use them later, since the three of us had physical weapons. If we escaped this place, we would use those weapons against the soldiers. We wouldn't want those knights to seize our weapons, which would serve as our only advantage.

Some soldiers voiced their concerns about the sudden disappearance of our swords. One soldier even pointed out that he noticed my blade turned into dust for a second. And when the soldiers inspected our bodies, they couldn't find our arsenals within us.

Since those soldiers didn't want to waste any more time, they let us continue towards the dungeon.

My ears took charge as soon as I couldn't open my eyes. The dripping of water coming from above entered my eardrums, paired with some clanking bars. Those acrid smells my nose drifted could be a sewer of some sort, which led inside this dungeon. And since these soldiers brought us underground, I could only guess some prisoners lived here.

"Arthur….Fight the urge to sleep…..You need to fight it!" 

I pressed those thoughts inside my brain, while blindly visualizing our path. I could only hope that my brain would last until I memorized the path and secure our exit. If there was a way we could exit this place, retracting our steps would be our best bet.

As soon as the soldiers threw our bodies inside a room, I stored that information inside my brain. And when they finally left us, I resigned myself and focused on rejuvenating my strength. I didn't know when we would fight again, considering we were still inside the enemy's territory.

Nothing woke me up inside the room, but my mind jolted me awake. Upon returning to my consciousness, I opened my eyes and surveyed my surroundings.

The setting was what I had expected. My teammates were beside me, still battling against their exhaustion. And upon lifting my head, the metallic bars greeted my eyes. Those metals kept us contained inside the room, paired with some soldiers guarding the insides. 

There was an abyssal hallway filled with other jails at each side, where the soldiers kept other prisoners from war. Some of those soldiers even kicked the shit out of those prisoners and treated them as nothing but garbage. I could only guess those imprisoned people were monsters they couldn't contain. And those soldiers eventually threw them here inside their cells.

Besides the two soldiers guarding our room, there were more of them wandering around out there. Each of them heavily armed themselves with armours and swords, which could give them a fighting chance against us. 

"That's our key to exit this place," I murmured to myself, while staring at the hallway.

The time we spent here would be a devastating defeat for our peaceful cause. Which would hinder us from starting the war. Since Lilith and our team had a time bomb strapped around our necks, we needed to stop that battle between the two faction.

Fortunately, the soldiers treated us with respect, despite being prisoners. I could only hunch that King Arthur ordered the soldiers to treat us right, even after placing us here. Even though those soldiers imprisoned us, nothing had happened to our bodies.

But before we could escape, I needed to wake my teammates. And that was what I did as soon as I could stretch my muscles. 

"Hey! Wake up, Merleen, Fenrir, Meliodas, Lilith! Wake up!" I whispered, while shaking each of their shoulders.

It took them a few minutes before waking up from their slumber. After those moments, everyone had finally accepted reality. 

"Where are we?" Fenrir was the first one to ask, as she looked around the surroundings. "It doesn't look like we're inside the castle."

I nodded and replied, "We're inside a dungeon, just below the castle's ground. Basically an underground place where the soldiers place their prisoners inside a cell."

"And we are one of those prisoners," I continued, while crossing my arms. "We need to escape this place if we want to stop the war from happening."

"We can't." Lilith's devilish voice echoed inside the cell. "By the time we escape this place, King Arthur's knights would be on their way towards my kingdom. And when they launch their attack, my father would return the favour."

"We can't reach them even if we try. And what if we arrive late on the battlefield? We're just going to be a hindrance to whatever's happening in that place!" Lilith's pessimistic thoughts filled her brain as she raised her concerns. "None of us can stop the war, Arthur! All we could do is rot inside this cell….Which I prefer to do and wait for my demise.

Even though I hated listening at her words, Lilith still had a point. We would waste time escaping this place, considering the soldiers guarding the place. 

And it was what Lilith had also mentioned. If we arrived on the battlefield, I doubt we would do much about the situation. Lilith and our team couldn't persuade Arthur with words, why would Arthur believe in us now? Using force was also out of our option, considering the risk beside it. 

If our team believed in peace, we shouldn't use any violence on both parties. We should treat the demons and humans equally, and maintain our cause. And when we couldn't uphold our promises, things would get rough later on.

Even though Lilith's words held true, I would still act as the candle. From where I came from, giving up was not in my dictionaries. And superheroes would never back down without a fight! 

"We will lose with that mindset. So we need to change it," I said, while offering Lilith my hand. "What if we're late arriving on the battlefield? We should just become stronger to stop both of them. What if those two factions wouldn't agree about the contract? Our team would just have to force them. Well, we don't have to use force. But we will find a way to stop the war, right? If you quit right now, everything you've done would go to the drain. Your entire plan would be wasted for nothing. And the war will continue. That's why we need your undying light the most…..That's what heroes do. We never give up, even after facing thousands of problems. And even if we die, we need to uphold our promises."

"You could either die as a hero, or live your whole life as a villain. I know it's hard, Lilith. And you have the option to stay here, cradling like a baby. Giving up is always an option we could do. But as soon as you hold my hand….As long as you step outside this cage, you're a hero that everyone deserves. You can still stop the war, and we're right behind to support you. Think about the people who believe in you! I mean...demons! Those demons lived up to your expectations and admire your bravery despite those who rejected your idea! Those demons believe in you even if you can't right now!" I added, while giving her a wink. "Now's your last chance to think, Lilith. Are you in? Or are you out?"

It took Lilith five minutes before she could decide. Despite that moment, I remained still, while extending my hand. And when those seconds had gone by, Lilith finally nodded and flashed me a smile. A pair of glowing orbs welcomed my eyes as Lilith reached out for my hand.

"I'm sorry you had to watch it. I know it's embarrassing to admit, but maybe you're right. I'm ready to give up, but….nevermind."

"Come one," I retorted. "You could at least tell me that, you know?"

Lilith giggled and replied, "I'm ready to give because of all these problems….But thanks to you, I will give my vision a shot. All those things you've said really pierced through my heart, especially those demons who believed in me. They were really something when I first told them my plan. Not everyone believed in me, and I knew that would happen. My ideal world is something that those ancient demons couldn't accept. They wouldn't dare shake hands with the humans because of the war. But even after that, you showed me the light, Arthur. And for that, I thank you with all my heart…."

After saying those words, Lilith painted her cheeks bright red. That image strengthened my claim that these women beside me had an interest in my life. And they couldn't make a move, since we were running countless errands for the world. 

If time permitted them, these women in my party would confess their sin…..feelings to me. And Those girls would gift me our offspring that would last long for a lifetime, which would call me their father.