Villain Rehabilitator

Once upon a time, five young and brave warriors stood at the forefront of every battle. But when peace was finally achieved, they were discharged from their duties and left to fend for themselves. Without parents or a home to return to, they turned to their relatives for help, but were met with cold indifference.

"Why should we help you?" Their relatives asked. "You're of no use to us. See how you can cope on your own."

The soldiers took their weapons, their only possessions, and ventured into the unknown. As they walked, they stumbled upon a desolate heath with a ring of trees in the distance.

The warriors sat beneath the trees, lamenting their fate.

"We have no money." One of them said. "Our skills are only useful against ordinary people, but against those with riches, we're no match. In times like these, we'll surely perish."

Suddenly, a deafening hiss and roar shook the air. The warriors turned around, and a golden light enveloped the world. When the light faded, they were gone, and a theater stage appeared in the middle, where nearly a thousand corpses lay, victims of the brutal slaughter on X-You Mountain, whose bodies had been burned down in a pit. (1)

"Is this hell?" One of the warriors asked, incredulous.

"No, we're still alive." Another replied, pointing to their clothes. "Look, we're still wearing the same attire from when... we died."

Their relief was short-lived, as they gazed around in confusion. The area was surrounded by a sea of rocking chairs, swaying gently back and forth.

"This is some kind of outdoor play." One of the warriors observed. "And we're the characters."

Another warrior nodded in agreement, pointing to a group of five judges seated at a rectangular table. The table resembled a transparent coffin, and the judges were an unsettling sight.

To the far right sat a wax figure with only elf-ears visible, dressed in ancient Noar robes. Next to her was a grotesque clown in Elizabethan attire, its face with nothing, but a twisted sadistic grin. The clown's razor-sharp teeth seemed to gleam with malevolence.

On the far left stood a wet paper mannequin shaped like a muscular man in samurai armor. Its eyes were wide open, frozen in a mixture of shock and horror.

Next to the mannequin was a pink android figure without any discernible features or clothing. Her presence seemed both captivating and unnerving.

At the center of the table floated a garden gnome, its face hidden beneath a pointy wizard hat and a long white beard. The gnome's chest was a jarring mix of masculine and feminine features.

The warriors exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of what to make of their bizarre surroundings and the runish judges. The mortals soon regained their spirits.

"This must be the work of those Tama Artists!" one of them spat.

Another chimed in, "You're right! Let's get out of here!"

As they walked away from the stage, they stepped into thin air, plummeting to the ground below. Their bodies crumpled upon impact, reduced to a gruesome pile of flesh and bone.

The onlookers' faces turned pale, their eyes wide with terror. One of them muttered, "If only Great Scholar-kun were here, he would have kept our hopes up."

As soon as the words left his lips, the group's faces turned blue. Even those from Kushi Village knew of Shinji, the traitor who had betrayed them for selfish gains.

A glimmer of hope appeared when one of the men yelled, "We still have Lucy-san! He's the one we always relied on!"

The group's eyes scanned the area, searching for Lucy. Soon, someone spotted him.

"There he is! I found Lucy-sama!"

Lucy, who had been helping Sora up from the ground, sensed the gazes upon him. He flicked Sora's nose, saying with an indifferent expression, "I recall hearing a story about five brave warriors before I opened my eyes."

The group's eyes sparkled as they began sharing the same story they had heard before awakening. Lucy, however, shrugged, focusing on Sora.

"If you don't open your eyes, you'll be the first I kill."

Sora's eyes snapped open, and she sobbed, "I'm sorry I didn't avenge you, Lucy-san. But you have to understand—"

Lucy's expression remained cold. "Spare me the tears. We both know we were brought back to life."

Sora's face darkened, and she wiped away her tears:

"Lucy-san, aren't we already too late? The others are grouping into fives. If we don't hurry, we'll be left behind."

Lucy placed Sora on his shoulders, saying, "Call out one girl over here. We need to match the number of people down stage."

Sora scanned the area, her eyes locking onto a familiar face.

"Mikino-chan! Over here!"

Mikino's brows raised in surprise, and she smiled, walking towards Sora's voice.

As Mikino approached, she wasn't alone. Tsukino and Shoji were already there, and Mikino's smile grew.

"Tsukino and Shoji, I knew you two had a thing for each other. Look at you, already teaming up."

Tsukino quickly denied the accusation, pouting, while Shoji coughed shyly, changing the subject.

Shoji suggested, "Since we're five, why don't we team up? Although I'm from a rival village, you know my strength."

The group agreed, and Tsukino asked worriedly, "Aren't we already too late? About 75% of the people are already standing at the edge of the stage."

Lucy's gaze fixed on the panel of judges, his expression unreadable. "That's the easiest way to get rid of 75% of the people without having to do it ourselves."

The group's eyes widened as they grasped Lucy's implication. Their gazes turned to the groups of people walking out of the stage.

One group took the lead, and the others followed, rushing to save their lives. However, the clown on the panel of judges released a maniacal laughter, akin to a girl's scream. The mortals walking on air crumpled to their deaths, painting the ground red with their blood.

Lucy remained vigilant, ordering, "If you can't kill them, throw them off the stage."

Tsukino charged forward with the group, but her heart racing against her chest made her hesitate.

'Is this the right thing to do?'

She wondered. Shoji, nearby, tossed the person he was holding off the stage, yelling, "We're already dead! Don't feel guilty!"

Tsukino wanted to retort, but as she gazed at the people her group was pushing to their deaths, she noticed their lack of resistance.

'Why... shouldn't they be fighting for their lives?'

Her gaze drifted to the person surrounded by the most people.

"Why are they all smiling?"

Memories flashed back to the scene where Lucy defeated a Tama-Artist. Although she had passed out shortly after, she recalled a glimpse of it.

'Don't tell me they're putting their hopes for revenge on him?'

The thought sent a shiver down her spine.

'They hate Tama-Artists for treating them like slaves, yet they're all directing their hate towards Lucy. Even those from Kushi Village. What if his intention from the start was to use them like this?'

As her thoughts concluded, a gentle punch landed on her cheek. Her face cringed, and her hands instinctively gripped the man who punched her, slamming him to the ground, punching him to death.

The same scenario repeated, and Tsukino lost track of when she stopped caring.

---

1- The opening is a different world, and what happened is something I like to call theater/ threatre. But here, it's being forced to play, while a group of weirdos watch you.

The opening is an old fairy tale I just twisted, and only the number of the original characters is needed.

Check the EFnowledge System (Auxiliary Chapter for clear feed)