Ch 2: The Old Guardian's Worries

...A/N: Hello, everyone! I'd like to mention that this story is entirely a product of my imagination. I've drawn inspiration from Filipino Mythology to craft this tale. For those curious, this is a fan fiction crossover between Juan Dela Cruz and Highschool DxD. If you're wondering about Juan Dela Cruz, simply Google it, and you'll find more information.)...

...----This Chapter is written by Void-King---...

Juan, who had suddenly woken up from his sleep, went downstairs to drink a glass of water. However, upon going down, he saw that the secret room of the house was open.

Upon seeing that the secret room was open, he immediately rushed to see who had opened the door to this secret lair.

And what he saw shocked him because he saw that his granddaughter was the one who had opened the door to this room. Not only that, he saw the girl summon the Iron Cross onto her hand.

"Apo!" He finally decided to speak, and once his granddaughter heard his voice, she immediately turned around and looked at him while shaking.

(A/N: Apo means grandchild. Usually, only grandparents use this word to address their grandchildren.)

"Lolo! I, uh..." Juan could see that his granddaughter was trying to come up with an excuse while she was sweating and shaking.

(Translation: Lolo means grandfather.)

"Apo! Akin na 'yang Bakal na Krus." (Translation: My granddaughter! Give me the Iron Cross.)

(A/N: I will now translate the meaning of the sentence instead of word for word.)

Said Juan, and immediately, Reika gave the Iron Cross to him. After she handed the Iron Cross to him, he told her to return to her room and rest since it was already late at night.

The girl immediately returned to her room without asking or saying anything, and Juan was left in the room alone, looking at the Iron Cross that his granddaughter had handed over to him.

Instead of returning the Iron Cross to the wall, he took it back with him to his room.

While in it, he was looking at the Iron Cross, and the memories of his late grandmother flashed before his eyes.

He remembered the words of his late grandmother, Belen, who told him her last foresight: that in the future, one of his descendants would become the new wielder of the Iron Cross, and that descendants of him would protect the human race against the forces of evil. Belen also told him that this descendant of his would experience hardships like no other. She also told him that this descendant of his would carry the weight of the entire world.

The hardships that his descendant would experience would make them strong, stronger than any of the previous guardians of the Iron Cross, and stronger than any guardians of other weapons or any wielder of the Holy Sword.

(A/N: If you guys are wondering about the other guardians in the supposed sequel script of Juan Dela Cruz, it is stated that there are also other guardians aside from Juan, who was the guardian of the Iron Cross, so if you guys want to read it, it's on my reading list on the tab of Filipino Novel script.)

After all these years, he thought that this foresight would happen in a distant future when he was no longer in this world. But he didn't expect that his granddaughter would be the one chosen as this new generation's guardian.

He didn't want his granddaughter to go into a battle where her life would be put in danger, but he also knew that she needed to fulfill her duty as the new guardian. Juan knew that even if he tried to stop his granddaughter from ever holding the Iron Cross, he knew that he couldn't change destiny. No matter what he did, the duty of becoming the guardian of the Iron Cross was inescapable. He knew this because he learned this the hard way when he once tried to turn his back on his duty.

Juan knew that he couldn't teach his granddaughter how to use the weapons of the Iron Cross because he knew that she needed to learn it on her own. The least he could do was to prepare his granddaughter to use the weapons of the Iron Cross, just like how he had prepared himself to use every weapon of the Iron Cross back in the old days.

With his mind set to train his granddaughter, he put the Iron Cross on the wall of his room, and it immediately stuck itself to the wall, waiting for the right time when Juan would pass down the mantle of being the new Tagabantay to his granddaughter.

***

In the morning, the whole family was eating breakfast together, and Reika was the same as usual. She was energetic and had a big appetite, having just finished her fourth serving and still eating.

Despite her big appetite, her body was not overweight; in fact, she had a slender figure, and her choice of clothes showcased her curves. She was wearing a maroon-colored tank top with shorts and black high boots and her short black Hair is Tied on a ponytail with two Side Bangs.

...

...

(A/N: This is how she looked like)

"Are you going somewhere?" Reika's mother asked.

Reika replied that she would be going to help the orphanage in the city and would come back after she finished her work.

Even though their family was wealthy, Reika actually never cared about money. She was raised to believe that money was not everything in this world, and she was also taught to always help those that she could and never turn a blind eye to those in need if she could help. A naive thinking, yes, but for Reika, that was just who she was.

After her breakfast, she immediately left the house and went to the orphanage to help with anything she could, leading a hands-on approach, and even playing with the children.

***

In the sunny afternoon, Reika was walking home from the orphanage when she noticed a group of guys picking on a smaller, timid girl. The group was relentless, taunting the girl with hurtful words and pushing her around. Reika couldn't just stand by and watch this unfold.

Without a second thought, Reika approached the group and said, "That's enough! Leave the girl alone." Her voice was filled with determination.

The group was surprised by Reika's sudden arrival and turned their attention to her. They sneered, and one of them, the ringleader, said, "What are you gonna do about it, tough girl?"

Reika knew she had to protect the girl, so without hesitation, she clenched her fists and stood her ground. The group circled around her. Reika didn't panic because this was not something new to her. One of the guys tried to punch Reika in the face, but she leaned to her side, dodging the attack. While doing so, she countered with her own punch aimed at the stomach of the guy who had tried to punch her.

Seeing that their comrade was having a hard time, the others also launched their attacks on Reika.

Reika's skills, determination, and resilience were her greatest weapons. She dodged their punches with agility and countered with precise strikes. She wasn't trying to hurt them badly; she just wanted to protect the girl and show the group that they couldn't intimidate others without consequences.

With every punch thrown and every kick landed, Reika's confidence grew. The girl watched in amazement.

Reika got a bit reckless and left herself open for a split second, and due to that, a punch slipped through her guards and hit her beautiful face.

Due to this, her anger rose to a whole new level. Slowly but surely, Reika managed to subdue each of the bullies, one by one. They began to retreat, nursing their bruises and egos. The ringleader, defeated and humiliated, finally said, "Fine, we're done!" They scattered and ran in different directions.

Breathing heavily, Reika turned to the girl with a reassuring smile. Tears of gratitude filled the girl's eyes as  she said, "Thank you, Miss. You're my hero."

After those eventful hours, she returned home with a bruise on her face and received an hour of scolding from her grandmother and mother. She tried to argue that she just wanted to help someone, but even her argument was immediately shut down.

She tried asking for help from her father and grandfather, but the two averted their gaze from her since they didn't want to earn the wrath of their wives.

After an hour, Reika sat in the backyard of their home while looking at the blue sky.

"Ouch..." Reika said as she touched the bruise on her cheek.

While taping her bruised cheek, her grandfather went next to her, holding the Iron Cross in his hand.

Reika wanted to ask her grandfather about it, but she was not sure how to ask such questions.

But before she could say anything, her grandpa was the first to speak and told her everything about the Iron Cross, the Kapatiran, and everything related to their family bloodlines.

Her grandpa also told her that she was the new guardian of the Iron Cross and that she needed to prepare herself to fulfill her duty. From that day on, Reika was trained by her grandfather.

...---To be Continued---...

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