Hero

Lady Mersé Dascaros, a hero from Lescatie.

Heroes (or Champions) are mighty warriors who are capable of battling against monsters. Your average human can be casually defeated by even a low-level monster, while "hero" is a catch-all term for those who are strong enough to potentially defeat or fend off powerful monsters.

Origins

Heroes have existed for as long as the Monster Girl Encyclopedia world itself, raised up by the Gods to destroy the Mamono Lord since time immemorial. After attacking the current succubus Mamono Lord in person didn't end so well for her, the Chief God and her Order have made the training of heroes a central pillar of their strategy to combat the monsterized menace. The usual route to become a hero seems to be a combination of rigorous training and holy blessings given by the Chief God once a person manages to reach their limits as a human. This blessing allows them to break through the human limit and gain superhuman abilities (the power of a thousand regular soldiers, for example, is not unheard of). The Theocracy of Lescatie specialized in producing top-ranked heroes, although powerful human warriors can arise from outside the Order as well: e.g. Zipangu's Amanomiya Koyoi.

Although some heroes are made, others are born. Humans chosen by fate (rather than a direct blessing from a god) to become heroes may find their development watched over by a valkyrie sent from Heaven. Conversely, if an echidna monster girl sniffs out a young boy's hero potential first, she may disguise herself as human in order to groom him into the perfect husband. There are also people who awaken as heroes without any direct divine intervention, such as by training in places teeming with strong power (including divine power) for long periods of time.

The Mamono Lord's husband was once a hero, before he started fraternizing with the enemy and switched sides. The mana erosion in Royal Makai is so intense that this is the fate of many, if not most, of the heroes sent to destroy the Mamono Lord; so much so that there is a whole unit of monsterised former heroes in the Mamono Army, notorious for not doing much other than sex all day.

In Order nations, the term "hero" is restricted mostly to those who have been empowered by the Chief God to fight monsters, however, in broader terms it can apply to anyone who has broken human limits in a particular skill or ability thanks to any god's intervention. This can apply to the skills of artists, scientists, actors, etc. Heroes blessed by the goddess Eros for instance are noted for (among other things) sexual abilities on par with incubi.

Almost all heroes from the era of Former Mamono Lords were males, although there are many heroines in the current era.

True Nature

In World Guide 3, the baphomet Runya Runya shares convincing arguments that incubi and heroes are essentially the same type of being. That is, they are humans that have broken the "shackles" that are thought of as human limits, the only difference ultimately being that where heroes have their shackles broken by divine power (or sometimes other sources of energy), incubi utilize mamono mana to remove their limiters. The powers and/or abilities they gain after breaking these shackles (aside from spells and abilities specifically dependent on gods or monsters) are their own, and remain even if (for instance) all divine power is removed from them. Heretical theologians theorize that humans were created as beings with unlimited potential (that was for unknown reasons and by unknown parties later shackled), and that rather than becoming a new type of being, heroes and incubi are merely regaining the abilities they were meant to have all along.

Further evidence for the lack of meaningful distinction between heroes and incubi can be seen in how most every ability (including sexual ones) gained by incubi can potentially be gained by divinely blessed heroes and vice versa.

Research into all this, however, is forbidden by the Order, and thus monsters and monster-allied humans seem to be the only ones studying just what heroes and incubi really are.

Book information

Early settings info

Human warriors appointed by the order whose mission is to slay the Mamono Lord. They have been granted strength by the “chief god,” and possess far more fighting abilities than an average human. It is said that up till now, many heroes have set out on the journey with comrades, but almost none have ever safely returned. Perhaps because the majority of them are charmed by monsters and choose the path of living with a monster.

Monster Girl Encyclopedia I; Humans

Humans are the most proliferate form of intelligent life that inhabits the world. The magical power and physical abilities of humans who haven't received training are far lower than that of the monsters. Most humans are no match for attacking monsters, and they're easily knocked down, which leads to coupling, and soon after, they're taken home by the monsters.

However, depending on training, the abilities of humans can grow immensely. Those who have received advanced training, those who have gone through many battles, those receiving divine protection, etc. are called “champions” or “heroes.” They are far more powerful than an average monster.

Sabbath Grimoire; Heroes as "Human Males"

The presence of heroes is one of the greatest military assets of the Order of the chief god, and sometimes exceedingly powerful “heroes” even end up as national icons. Naturally, even on the monster side, heroes are beings of significant importance who should be watched carefully, but that's not because they are the greatest of the enemy forces. Heroes are “superior males” overflowing with vitality that have within them superhuman mana, and as such, they are mouthwatering treats to the majority of monsters. They belong at the top of the list of husband candidates, and that's why they're kept an eye on. The intelligence corps of the mamono lord's army and “ratatoskrs” are always conducting investigations to determine when heroes are created, where they're moving, and so forth. Even at Library Sabbath, aka my very own “Runya Runya Sabbath”, catalogs of unmarried male heroes from throughout all the world's countries are produced and viewable.

Even out of all the human males, we can say that heroes are overwhelmingly “superior males”, and if a monster could get her hands on one, he'd probably make an excellent partner. Plus, heroes anointed by the chief god are fundamentally benevolent. They're mostly excellent in terms of personality too, having noble hearts full of loving kindness, and therefore, not only are they liked by human women, but also monsters as well. Yet still, “being a hero” isn't an absolute standard that must be met as a criteria for being chosen as a monster's husband, and the reason why is due to the nature of mamono mana, which causes each other's power to gradually swell by having sex. Even if the male she'd chosen were just an ordinary male, he would eventually develop into an “incubus”, which is a human who transcends human limitations just like a “hero”.

It is precisely the partner that a monster has chosen for herself that will become the most superior of all males and the most delicious treat to her. For monsters, basically, a spouse is a being used to empower each other through sex. Ergo, it is not viewed as an absolute necessity that he be “a superior male in his present condition”. They mostly decide the male who will be their spouse based on other values and criteria. Also, since monsters are beings for whom emotions such as love and fondness are directly tied to sexual desire, ultimately, the man they feel love or fondness towards will seem the most delicious to them.

For that reason, even if a choice is to be made between “an average male” and “the best male”, most monsters would choose the average male who they are “somehow fond of”. If there is an average male with whom a monster has deepened exchanges and “the best male” suddenly shows up, then a monster would probably be certain to choose the average male. This tendency is even true of the highest rank monsters who seek superior males. Since we baphomets also seek a powerful, superior male to become our “big brother”, heroes go right at the top of the list, but even if we perceive that a man is unseasoned and has yet to bloom, he may still have a chance. Also, it's not uncommon for us to fall for men determined to have a baphomet wife who challenge us over and over without giving up, even if they are completely unremarkable.

In most creatures, there's a tendency for only a portion of males to be popular with the females, but on the other hand, instead of coalescing on a single male, the passion of monsters is distributed over many males, and that is due to this nature. Thus, even if they attempt to use heroes as bait, all of the monsters wouldn't just swarm the heroes. In a confrontation with monster forces, all of the human men, from the knights all the way down to the lowliest of soldiers, will of course be inevitably pursued by the monsters.

Sabbath Grimoire; Heroes and Incubi

All living things fundamentally have an upper limit to the amount of mana they can contain within their body. Mana is vital energy, the power that life itself possesses, i.e, there are established limits to the amount of power that a race can possess. Humans are no exception to this rule, either, and there is a limit to what is humanly possible. Even if one reaches his limit as a human being through effort and talent, his power will never exceed that of greater monsters and gods who possess high abilities far beyond human limitations. But those who become “heroes” and “incubi” are able to possess even more mana. Through continuous training, they can not only acquire power surpassing that of monsters, but even that of gods. These are beings who have had their human “limitations” removed when some factor caused more mana than a human being is naturally able to possess to dwell within the human body. It is as if their “shackles” are destroyed by the overflowing mana. When this is caused by divine mana, that man is called a “hero”, but on the other hand, when it is caused by mamono mana, that man is called an “incubus”.

Despite the distinction drawn between them, “heroes” and “incubi” are virtually the same kind of beings. The only difference is whether the limit was removed at the hands of a god or a monster. They're “heroes” because they fight with the chief god's blessing, and they're “incubi” because they're monsters' husbands. They can be differentiated in such fashion by where their allegiances lie, but no matter what method of biological classification is used, it is impossible to draw a clear distinction between the two. There is a method of distinguishing them based on their differing abilities and whether they possess divine mana or mamono mana within their bodies, but neither is sufficient for accurate classification. Basically, heroes, who are beings that have received the blessing of the chief god, tend to have their abilities increased so that they may fight to impose her will; while on the other hand, we can say that incubi are beings who have received a monster's blessing, and changes based on the monster's lust for pleasure such as increased sexual potency and stamina appropriate for having sex with a monster can be observed. However, they are both beings with superhuman growth potential. On the one hand, you have someone who trained repeatedly seeking the power to fight, and on the other, you have someone who copulated with a monster countless times, but they both have achieved a corresponding amount of ability growth, and that's all there is to it.

Hence, for example, if an incubus desired to master swordsmanship, or continuously trained himself in pursuit of power to protect his wife and children, he could also gain superhuman physical abilities and durability like a hero in addition to his superhuman sexual stamina. Then, in terms of having enhanced combat abilities, it becomes impossible to distinguish them from the chief god's heroes who have obtained power in order to fight monsters. On the other hand, as explained in “Heroes Viewed As 'Human Males'(p.71)”, just like incubi, heroes also have superior abilities as males. What's more, heroes granted power by the goddess of love, “Eros”, acquire increased sexual stamina and potency to enthrall their partners, so it can be seen that the nature of their empowerment is very similar to that of an incubus. And in the extreme case of the half god half monster “fallen god”, they become beings who are both heroes and incubi, bearing half divine mana and half mamono mana.

Also, in some cases, there are those who become “beings who transcend human limitations”, like heroes and incubi, even without the intervention of a god or monster. In such cases, there is something that removes the shackles of humanity, but the person himself will usually not even be cognizant of it. The distinction between incubus and hero is made even more tenuous due to these ambiguous beings who are difficult to classify. An example of a factor that could cause this is remaining in lands teeming with mana for an extremely long period of time. Sometimes legends about such places are handed down with claims like “if you train in this land, you can acquire inhuman power”. It seems likely that the source of such legends is people who acquired superhuman power by continuously training in those lands. For instance, in the case that the location is a land teeming with divine mana, then it can be inferred that the shackles of humanity were removed due to the influence of divine mana, and as such, the person would have transformed into a being who is very nearly a “hero”. On the other hand, training grounds where monsters who seek to master martial arts such as “jinko (Encyclopedia II- p. 168)” and “hinezumi (Encyclopedia II – p.174)” gather are lands teeming with mamono mana, i.e, there is a possibility that they have become mamono realms. Humans who accumulate training in these special mamono realms can acquire power enough to rival monsters, or sometimes even power surpassing that of monsters. In this case, he would become a being very nearly an “incubus”, but either way, the man himself would be unaware of it, and the Order wouldn't recognize it either. He would still be treated as “human” in human society regardless, so long as he was lacking a monster wife.

Also, sometimes the shackles can also be removed due to influence from others. A human man who has continuously been practicing swordsmanship with a “lizardman (Encyclopedia I – p.66)” since they were little will lose his shackles before he knows it and gradually acquire enough power to rival her. Human craftsmen who continuously study with races who possess advanced crafting skills such as “dwarves (Encyclopedia I – p.100)” and “gremlins (Encyclopedia II – p.158)”, acquire godlike skills, determined not to be outdone by them. In this manner, by having well-matched friends and rivals to compete with, as if boosting each other, they can transcend their humanity and gradually grow even more powerful. When men finally obtain enough power to subdue “dragons” after continuing to challenge them countless times, it's also the same sort of thing. It can be surmised that what's probably happening is that mamono mana intermixed during battle when confronting a dragon responds to a man's desire “to acquire power exceeding that of the dragon and make her mine”, resulting in the destruction of his shackles and the fruition of all his accumulated training. In this case too, as expected, the man would become a being that is very nearly an “incubus”, but he would probably mostly be mistaken as a “hero” who acquired enough power to defeat a dragon by the majority of humans, who are incapable of sensing mana.

Other than that, shackles are sometimes removed from being hit by spells. Rarely, there are tales of those who acquired mana over the human limit by having survived after nearly dying from being hit by a big spell. Also, aside from that, if a forbidden degree of healing is performed using the hieromancy spell “miracle of restoration (p.67)” such as regeneration of lost limbs or treatment of deadly diseases, the patient may awaken as a being that is very nearly a hero. In most cases, the factor that caused the unshackling is indeterminable. Among them, there are those who broke the limit themselves by continuously accumulating training even after reaching the human limit, and even those who are thought to have never had any human limitations in the first place for some reason. As expected, these “beings who transcend human limitations” are pretty much the same as heroes and incubi. The only thing that distinguishes them is the fact that they have neither divine mana nor mamono mana in their body. Additionally, if they were to take divine mana within their body by acquiring hieromancy, or take mamono mana within their body by obtaining a monster wife, then there would probably no longer be any way of distinguishing them from heroes or incubi.

In this way, the boundary between “humans”, “heroes”, “incubi”, and “beings who transcended human limitations” themselves is extremely vague. Biologically and magicologically, they're nothing but “strong humans” who just took different paths to get there. It is difficult to accurately classify them, and ultimately, the current classification is done out of convenience to reflect their origins and allegiances. While they are more or less the same kind of beings, the way that they are treated is based on this convenient classification. Primarily in human societies under the control of the forces of the Order of the Chief God, incubi are treated not as human, but as inhuman monsters. In the Order of the Chief God, any attempt by humans to uncover the secret mechanism behind heroes, a miracle of the gods, is regarded as an outrage against the gods, so open research is also forbidden. Humans generally conceive of heroes as holy beings anointed by the gods and the Order, while “incubi” are evil beings who became monsters themselves after having been imprisoned by monsters. That's sort of how it is. For that reason, those who transcended the human limit themselves mostly also tend to be mistaken as either one or the other.

Furthermore, all other living things besides humans also have a limit to their abilities and the amount of mana they can possess. Naturally, there are limits for monsters too, depending on race, but in the case of monsters, the “limit” is easily removed by repeatedly obtaining a man's essence, i.e, among monsters, unmarried individuals correspond to “ordinary humans”, and we can say that married individuals who have obtained a human husband and received his blessing, repeatedly copulating all day and night, correspond to “heroes” and “incubi”.

There is a hypothesis once posited by biologists which claims that if one were to possess mana in excess of the human limit, i.e., vital energy, the power would be far too tremendous for the mind and body to tolerate, but it has been confirmed that in the case of sudden incubization induced by being showered in highly condensed mana, the body and mind also naturally become stronger along with the increase in mana, so that hypothesis has been refuted. The following is a speculative theory among heretical theologians: “Humans are creatures who were created with unlimited growth potential in mind from the very beginning. To become an incubus or a hero is not to transcend one's humanity, but to assume one's rightful original human form. Isn't the present condition of humanity in fact the result of some sort of limit being imposed on us?“

Since the previous hypothesis has been refuted, and there is the existence of those who overcome human limitations without the intervention of monsters or gods, it lends credence to this theory. On top of that, the author will add in her own theory too, but the fact that the effects of “miracle of recovery”, “miracle of power”, and so on, are confined to what is “humanly” possible, regardless of the fact that they can theoretically produce even greater effects, may not be due to the caster lacking the required abilities or mana amount. Instead, it really does seem likely that some sort of “limit” has been put on spells and blessing granted by the gods.

▼A diagram showing the relationship between heroes and incubi using a human man as an example.