We're back.

As a random note, I'll try to be a bit more true to the original series with regard to spell names. Rather than 'Greater' I'll go with 'Zweite', for example. It doesn't make a huge difference, but it's more for clarification of ability strength.

Tiny trigger warning. Things get a bit rough, so it's earning the M rating here.

To GUE, who graciously gave me a name to work with (thank you!): I honestly can't tell if you're angry about me making Glass a killer or not. I personally think it made more sense that she was one, since she's pretty relentless about her ideals regarding weak heroes and such.

I received a lot of good feedback about the pope's entrance, which I was concerned about since it's an obvious cliffhanger. I'll try not to leave off on too many of those since they can be annoying when every chapter leaves you without closure.

To finish up, we've finally crossed the 1100 favorites mark! I never would have thought anything I wrote could be this popular, so you guys continue to prove me wrong.

"Hello" - Words

'Hello' - Thoughts

Hello - Emphasis

Hello - Abilities/Magic spells/Demonic Speech

As always, feel free to review!

Naofumi stared down at the man in robes, holding the oddly shining spear. 'Who the hell is this guy? Some kind of priest?' he thought to himself. 'And what's up with that spear? It looks just like-'

"Pope Biscas Balmus. I was wondering when you'd show yourself. Have you grown tired of manipulating this country from the shadows?" the queen asked, glaring down into the courtyard. All thoughts of executing the king were halted, but he remained in the gallows.

The pope smiled innocently, his aging face showing signs of wrinkles. "Such a bold accusation, my queen, to assume that I am not simply doing God's work. Everything I do is in the name of God."

Naofumi didn't like the look of the man, nor the way the queen obviously disliked him. He leaned to the side to whisper to his companions. "Raphtalia, Filo. Something about this guy doesn't seem right. Be on your guard."

"Right." they replied.

"Your God has isolated our country from the rest of the world, Biscas. You were the one who told King Aultcray to summon all four heroes, am I right?" Mirellia said. All of the knights surrounded the man in the courtyard, but he remained as calm as ever.

"I must say that he is a most devout follower of the faith. God will smile upon him both in life and death for his service."

The king flailed, trying to turn his head to see the religious man. "Balmus! You knew this would happen!?" he demanded angrily.

The pope chuckled. "I knew that you would follow my suggestions to the letter, so yes I did. Queen Mirellia is no fool, and she would find out eventually. But now it's too late for her to change anything."

He raised the golden spear above his head. "God has granted me the power to smite the nonbelievers who dwell within our sacred kingdom! Behold the power I wield in His name!" The spear glowed even brighter, fueled by some kind of power.

"Evacuate the courtyard! Knights, restrain the pope!" Mirellia shouted. The audience members screamed in terror at the frantic command, scurrying away as fast as possible. Naofumi's party leapt over the small railing and landed on the dirt of the courtyard floor. The other three heroes did the same.

As the soldiers attacked him, a barrier appeared around the pope's body that protected him completely. He merely continued smiling. "Your attacks are useless against me, for I am blessed by the almighty God!" His spear was charged with golden electricity, which he swung forward toward the heroes.

"Brionac!"

A massive bolt of lightning was launched toward them. Naofumi rushed in front of the others, switching to his strongest shield against magic. The blast struck him hard and his HP dropped to nearly half from that attack alone. He grit his teeth as his feet dug into the dirt.

'Damn, this guy is strong! But how!?' he thought. With a final roar, Naofumi pushed back against the attack and it dissipated into the air. His limbs still spasmed slightly from the electricity.

"You're quite the sturdy one, aren't you Shield Devil?" the pope said with a snide tone. "But no matter. The faithful will be granted victory this day, and the false heroes will be destroyed along with the Shield Devil! This is our holy crusade to save our world!" He raised his hands high into the air as if preaching to a massive audience.

"What the hell is this guy on about?" Ren asked, gripping his sword tightly in his hand.

Itsuki nocked an arrow. "I don't know, but he sounds like a nutjob to me. What's this about 'false heroes'? We're the real heroes!"

"Is that so?" Balmus asked. "Then why has this country fallen further into destruction by your actions?"

"What does he mean? We've been protecting everyone since we got here!" Motoyasu yelled, flourishing his spear and preparing for an attack.

"Is it so hard to understand? Let's start with you, the supposed spear hero. You saved a village from starvation with a magical seedling, yes?"

"Yeah, what about it? How could that possibly be a bad thing!?"

The pope wagged a finger. "Tut tut, but did you stop to consider the warning where the seed was located? Did you know that the seed would grow out of control and infest the entire area? That village is gone because of your actions, and everyone there is dead."

Motoyasu's eyes widened. "No way...I know the seed had a warning, but I thought that was just like any common villain's attempt to keep us away..."

"You had absolutely no idea of how dire the consequences would become, and you walked away without a second thought. Now on to you, 'bow hero'. You led a rebellion against a ruler who was growing too powerful. But have you checked on those people since then? I doubt it."

"The ruler was corrupt and he deserved to be punished, whether it saved those people or not! Their lives were miserable under him!" Itsuki yelled back.

"Ah but how well did you truly know the leaders of that rebellion? I assume you had no idea that the man you put in charge would tax the citizens even worse than the man you defeated. He sought to repair the damage from the rebellion you led, and the only way to raise funds for those repairs was to take excessive amounts from the people. Many of them have died of starvation and infighting."

"You're kidding..." the blond boy grit his teeth in frustration and guilt.

"The sword hero did not have such mistakes. No, his mistake was far worse!" Balmus pointed toward them. "Aiding the Shield Demon and allying with him against the will of God is the worst possible crime! You are no heroes! You are fakes who deserve to be destroyed!"

Naofumi had enough. "If you're so high and mighty, why haven't you helped these people?" He reached for his sword, but his eyes widened as he recalled that it was broken. Without another weapon to use on-hand, he had to play the role of a defender for this fight.

"Your ignorance is understandable, since you have not been enlightened like us faithful ones." Balmus said with a smirk. "God works in mysterious ways, but His plan is absolute. His plan is so much greater than that."

"That still sounds like a load of shit."

"Haaaaaah!" Raphtalia shouted, rushing forward and slashing at the barrier. It stood fast, showing no signs of visible damage.

"Meteor Shot!"

She was forced to evade as a lightning-fast bolt of energy struck the shield, cracking it in the center.

"Meteor Thrust!"

Motoyasu jabbed his glowing spear forward, shooting a blast of magic toward the shield which shattered it like glass. Small, glowing pieces of the barrier littered the space around him.

"Hoohhh!" Ren roared with a powerful slash. The pope's calm expression faltered, and he was forced to block the blow with his weapon. Bright sparks emanated from the clash, and the pope forced the hero back.

"That took far too much mana. I need to be more careful." He mumbled to himself, before whispering to a man in robes that had entered in behind him. "Tell the followers to focus half of their prayers toward maintaining the barriers."

The man looked unsettled. "But Your Excellence, wouldn't that delay the use of Judgment for far too long?"

The pope shook his head. "No. We have enough devoted followers to do both at the same time. This gives these sinners time to reflect on their actions and repent before they are judged."

"Right away, Your Excellence." The man nodded before running back the way he came. Balmus gave a wry smile before turning and walking out of the courtyard and into the fields behind the castle. The heroes tried to give chase, but a massive wall of barriers blocked their path. Every time one was broken, another would quickly take its place.

"Dammit, we can't let him get away!" Ren yelled, looking up to see Mirellia shouting orders to her knights. "Queen! Is there a faster way to get out there?"

"I've got it!" Filo said, transforming into her filolial form. Naofumi and Raphtalia leapt onto her back before she jumped from one balcony to another. This gave her enough height to fly over the walls. The pope had already made a surprising amount of distance away from the courtyard, but there was something else that concerned them much more.

"Holy shit, there's so many of them!" Naofumi said, clenching his fists.

Over the hill behind the castle, there was a small army of hundreds if not thousands of people in church robes. Some kind of golden energy floated away from them in the direction of the castle.

"What are they doing here?" Raphtalia asked.

"No idea, but it probably isn't good. Get us down there, Filo!"

"Right!"

As she landed, the two riders jumped off and readied their weapons for battle. The pope still wore a fairly confident look. "You're tenacious, but rest assured that I will still purify you in the name of God!" Balmus said. With a flash, the spear he was holding became a copy of Ren's own sword.

Naofumi's eyes widened. "How the hell!? Is that thing a Cardinal Weapon!?"

"No, this is something far greater than any of the Cardinal Weapons! God has given the faithful a replica of the very weapons sworn to protect this world, with almost none of the restrictions! This is the true power of a God!"

The pope's blade surged with fire before he swung it downward. "Phoenix Blade!" The flames coalesced into the form of a brilliant bird, spreading its wings and flying at high speed toward Naofumi.

"Air Strike Shield!"

A spectral shield blocked the attack for only a moment before it broke through, forcing him to defend against it himself. The flames licked at his face but he thankfully avoided being burned. Glancing backward, he yelled. "Filo, go get the others! We'll need them!"

"Okay!"

As soon as the flames subsided, Naofumi knelt to the ground panting for air. He chanced a look upward to see the filolial flying back toward the courtyard and he smirked. "All I have to do is hold you long enough for everyone else to get here. You don't really think you can beat all of us, do you?" he asked.

The pope clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Tch. It won't matter whether they arrive or not, since you'll be dead long before they do."

"Not if I can help it!" Raphtalia cried, charging forward. "First Hiding!"

She vanished from sight as Naofumi readied a spell. "As source of thy power, I order thee: Decipher the laws of nature and blow my target away! Zweite Tornado!" A powerful blast of wind hammered against the pope's barriers from all sides. The wind was powerful enough to create a vortex around the man.

Balmus smirked. "Just because I can't see you doesn't mean you can harm me, Devil." His voice didn't reach outside of the cyclone due to the raging wings, but he was confident in his defenses. He was surprised when he saw the slightest glint of light above him, and he was forced to deflect a thrust from Raphtalia's sword.

He grunted as he swiped their locked weapons, throwing Raphtalia into the inner wall of his barrier with a painful slam. Before she could react, he had changed his replica weapon into the bow and fired a magical arrow right into her shoulder. The raccoon yelped in pain, forcing herself to her feet to dodge the next few arrows.

The tornado vanished and Naofumi's eyes widened as he noticed her injured state. "Raphtalia! Jump!"

With a grunt she leapt as high as she could. "Air Strike Shield!" She used it as a platform to both block the pope's arrows from below and to escape his barrier. With another leap, the raccoon landed beside her master while wincing.

"How bad is it!?" Naofumi asked, using his shield to deflect a few arrows from Balmus's bow.

She grit her teeth as she ripped the arrow from her shoulder. "Gah! It's not the end of the world, but it hurts!"

His eyes narrowed. Holding a hand toward her he spoke. "Zweite Heal!" A warm glow surrounded both his hand and the raccoon before the wound vanished. Raphtalia let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks. I got careless."

He shook his head. "No, he's just a lot tougher than I thought. Damn, if only I had a weapon I could get in there and do something! If I use Titanic Strength now it'll leave us wide open!" Naofumi said.

The pope grinned. "In the end, neither of you have the strength to defy God! I will erase you from this world, Devil. You are no longer needed! With the mana of the faithful, I will end you here and now!" He switched back to the spear before holding it high in the air. "You may have survived this once, but can you do it again when it's filled with the mana of two thousand faithful? Let's find out!"

Naofumi raised his shield and motioned for his companion to get behind him.

"Brionac!"

Instead of flying straight at him like he expected, Naofumi's eyes widened in surprise as the bolt of lightning instead flew upward before crashing back to the ground.

"Get down!" he shouted in panic. Raphtalia quickly got as close to him as possible and low to the ground.

"Air Strike Shield! Second Shield! Shield Prison!" Using the majority of his remaining SP, he created a series of barriers to stop the attack. It instantly shattered the first shield, took a few moments to break the second, and failed to break the final barrier. Despite the Shield Prison successfully warding off the attack, Naofumi was panting heavily.

"Are you okay, Naofumi!?" Raphtalia asked, holding him upright as he looked close to passing out. He shook his head.

"That attack is *huff* way stronger *huff* than I thought. I doubt I could take another one of those, and he said he's getting mana from the faithful so he's probably still fresh."

Raphtalia looked toward their opponent, who looked completely unharmed and calm. The only thing signaling anything wrong was the replica weapon smoking, which could be seen from even this distance. "His weapon is where most of his power is, so if we can take that out, we should be able to beat him! If he needs mana to keep the weapon functioning, we need to stop the people from giving him mana!"

Naofumi stood on shaky legs with a grunt. "If anyone is giving him mana, it's probably those people we saw earlier over the hill. But we can't get closer to them ourselves; we need to wait for Ren and the other misfits to get here first!"

Balmus chuckled. "A sound strategy. Or it would be, if my followers were not protected by God himself. Anywhere with such a dense amount of mana is heavily resistant to magic, meaning the only way for you to stop the mana flow is to cut them down by hand. They're not so weak that they would give up on their faith." He gave a dark smirk. "Not only would that truly make you a Devil, but how long would it take you to cut down two thousand men and women?"

The hero grit his teeth. 'He's right, I couldn't possibly hope to stop them all myself. Even with Ren, Itsuki, and even Motoyasu along with Raphtalia and Filo, I don't think we could put a dent in numbers like that before it's too late!' he thought.

Naofumi was forced to block several shockwaves that came from the pope's sword. 'Gotta think of a plan, and fast!'

"Master!"

"Naofumi! Get down!"

All eyes shot upward, where Ren, Itsuki, and Motoyasu all were on Filo's back. The spear hero was terrified for whatever reason, and he clutched tightly to the bow hero's back. Ren jumped off of Filo with his sword glowing bright.

"Hundred Swords!"

With a swing of his sword, a hundred spectral blades rained down upon the pope. The barriers held through the attack, and the man smirked. "Ah, so you all made it after all? Very good. That saves me the trouble of hunting you down myself."

Ren used his free falling momentum to strike with his Greatblade, shattering the barrier and locking blades with the pope. The older man frowned, covering his weapon in fire and forcing the hero to back up to avoid being burned. Raphtalia, who had quickly made her way behind the pope, sliced at his back. With speed completely unexpected from an old man, he spun around parried her strike with surprising strength.

Her hands stung from the flames, and she angled her weapon to the side before planting her feet against the flat side of her opponent's sword and jumping away toward her master. At the same time, Filo landed with the other two heroes.

"Master, we're back! What did I miss?" Filo asked, glaring at their enemy.

Still recovering his breath, Naofumi responded. "He's getting mana from a bunch of people over the hill, and that's probably how he's able to use such strong attacks." He winced, gripping his shield arm. "Dammit, it's starting to go numb. I may only be able to take one more of those big hits before I'm out of SP completely."

Motoyasu and Itsuki stepped forward. "Then get back and let us handle this for now. We can break those barriers with all three of us." the bow hero said.

"If we keep him on the defensive, he won't be able to use any of those attacks." the spear wielder said. "He's just one guy, so he can't defend against all of us!"

Naofumi bit back a retort and begrudgingly complied, backing off and taking a moment to catch his breath. He was forced to watch as his companions fought alongside the other heroes against the pope.

Itsuki kept their opponent pinned with arrows that cracked the barriers surrounding the pope. More would constantly appear in place of the originals, only giving small moments for the group to make an attack at the man himself. He was no slouch in close-range combat, however, nimbly parrying and retaliating with powerful slashes and stabs that were enough to deter any reckless assaults.

The relentless offense continued. Ren summoned the power of the dragon within before unleashing it upon his opponent. "Dragon Flare!" he shouted, stabbing his blade into the dirt. From underneath the pope, a column of flames erupted. The white and red flames blinded everyone looking at them, and the intense heat immediately caused them to start sweating.

The inferno soon died down, leaving glowing cinders in a massive circle around Balmus. The man was panting, and the edges of his robe were singed while his hat was missing entirely. "I must admit, I was not expecting an attack of that caliber from you. Especially not a magical one." He changed his weapon back to its spear form. "It seems I will need to deal with you all differently. God has a plan for us all, and I have already foreseen my victory."

"This guy's crazy!" Motoyasu yelled. "Even at our level, he's able to hold us back!? Just what level is he!?"

Naofumi wiped the sweat from his brow as he yelled. "It's gotta be his weapon! It works just like ours do but it's powered by pure mana, so it might not matter what his level is!"

Balmus chuckled at their plight. "Indeed. I may not be as powerful as you are on my own, but with the faith of my followers and this replica I surpass your power three-fold combined!"

"So that's how the barriers are showing up." Ren noted. "The mana from those people is constantly remaking them, and there's so many that we can barely scratch him before another pops up."

"I really must thank you for leaving the kingdom for so long, Shield Devil. Your actions inspired even greater faith in the Church, and nearly tripled the number of followers at my disposal! Had you not left as a criminal and abandoned Melromarc, I may have only had a scarce hundred or so men and women willing to sacrifice their mana to me! These barriers are easily multiple times stronger than they would have been!"

"Damn!" Itsuki narrowed his eyes. "So he really thought that far ahead!? Just how long has he been plotting this?" he said under his breath.

"Naofumi!" Raphtalia shouted, leaping backward toward him. "What should we do?"

The Shield Hero grit his teeth as he weighed their options. "We're not going to last at this rate. Those barriers are too much of a pain to deal with, and we're running out of SP too quickly to keep breaking them. Sooner or later we'll be too weak and tired to keep fighting."

"So what are you saying?"

Naofumi sighed. "I think I'll have to use that."

Raphtalia's eyes widened. "Naofumi, no! We promised never to use it! You know what it does to you!" She knelt down and shook his shoulder for emphasis. "I won't let you become a demon!"

"Becoming a demon? The hell? Gah!" Motoyasu looked backward and asked. This was just enough time for him to get blasted by a bolt of lightning from the pope. The man flew backward before skidding across the grass. His body refused to listen to him, and he struggled to stand up. "D-dammit, I only let my guard down for a second!"

Ren resumed his attacks, but the coldness in his veins from using the dragon's power prevented him from accessing his full strength. Between him and Itsuki, they could barely break a barrier before another took its place. Filo would occasionally rush in with a kick, but was constantly forced to back off. Without the pope being on the defensive from having his shields broken, he was free to send attack after attack in their direction.

As another lightning bolt came their way, Raphtalia picked up her master and leapt to the side. Although they made it to safety, the resulting explosion knocked the wind out of her. She picked herself off of the ground slowly, pain evident on her features.

The Shield Hero couldn't stand it any longer. "Alright, everyone attack now!" he thrust his arm forward, and they complied.

Filo rushed and sent a high-powered kick to the front barrier, shattering it immediately. With a well placed Meteor Shot, Itsuki shattered another two barriers. This only left one in front of the pope, and he had spots that were open.

Motoyasu jumped high into the air and thrust his spear downward as he fell. "Chaos Spear!" With five rapid thrusts, he attacked Balmus at close range. They were all parried except for the last one, which sliced a thin line across the man's cheek. Quickly switching to his sword form, the pope slashed downward.

The shockwave that came from the attack forced the spear wielder backward into the air, where he was caught by Filo before he could fall. Raphtalia appeared behind her opponent with her sword already poised to strike. With a quick slash, she sank her blade deep into the man's shoulder. He grit his teeth as the pain numbed his arm, but with a quirk turn he slashed at the woman's stomach.

Raphtalia cried out in agony as the blade tore through her armor and clothing, opening a deep gash in her stomach. Blood poured from the wound, and she did everything she could to put pressure on it using her hand.

"Raphtalia!" Naofumi yelled, mustering up the very last dredges of his SP. "Shield Prison!" He surrounded her with the ball of shields and chains, saving her from taking any further damage. 'Damn, I don't have any SP left to heal her wounds!' he thought frantically.

Everyone on the battlefield was breathing heavily in exhaustion, including the pope. His weapon was less shiny than before, looking less golden and more similar to how the Cardinal Weapons were in appearance. "It would appear that I have no choice, then." he said with finality, as if he was disappointed.

"I now give you all the opportunity to die under the watchful eyes of God. May your souls be purified by His grace and might!"

"Cathedral!"

At first nothing happened, but one by one they looked into the sky to witness a black ball forming. It quickly expanded before a web of energy lines dropped to the ground, surrounding all of them in its dome.

All of them except Naofumi.

"What the hell is this!?" he yelled, running up to the dome and pounding his fist against it to no avail. His fist was repelled by it like a barrier. "Raphtalia! Filo! Ren!"

"Naofumi!" Ren turned and shouted. "Run and take care of the faithful over the hill! We have no other choice! Hurry! I promise I'll protect them!"

It was the most emotion Naofumi had ever heard coming out of the sword hero's voice, and his jaw clenched so hard he thought he would break his teeth. He growled, visibly shaking. "Grr...You'd better keep that promise, you bastard! Or I'll find a way to bring you back just to kill you again!"

The only response he received from Ren was a huff and a smirk that held far more confidence than the man really had.

Walls fell to cover the outer area of the dome, blocking everything from sight. Naofumi's heart was in knots, and for the first time in a while, he found himself panicking.

"Behold! The high-level multi-caster magic known as Cathedral!" Balmus exclaimed within the dome that now looked more akin to the inside of a church. "You should be honored that you get to die on sacred ground. Your sins will be purged along with your souls for the betterment of this world!"

Filo set down Raphtalia, who she had quickly rescued before bringing back to the other heroes. The filolial sent a concerned glance in the direction her master was on the other end of the dome. 'Please be alright, Master...'

The three heroes resumed their attacks against the pope, but his barriers were as strong as ever. He merely chuckled at them. "I have something special planned for the Devil, so don't worry. I'll be sure to make him watch as I burn your corpses so he understands what true power is."

Raphtalia winced, breathing erratically as the wound on her stomach flared in pain. "You monster! I won't let you hurt him any more than you already have!" she said, doubt growing in her mind.

"We can do it." Filo said confidently. "Master is counting on us, and we need to count on him. If we watch each others' backs, we'll all be okay right?"

The raccoon managed a weak smile at the reminder before her injury made itself known once again. "You're right, Filo. We have to stay strong for him."

She used her sword as a crutch to stand back up. "It's all we can do at this point."

Naofumi ran as fast as his legs would carry him. 'Shit, shit shit! This isn't how this is supposed to go!' he thought angrily. He still had nearly a kilometer before he would reach the top of the hill, and easily another one before he would reach the followers. 'Raphtalia is injured! They're tired! I'm not there to protect them like I said I would!'

His doubt became anger. 'Damn it! Damn that bastard to hell for what he's done! He's the reason my life was hell in the first place, and now he's back to make it worse!'

"Fuck!"

He swore loudly, continuing his trek up the hillside. He wished he had Filo with him to help move much quicker, but he knew that she was needed inside the Cathedral much more urgently. They were struggling enough against Balmus's attacks as a group with all of their SP and skills at their disposal.

Now that they were tired and weakened?

He shook his head to break that train of thought. 'I have to believe in them! I have to! If I don't give 110% here and they get even more hurt, I'd never forgive myself!'

All he could do for now was run as fast as he could.

"Phoenix Blade!"

Filo was forced to dodge the bird of flames as it scorched the ground where she was standing. Rushing forward, she managed to break another barrier. Ren did the same, and they closed in for a combined attack.

"High Quick!" Filo shouted, vanishing in a burst of speed only to reappear beside her opponent. With a fierce kick, she lashed out toward him. However, a barrier appeared at the last second to stop her assault. Ren simultaneously thrust his blade forward from the other side.

"Piercing Fang!" A bright light encompassed his sword and extended nearly an extra meter forward, giving him more reach than before. The blade dug deep into Balmus's thigh, ripping the bottom of his robes and dying the rest of it a dark red. With a frantic swipe of his newly-changed spear, the pope sliced right through the armor on Ren's waist and caused a deep wound under his missing arm.

His spear suddenly stopped smoking and glowed a brilliant gold once more. With a smirk that hid the pain he was experiencing, Balmus pushed his hands outward and a burst of force pushed Filo and Ren back a small distance. "It would seem I have no choice but to eradicate you filth with my own Godly power. This replica is extraordinarily powerful, but I am no slouch myself."

He raised one finger into the air and began to chant. "Oh heavenly Lord high above,"

"Stop him! Hurry!" Motoyasu yelled, attacking with all of his strength. However, he merely broke one of the many barriers surrounding the pope.

Bright yellow and white energy emanated from Balmus's body as he continued. "Your humble servant beseeches thee to bring down Your holy might upon these pitiful souls,"

"Meteor Arrow!" An arrow broke through the next barrier, leaving only one in a specific spot to defend the magic caster.

"High Quick!" A swift kick from Filo shattered the last barrier.

"Heavenly Splitter!" Ren's blade swung in midair, causing a blazing shockwave to crash forward into the barriers. The flames destroyed most of the remaining barriers and burned Balmus's body horribly.

When the flames cleared, the man was still chanting despite his entire body being irreparably disfigured.

"Smite the unfaithful with Your divine wrath!"

"Oh no! We didn't stop him!" Raphtalia said, wincing. Her wound had slowed her down too much to get in close enough for an attack.

"JUDGMENT!"

Naofumi had just reached the top of the hill, gasping for air. He could now clearly see the horde of followers chanting something, and a mass of yellow energy floated above their heads. 'That must be pure mana. The bastard said magic wouldn't be very useful, but I don't even have a weapon to use!' he thought. 'How am I supposed to put a dent in these guys without one!?'

Suddenly, the sky darkened and the ground shook as if it was splitting in two. The hero was thrown to the ground as he turned toward the only thing producing light in that moment.

A massive pillar of blinding light shooting out the top of the Cathedral.

"RAPHTALIA! FILO!" he screamed in panic. Scrambling to his feet, he stared in horror as the pillar raged with pure energy that gave him chills even from this distance. The ground around the dome was scorched into nothingness, the roof was shattered.

He slumped to his knees as the ground stopped shaking. "No...there's no way they could have survived something like that..." he mumbled, tears leaking from his eyes. "Raphtalia...Filo...even Ren and the others..."

He pounded a fist against the ground in pure despair. "Dammit! DAMMIT! REN! I THOUGHT YOU WOULD PROTECT THEM! NOW YOU'RE GONE TOO!" His emotions were a wreck, and Naofumi could feel the rage pulsing within his chest.

"That man..." he seethed through grit teeth. "That bastard took away the only people I had! WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM ME, HUH!? DO YOU WANT ME TO LAY DOWN AND DIE TOO!? HUH!? WOULD THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY YOU PIECE OF FUCKING TRASH!?"

His shield's gem pulsed a dark red.

Gripping his hair, he pulled at it as if it would lessen the pain in his heart. "No...no no no no no nonononono!" He repeated it like a mantra. Naofumi sobbed silently, mumbling sweet nothings to himself in an attempt to calm his broken heart.

"They're not gone. They're not gone, no they're still there...They found a way to protect themselves, they had to!" His body trembled in fear. "It can't go like this, not after all I've been through!"

Tears darkened the soil beneath his face. "I loved her. I really loved her, and he took that away. She's gone..." he choked on his words. Though his eyes were blanketed by tears, they burned.

"I'll kill him..." he murmured in a dark tone. "I'll take everything he has, everything he loves, and then I'll kill him..." Naofumi's voice was hysterical, higher pitched as the sanity slipped from his mind.

"No, no no no that's not enough! Hehehe I need to make sure he suffers! Dying is too easy for him! Perhaps I could tie him up for the next Wave and watch as he gets eaten? Oh yes, that sounds much better."

"And maybe I could rip his limbs off while I'm at it...yes yes that sounds wonderful! Force him to starve unless he eats his own fucking fingers like a dying animal!" He grinned in his madness.

His shield pulsed once more.

"Raphtalia and Filo...Oh you'll be missed." he chuckled maniacally. "You were the only things I had keeping me from losing it, and you're gone now. That means I have nothing to live for anymore. And we all know what that means..." he trailed off before his voice took on a dark undertone and his smile could split his face.

The shield's gem turned black.

"It means I get to go wild."

Blood red flames exploded around Naofumi, blanketing him in a burning cloak. His normally reflective armor became pitch black and covered in deadly spikes. Two long horns jutted from his head, curving backward and up. He stood in the center of a small bonfire as his skin sizzled and popped from the intense heat, but he merely stood there as if nothing was wrong. The Shield of Wrath appeared on his hand in place of his other shield, and the red patterns on its black surface glowed with unholy power.

From within the dark flames, bright red slanted eyes glared menacingly out into the world.

Demi-Demon, Level 2: requirements met

Demi-Demon, Level 3: requirements met

Shield of Wrath II: requirements met

Warning! Waᴚnįng! ŴᚱṄɪ⋂Ꞡ!

"Finally, it's about time I let loose." the man said to himself in an almost relieved tone. "If I can't live my life without being fucked every other week, then fine. They called me a demon, so I'll show them what a real demon looks like."

The battlefield had grown silent since the last attack, and Naofumi walked forward slowly. Each step left a trail of scorched and cursed earth in its wake. His anger sustained the fire that blazed around him, and he felt nothing despite his body tearing itself apart.

The demon clenched and unclenched his fists as he walked. His body would randomly seize up, causing him to spasm and twitch erratically. Even through all of this, soft laughter could be heard within the inferno.

In what felt like only seconds but in reality was nearly fifteen minutes, the figure stood on a cliff overlooking the followers of the church. Naofumi glared down at them as one by one their attention was drawn to him.

"Pathetic little mortals, all of them. Wasting away their mana and their souls for a man who claims to be the very God they worship. Pah." he scoffed, the double tone in his voice even more pronounced now than ever. "They're the first step of my revenge."

"H-hey, who's that up there!?" one of the men below shouted, grabbing everyone's attention as he pointed toward the cliff. Although nobody could see it, their eyes all widened as they prayed harder.

"Please our Lord, save us from the demon before us."

"Please our Lord save us from this demon!" Their chants quickly became more and more frantic as the flames surrounding Naofumi grew until they covered the entire cliff he stood on.

His smile died and a look of pure rage replaced it. "If it weren't for you, they would be alive. They would all be alive and I wouldn't be here! You created this monster, and you'll be the ones to welcome me into this world!"

He swung his arms out wide. "Say hello to your worst nightmare."

The panicked chants quickly devolved into screams of terror. The church followers scattered, running in fear of the monster before them. It was every man and woman for himself as they pushed and trampled each other in their hysteria.

He chuckled before bursting into laughter. "That's right, fools! Beg! BEG TO YOUR PATHETIC GOD! FOR IF HE WANTED YOU TO LIVE, HE WOULD NOT HAVE CREATED ME!"

He held a hand forward as his canines enlarged and his eyes glowed. "Slaughter Pit!"

A tall gout of dark flames erupted ahead of the scurrying humans before spreading horizontally in front of them. Within seconds, they were trapped in a ring of fire. Some tried running through as quickly as they could, but they were instantly incinerated. Their screams of terror were quickly silenced, and it deterred the others from doing the same.

Meanwhile, Naofumi's expression of sadistic joy struck fear into anyone bold enough to turn and look at him. Drops of lava fell from his fingertips, melting through the grass and earth beneath his hand. A few seconds later, he held his hand out to grasp something.

"Executioner's Calling."

A blade formed in the earth, and he knelt down before lifting it by the hilt. It was a jagged blade that looked to be made of lava, with a red-orange metal that sizzled in the air from its heat. Black runes and characters in the language of demons lined the flat end of the blade. The man jumped from his place on the cliff, landing amongst the scattering people. Despite the weapon's immense weight, he held it in his right hand as if it were weightless.

With a roar of pure rage, Naofumi charged. He quickly caught up to a man who was slower than the rest. One slice later and the man's body was cut in two pieces at the waist. It only took a moment for the monster to reach another person, and with a spinning slash he tore off one arm then the other, then her head.

The screaming intensified as he laughed loudly. "RUN LITTLE WORMS! RUN AWAY AND YOU MIGHT SURVIVE! HAHAHAHA!" The man laughed as he tore through the religious folk in a gruesome display of violence. He impaled a woman through her stomach before throwing her body into a small group of people, knocking them over. While they were on the ground, he leapt forward and cleaved through all four of them with a single swing. Blood gushed from them, covering the man from head to toe.

Closer screams drew his attention, and his head snapped up to see a man and a woman clutching each other tightly. He chuckled darkly. "Oh? What do we have here? Is this a couple in love?" he asked, approaching slowly while dragging his blade on the ground behind him. It made a hissing noise as it cursed and burned the ground it touched.

The two people held on for dear life as if it would save them. They trembled in terror, eyes closed and praying for the nightmare to end. With a flourish, the man's head separated from his shoulders.

The woman screamed as she was covered in the blood of her lover. Then with another swipe, her head followed his own onto the ground. Naofumi rolled the bodies over and out of his way before continuing onward. Many people saw his display and ran as fast as they could, some choosing to brave the flaming wall that surrounded them rather than be annihilated by the demon before them.

The monster smirked at the chaos. "Now this is what I'm talking about! Now everyone gets to feel what I feel! Isn't this wonderful!?" he shouted to the world. With a quick dash, he stabbed through two people and lifted his blade into the air, the two gagging men suspended on his sword like a skewer. He lowered the weapon before pressing his shield against them, igniting their bodies with a torrent of fire that burned their skin black before melting it entirely. Their bones were exposed to the world for only a few seconds before they too became nothing but ashes.

Looking ahead, he stomped the ground.

"Demonflare!"

The ground cracked ahead of Naofumi, and a large detonation tore the followers apart. When the light died down and ears stopped ringing from the blast, people stumbled around with crimson flames melting their bodies. Some were missing heads or arms, and others merely screamed until they fell to the ground in death.

The carnage continued, with Naofumi ripping people apart without remorse. In fact, if the smile on his face was any indication, he enjoyed his newfound freedom immensely. The corpses littered the ground in a horrifying display of malice, and without anywhere to go the faithful could do nothing more than run and pray for safety in the afterlife.

"Now, let me show you what happens when you break the wrong person!" Naofumi shouted, lifting a hand into the air.

"Let my fury manifest and become the fires of Hell," he chanted, "Consume these pathetic souls as tribute for my own, and burn them until the end of time and space!"The sky darkened as the wind caused the flaming ring to spin. It swirled in a circle, quickly gaining speed.

As it became a blur of red, Naofumi clenched his fist and finished his incantation. "Now, meet your end and feel my rage! Crimson Inferno!"

The earth inside of the ring cracked before a deafening explosion tore through the air. Black smoke and crimson flames swirled with the cyclone quickly becoming a tornado of flames. Wind fueled fire, which fueled the wind in return. The deadly cycle created a vortex of spinning doom that incinerated everything within that reached high into the sky.

The people of Melromarc shivered in terror as they saw the towering pillar of swirling fire. Some would later claim they saw death itself behind the veil.

Screams were drowned out by the raging winds and scorching flames as anyone unlucky enough to survive the initial blast was lifted from the ground and tossed around in the vortex. The flames removed any trace of them within seconds, and as the seconds ticked by, the earth itself gave way to its power. Rocks and dirt that managed to survive the fire were coated black from the cursed magic and launched high into the air.

After twenty seconds, the flames and wind abated. The sky rained down cinders and soot that covered the land, setting the hillside aflame and starting more fires on their own. They produced a crackling sound that held the nearly unnoticeable sound of tortured souls screaming for salvation.

Then, Naofumi stood alone amongst his handiwork.

Nothing but dust and destruction remained, just like what was in his heart. Falling to his knees, the horns receded from his head and his eyes lost their glow. He panted heavily, staring up at the sky which held the remnants of his anger and rage. The early evening clouds had swirled around where the cyclone was but the darkened sky made it seem much later than that.

The man's eyes were wide open despite the heat that stung them, and he grit his teeth as whatever anger he had left was drowned out by sadness he felt. With a mournful wail, he cried and screamed into the sky of this cruel world. What is worse than having the only thing you loved taken from you in the blink of an eye?

Not being able to do anything about it.

For half an hour he cried his heart out, screaming like a child while his face was covered in tears that evaporated shortly after they were made. Eventually, his cries lessened into sobs and he huddled himself into the fetal position.

"It's not fair..." he said with a sniffle, clenching his jaw to stop himself from crying any longer. It would do him no good now, anyway. "It's not fair...Why does this have to happen to me? What did I do wrong?..."

"Raphtalia...Filo..." he hugged himself tighter as he mumbled. "I love you both. I miss you already. Why can't I just die so I can see you again? Why is this place so unfair?"

"I don't want to be here anymore...Please...take me home or kill me...I can't do this anymore..."

He fell asleep, surrounded on all sides by scorched and cursed ground. The stench of death and decay would never truly heal.

Naofumi awoke to the moon high in the sky. Using his arm to shield himself from the light, his mind was blank. 'It's morning already?...Oh...' he wondered. 'Not that it matters, anyway...I have no reason to get up. Maybe some monsters will come finish me off or something and put me out of my misery.'

More tears welled up in his eyes, and he wiped them away with the back of his hand. "Dammit...I can't believe I did this..." he whispered, turning his head to look at what remained of the hillside.

There wasn't much to look at.

"I...really am a demon, aren't I?" he said sadly, staring at his Shield of Wrath with a frown. "If they thought I was one before, I can't go back now."

"Just how many lives did I end yesterday?...And was it worth what I lost?..." He shook his head, remembering the two people he truly cared for in his mind. Raphtalia's smiling face and Filo's cheerful expression were forever ingrained in his memory.

"I'll miss them forever...Even if I go back to my own world, I could never live with myself. I can't go back to civilized society like this, as a broken man and a monster. All I wanted was to protect the people I loved, and I failed when it counted..."

"NAOFUMI!"

He didn't visibly react, opting to continue laying in the center of the hell he created. 'Oh, someone must have found me...Please...go away. Don't look at me like this, I know what you'll say! Just please, leave me alone!'

"MASTER!"

This time he flinched. 'I must be hallucinating. I've heard that PTSD can make you see and hear things that aren't happening, so that must be it. They're well and gone, and I'm losing my mind. There's no way they survived an attack like that...'

"NAOFUMI! ARE YOU OKAY!?" It came from right beside him and a hand dropped to his shoulder before the owner pulled it back quickly, hissing in pain. The person's glove sizzled as the fingertips melted off. "Naofumi, hey! Can you hear me!?"

The man's eyes were empty and dead, as if all light had been extinguished from them. The usual emerald shine was nowhere to be seen, instead replaced by a dull forest color that was nowhere near as pleasant.

"Naofumi, what the hell happened to you!? Are you alright!?" The person asked frantically.

'That voice...sounds familiar...' he wondered. 'But who?...'

A face whirled in front of his own, and it took him multiple seconds to realize he was staring into someone's eyes. "Huh...?" he asked in a raspy tone, throat parched of all water.

"Oh thank the Gods you're alive!" the person's relieved smile belied the concerned furrow of her brow. "It's been a whole day since we saw you, and I was worried to death! I was so scared something had happened to you!"

He would have shaken his head if he didn't feel so weak. "Who..."

"Huh?"

"Who...are you?..." he asked, much to the person's horror.

"You...don't know who I am, Naofumi?" the rescuer's tone was weak, as if their heart was breaking.

"Why are you here...? Just let me die here...Please...I have nothing left to live for...I don't want to live anymore...Not without her." He couldn't even move a muscle if he wanted to.

The person's eyes widened in terror as tears dripped from her face. He was pretty sure it was a woman, but he didn't know for certain because his brain refused to function at full strength. "Please...Let me die so I can see her again...Raphtalia..."

Something covered his dry lips, and the familiar feeling forced his mind back to life. He blinked. His eyes regained their light as he stared into the eyes of his beloved, red from tears. Teardrops fell on his face, and for the first time since he woke up, he could feel again.

She pulled away, wiping her eyes. Naofumi turned his head weakly toward her in shock. "R-Raphtalia?" he asked, breathless and hopeful.

"Yes, my love?" she responded, a smile growing on her face despite the tears that continued to fall.

"You're...alive...? But how?..." He tried to sit up, but his body was weak. With a wince, the arm he used to lift himself gave way and he fell back to the ground with a gasp of air. The black armor surrounding him hissed before vanishing like a mirage, revealing his usual armor that was melted and torn. His skin was blackened and burned from the cursed fire.

The raccoon gently placed her hand on his cheek before wrapping her arms around him and helping him sit up. He wrapped his own arms around her and they didn't let go of each other, too busy enjoying the moment for all it was worth. Filo, now transformed back into her human form, leapt in and joined the embrace.

Sniffles broke the silence. "When we beat the pope, I was so sure you'd show up and smile like you always do. But *sniff* when you didn't come back? I was so scared, Naofumi. I couldn't even sleep without knowing where you were, without knowing that you were okay."

He rubbed her back, disbelief on his face. "You guys beat him?...But that attack I saw..."

The raccoon sniffled again. "Some woman came and saved us. Naofumi you should have seen her, she was so powerful. Balmus didn't stand a chance against us once she arrived."

"A woman?" he asked, pulling away so they could look at each other again. Raphtalia's eyes were puffy from crying as she nodded.

"Yeah. I thought we were done for once he cast his spell, but-"

Raphtalia's eyes widened as the glow surrounding Pope Balmus began to look less holy and more menacing by the second. The ground began to shake and powerful energy could be felt in the air, buzzing around like electricity.

'This is it for us...' the raccoon thought sadly. 'I can't get to him in time to stop it, and none of us can defend against high level magic attacks.' She closed her eyes as a single tear slipped down her face.

'I'm sorry...Naofumi...I'll always love you...'

A deafening boom shook the earth and sky as a beam of holy energy pierced through the clouds above, crashing through the roof of the Cathedral. Time slowed as their doom drew closer, and the magic struck.

The light behind her eyelids dimmed and she felt nothing. 'Am...I dead?' she wondered. Flexing her fingers for a moment, she found that she could still feel them. 'This is strange, shouldn't I feel some kind of pain?'

The roaring sound of Judgment could still be heard in her ears, and she opened her eyes. They immediately widened at what she saw.

A woman, clad in a green dress reminiscent of a cheongsam, held her hand in the air. A force field emanated from her palm, blocking the holy energy with what seemed to be little effort. She had shining brown hair and a tall but very curvy figure.

"Who are you!?" the raccoon asked, voice muffled by the raging energy above. The other heroes and Filo all stared at the newcomer with shock. The green-clad woman closed her eyes calmly.

"I made it in time. Good." she said. Everything above their heads was shrouded in yellow, and the power in the air thrummed with dangerous intent. The woman looked around. "One of you is missing." she noted.

Motoyasu stepped toward her. "Who the hell are you!?" he demanded.

Ren tripped the Spear Hero by gently placing his blade in front of the man's leg, preventing him from approaching. "Is that the kind of thing you ask someone who saved us? Don't be stupid."

Raphtalia stood, still clutching her bleeding stomach. "But really, who are you? And why did you save us?" she asked.

The energy from Judgment subsided and the deafening noise stopped, revealing the evening sky above their heads. The Cathedral's roof had been obliterated without a trace, and Pope Balmus panted heavily in exhaustion as he bled profusely.

"My name is Ost Horai. Our world is now in danger of complete annihilation, and I have come to ensure its only hope is not killed over petty matters." the woman said, before calmly walking to Raphtalia and holding her hand forward.

"Zweite Heal."

With a glowing light, the wound on Raphtalia's stomach vanished. Her clothes were still stained with blood, but her pain had disappeared.

"Who *huff* the hell are you?" Balmus asked, out of breath. Using a high level spell had obviously exhausted him greatly.

Ost ignored him, walking to each hero before gently casting another spell. "Soul Light." she said. Rather than the usual blue light from the healing spells, this one was as green as the gems on their weapons.

"Woah, my SP is back!" Motoyasu said excitedly. "How'd you do that!?"

"This is all too convenient." Itsuki said. "You're obviously powerful enough to defend against his strongest attack, yet you need us? I'm not buying it."

Ost shook her head. "Although I may overpower you now, the users of the holy weapons are not bound by the same restrictions that the rest of us are. One day, if you survive, you could become so much more powerful than we could possibly imagine."

Ren looked into the gem on his sword. "So that's what you meant..." he mumbled. The gem glowed blue for a moment before returning to normal.

The tall woman turned toward the pope with a calm - almost bored - expression. "Your actions no longer benefit this world, so I'm afraid you must be removed." she said, crossing her arms under her bountiful chest.

"You...you can't possibly hope to stand against the might of God!" Balmus cried, clutching at his burnt skin and robes. "God is absolute! I am absolute! Even the heroes fall before my might!"

Ost sighed. "Then you're both a fool and a nuisance. Come, warriors. Let us defeat this man who calls himself a God."

"Rrrraaaaaaaaaagggggh! Phoenix Blade!" the pope screamed, unleashing the powerful attack which soared through the air.

"Gravity Field - Extreme Gravity."

With a simple command and not a single movement of her own, Ost caused the earth itself of rumble. Both Balmus and the phoenix crashed to the ground, with the flaming avian dispersing upon impact. The priest struggled to lift himself, weighed down by an intense force.

"Grrrrrrr, how!? I am God! I cannot be defeated by some woman and these false heroes! This world needs me! I am its salvation!"

Ren walked up to the man, completely unaffected by the gravity spell. The barriers that had protected him thus far were nowhere to be seen, curiously. "It's over, Balmus. You've fallen." he said, holding his sword above the priest.

The man writhed on the ground, burned and exhausted of his power as well as crushed under the might of gravitational fields. "I-impossible! I won't accept this! I cannot be defeated here by such meager heroes and some wench! Without me, this kingdom and world are doomed! It cannot survive without its God!"

"I never was a religious man anyway."

Ren stabbed the man in the back and through his heart . He choked on blood, frothing at the mouth before his eyes dulled and he ceased his struggles. Biscas Balmus was dead.

They turned toward their savior with varying expressions. Motoyasu, Raphtalia, and Filo all stared at her in awe. Itsuki was skeptical and wary, and Ren was grateful. The bow hero nocked an arrow and pointed it at her.

"Now tell us who you really are. There's no way you just happened to show up here in time to save our lives." he said.

She turned to look at the young man, showing her thin, sharp eyes. "You're right that our meeting was not the work of chance. I came here because that man threatened the lives of many people through his faith. Had he been left to his own devices, he would have surely brought about the downfall of this world."

"But how?" Ren asked. "How was he such a problem to the whole world? I get that he could have threatened Melromarc, because he already had, but everyone else? This country is isolated anyway."

"As far as human supremacy goes, this country is the only one where it is the norm. Even had he succeeded, the other kingdoms would have allied to destroy him if the Waves of Calamity did not do so first."

"That still doesn't explain why you showed up now." Itsuki said with a glare.

Ost turned away, giving him a perfect shot if he so chose. "I suppose you could say I heard of his plot through the grapevine, and came to stop him."

"That sounds like a copout."

She chuckled. "Perhaps, but you would not be alive had I not intervened. Grow stronger, then. You will be needed soon enough." With that, she began walking away.

"Stop right there!" Itsuki said, releasing an arrow toward her back. With grace, she spun to the side and caught the projectile with her hand. She glowered at him as she gripped the shaft tighter, snapping it in half.

"Do not test me, user of the holy bow. You would do well to be less impulsive in the future. It may save your life one day." With that, she continued walking off. The heroes did not try to stop her again.

Filo ran up to Raphtalia. "Sis! Are you okay?" she cried. The raccoon gave a sigh of relief after patting herself down.

"Yeah, I'm fine Filo. Thanks."

"Good, I'm glad to hear that Naofumi won't be coming to haunt me in the afterlife, then." Ren walked up to them, transforming his sword back to its usual state and sheathing it at his side. Raphtalia sweatdropped.

"I really hope he was joking about that, but knowing him he would try his best..."

"Phew!" Motoyasu wiped sweat from his brow. "She really saved our asses, for real. That guy was no joke!" He allowed his spear to rest against his shoulder vertically.

Itsuki glared in the direction the woman disappeared in. "She caught it like it was nothing...Someone like that has to be some kind of boss level enemy!"

The taller blond man slapped the younger one on the back with a chuckle. "Lighten up, Itsuki! She may be crazy strong, but she was crazy hot too! I mean, did you see her!?"

"The fact that her appearance is all you can say about her is concerning."

"Come on, I know you were staring too!"

Raphtalia shook her head at their conversation. "So vulgar..."

Ren sighed. "It's just Motoyasu, really. He's always like this."

"I pity his party members."

"Actually, I think they enjoy it." Ren said with a one-armed shrug. "Makes them feel pretty or something. Women are weird."

"And men are impulsive, prideful animals." Raphtalia shot back with a smirk that the dark haired man shared.

"Touché."

"Immediately after that, I saw the fire and came running." Raphtalia said, looking around at her surroundings. "What in the world happened here...?"

Naofumi's smile fell from his face as he clutched his face in pain. His scar burned like lava and he winced. Looking away, he beheld the catastrophe that he had wrought upon the land. "It..." he sighed. "It was me..."

Raphtalia and Filo both looked around with widened eyes. "Naofumi...you did all of this? It looks like something terrible happened."

Hands on his face, Naofumi's eyes watered and his body trembled with a sob. Seeing this, the raccoon gently wrapped him in a hug. "It's okay, Naofumi. You can tell me. I promise I won't judge you. You had to use the demonic power, didn't you? I can feel it everywhere."

He nodded against her chest, tears streaming down his face. "I killed them, Raphtalia...I killed them all..."

She rubbed the top of his head soothingly. "It's okay, my love. You didn't know we would be saved, and you had no other way to stop them. As much as I hate to admit it, I expected you to be forced to use it."

"But that's not what happened at all!" he clenched his fists into her shirt, gritting his teeth. "I didn't do it because I had to! I did it because I wanted to!"

"You...wanted to?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

He pushed himself away just enough so she could see the pain on his face. "I thought you were both dead! I saw that giant spell and-and-!" he cut off as his sobbing intensified. "I-I didn't think you would make it! It hurt so much! I thought my entire life was over!"

"Shh...Naofumi, it's okay...we're both still here. We're safe, and so are you."

He shook his head. "But it's not okay! I didn't just kill them! I massacred these people, Raphtalia! I gave into the darkness and became a demon willingly! I-I can't live like this anymore! I can't protect anybody when I'm capable of something like this! Who would want to be protected by a monster!?"

"I do." Raphtalia said with a soft smile. "You're not a bad person, Naofumi. You never have been, and you never will be. The fact that you did something so drastic in an effort to save us just shows how much you care."

He wiped a tear from his eye before it could fall. "But it wasn't about protecting! I wanted nothing more than to erase this world from existence when I thought you both would be gone! I love you! Both of you!" he gripped his head in frustration and agony. "A world without you in it isn't worth living in!"

The two girls wrapped their master in a tight embrace. "It's okay, Master. You're still you, so I'll follow you no matter what!" the filolial girl said, burying her head into the man's chest as he continued crying.

Raphtalia held the two of them close. "You always let yourself be the one that's hurt, so let us shoulder some of that burden. If the people choose to follow you, we'll stand beside you. If they fear you, we'll protect them alongside you. If they hate you, we'll show them how much good you can do."

"We'll always be with you! I know it! You'd never abandon us!" Filo exclaimed.

Naofumi sniffled before he relaxed, allowing the tension to leave his body. His tears ran freely down his face, and he wrapped his arms around his loved ones. "Thank you..."

"Thank you...Thank you..." he mumbled over and over like a mantra. Raphtalia and Filo stayed with him until he cried himself to sleep, and the two put him on Filo's back before walking him back to the castle.

They arrived at the front gate, where they met with the guardsmen. "Halt! Who goes there!?" he shouted, pointing his spear at them. Raphtalia patted Filo's feathers.

"We're with the Shield Hero. He was injured in the fight against the pope, and he needs rest and medical aid. Can we enter?" she asked. The knight's face was barely visible from the torch he held, and he looked skeptical for a moment before relaxing his posture.

"Very well. Her Majesty has been waiting for his return all evening. Please do not keep her waiting."

"Thank you."

He allowed them to pass, and they entered before instantly being surrounded by servants.

"Lord Naofumi is here! Bring him to the medical wing!"

"What kinds of injuries are these!?"

"Curses! Bring holy water! The strongest you can find!"

The servants scrambled around in a panic to ensure he survived. Naofumi was unconscious, slumped against Filo's back and supported by Raphtalia's hand. After several seconds a servant beckoned to her.

"Bring him, hurry! We need to get these curses taken care of or he won't recover!" Her tone was frantic enough to spur the two into action, running down the halls of the castle toward what they assumed was the medical wing. They were led to a large room filled with beds and various medical herbs, potions, and other supplies.

"Set him down please!" the woman commanded. Filo and Raphtalia lifted him off of the former's back before setting him down on the bed and adjusting him into a comfortable position. "Thank you, I'll be right back with Her Majesty and the nuns!" With that, she sprinted out of the room.

It only took a few minutes for Mirellia to show up, still in her royal gown and panting. Her pristine face no longer had the usual makeup and her hair was disheveled. Along with her panicked expression, she looked rough.

"How is he!?" she asked pointedly.

Raphtalia smiled. "He's going to be alright, I think. He had to use the curse's power, but he seemed fine until he fell asleep."

Mirellia breathed a sigh of relief, holding herself against the doorway. "Oh thank goodness..." she took a moment before coughing into her hand and entering the room with her usual grace. "I heard from the other heroes that the fight was much more difficult than expected, so I'm glad you all survived."

Raphtalia narrowed her eyes. "Naofumi had a feeling you were up to something. With all due respect, you knew that Balmus would attack, didn't you?" she asked with eyes narrowed, standing between the woman and her love.

Mirellia closed her eyes. "I will not lie to you, Raphtalia. I had hoped that he would show himself during the trial or the execution, though I did not expect his followers to be so fanatic or in such large numbers. After training at Cal Mira, I had fully expected him to be an easy foe."

"But why!?" the raccoon demanded. "Why would you not deal with him yourself!? You're the queen!"

She shook her head. "Sadly, my power does have its limits. After the war against Siltvelt, hatred against demi-humans - and by extension the hero who protected them - became the predominant view. Without a good reason to abolish that mindset, my authority as queen would have been compromised."

"So it was just a plot to keep yourself in power."

Mirellia looked genuinely apologetic as she bowed deeply. "It was all for the good of both my kingdom and our world. Now that the people themselves have seen the evil that Balmus represents, I can safely abolish the Three Heroes Church and establish the Church of the Four Saints: one that doesn't discriminate against any of the heroes or any people, human or otherwise."

Raphtalia calmed down, tail relaxing. "Fine. I suppose you had good intentions, at least." she said, looking back down to her master. "But Naofumi..."

Servants and nuns burst through the door. "Pardon us, Your Grace!" a nun said, running to the bedside with a small vial on a plate. She gently uncorked the top before carefully pouring its contents on his face. The blackened skin vanished from the holy water's influence, and the furrow of his brow relaxed.

The other servants held several of these holy bottles, as they handed one after another to the holy woman. After covering the majority of his visible damage, she leaned him upright. "Help me take his armor off, please!"

"Okay!" Raphtalia said, helping the servants remove his protection and clothing to reveal the rest of his body. After they cured the curses there, they removed his shirt. What they saw made them all gasp.

"Oh my goodness..." Mirellia whispered.

"What...happened to him?..." a servant asked quietly.

"Naofumi..." Raphtalia whispered, concern lacing her voice.

His chest was covered in dark scars similar to the one on his face. A single rune of demonic origin pulsed with power on his left pec, shining with a dangerous light.

"Quickly, we have to get rid of as much of the curse as we can!" the nun brought attention back to his treatment, and grabbed a bottle of holy water. Dumping it on his chest, it healed the darkened skin but the scarring remained. The rune flared up, brightening into a fire red color as the blessed liquid touched its surface. Any water that touched the rune evaporated instantly.

"The holy water is being rejected..." the nun said in awe. "What kind of curse is this...? I've never seen anything like it..."

"That is none of your concern." Mirellia said with a sharp tone. "Cure what you can, and leave us. The Shield Hero requires as much rest as he can get."

"Right away, Your Majesty!"

Nearly ten minutes later, the servants and nuns left the room. Mirellia bowed her head once more. "Again, please forgive me for not telling you all sooner. I pray that Lord Naofumi can forgive me as well for using you all to expose the pope's corruption."

Raphtalia held a glare for only a moment before she looked back to her master. "He'll understand, I think. Just please, don't put him in a position like this ever again. He just wants to save people, even if he's a little mean about it. He doesn't deserve to bear the brunt of a curse this powerful on his own."

Mirellia nodded, standing upright once again. "I promise that I will do everything within my power to aid Lord Naofumi from here on out. Whether he wishes to stay here or return to Siltvelt, I will ensure that he is an honored guest within our city."

"Thank you, Queen Mirellia."

"No." the purple haired woman shook her head with a smile. "Thank you, for keeping him safe. I had feared the worst when I saw the flames from the castle."

Raphtalia gripped Naofumi's hand in her own as she smiled down at his resting face.

"I'll always be there for him. Whether it's in this world or the next."