I'm so unused to using Éclair that I totally forgot about her during the estate-raid and dragon-battle segments of last chapter…
SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS
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-CHAPTER START-
Realm RSH-12
The Rogue Shadow soon flew in, Juno and Éclair arriving to extract the rescued demihumans and bring them back to Van Reichnott's estate for treatment; Éclair stayed with Naofumi's group while Juno took the people to safety. Fitoria then used Warp magic to bring Team Jedi/Naofumi and the Dragon Rex corpse with her to a hidden location, centuries-old ruins draped in overgrowth. There were dozens of Filolials around, in all sorts of colors.
"These ruins look pretty old" Chantez remarked.
"They are supposedly a relic from this continent's first civilization" Fitoria replied. "I have watched over them, at the request of a previous Hero, long ago."
"Long ago? So, you've been around for decades?" Naofumi asked.
Fitoria shook her head. "I stopped counting my years at around 300."
That got a few shocked reactions, for sure.
"We have much to discuss," the Filolial Queen continued, "but not now. Tonight, we will eat and then get some rest. We can talk tomorrow."
Naofumi made dinner for everyone… and ended up making dinner for the numerous Filolials once he got sick of their staring & begging. They all went to sleep; Raphtalia, in particular, slept deeply out of her physical and emotional exhaustion. The next morning, Naofumi and Galen woke up first, and Fitoria quickly zeroed in on them.
"How did that beast escape its seal?" she asked.
"You weren't there to help fight it?" Naofumi asked.
"No. I came because I sensed a new 'Queen Candidate' Filolial."
"…Filo?"
"Yes. Now, again: How did that creature break free?"
"A crooked noble had a 'kill-switch' ritual spell set up to free the thing in the event he was killed" Knight Marek replied. "As for how he got killed… I'm going to have to explain some things to you – about one of our companions, about the Jedi, the Force… and the Dark Side…"
He gave Fitoria a relatively concise explanation about the Force, the Jedi Order and its fall, the Dimensional Defense Force, the burgeoning New Order; as well as what they had learned about Raphtalia's history, from the village devastated by the First Wave and then by Melromarc's savagely racist soldiers, to the recent doomed effort to rescue one of her childhood friends, and the resulting slip into the Dark Side and murderous rampage through Rabier's estate.
"Normally, Raphtalia is very diligent and in control of herself" he finished. "But, one of her oldest friends dying in her arms like that…"
"It was too much to endure" Fitoria summed up. "And the grief and fury gave the Dark Side a foothold in her heart, at least for a while." She sighed. "What's done is done. And I cannot sense the taint of Darkness and rage in her any longer, now that the people who pushed her over the edge are dead. …Now then, there is another matter of importance to discuss. Why are all four Cardinal Heroes in or around Melromarc instead of fighting the Waves of Catastrophe elsewhere?"
"Wait, the Waves are happening in other places?" Naofumi asked.
"Indeed. My flock and I have been doing what we can to protect the other nations. The four heroes are supposed to each be summoned to a different country, so they can cover more ground."
"Melromarc's King, Aultcray, summoned all four of them in what I'm pretty sure was a selfish political power move" Galen explained. "The Queen is out of country trying to do damage control, trying to make sure the other nations don't go to war with Melromarc because of her idiot husband's actions."
Fitoria let out another sigh, even wearier and more exasperated than the last one. "That old fool… Mirellia needs to keep a tighter rein on him. …Now, the most pressing matter: Why are the Heroes fighting each other? That is absolutely unacceptable."
"Hohh, boy…" Naofumi sighed. "Better get ready, 'cuz this is a long, ugly story…"
He and Knight Marek then explained to Fitoria about everything that had happened – the King instantly hating him just because he was the Cardinal Hero worshipped by the demihumans he racistly hated so much; the cruel and sociopathic first princess framing him for rape and turning the entire nation even more against him; the Spear Hero, a womanizing lout, completely falling for Malty's lies and gleefully trying to kill Naofumi any chance he got; the Bow Hero being a glory hound; the Sword Hero being made to see reason and becoming Naofumi's sole ally Hero; the Bow and Spear not taking things seriously, their skills stagnating in the face of strengthening threats; Glass' attack and the things she said; the Three Heroes Church and Malty collaborating to deceive the King & people and try to kill Princess Melty…
"Motoyasu is so aggressive, stupid, and blindly loyal to Malty, and Itsuki so focused on prestige and going along with the crowd, that any reconciliation between those two and me & Ren is impossible" he finished.
Fitoria looked very displeased. "I see… If the situation is truly this unsalvageable, collaboration between the Cardinal Heroes impossible, then… a new set of Cardinal Heroes must be summoned. Which means that I must kill the current set, and then kill Melromarc's king and first princess so that they cannot cause this sort of catastrophe again. My apologies, Shield Hero, but your counterparts' irreparable hostility, weakness, and unfitness for their roles have also doomed you and the Sword Her-"
Suddenly, her eyes widened as she found herself unable to breathe. Trying to clutch at her throat, she was then telekinetically lifted up by it, Knight Marek glaring at her with eerie calmness as he used the Force to throttle her.
"I don't give a womp rat's ass about Motoyasu or Itsuki, but you will not harm Ren or Naofumi."
Fitoria tried to use her aged and powerful magic to break free, only to discover that Galen's strength in the Force was even stronger.
"If those two can't hack it," he continued, "the Dimensional Defense Force will pick up the slack. If they get themselves killed – or, hell, if we have to kill them ourselves – and the Waves get stronger in response, we still have people powerful enough to more than make up for it. We'll handle things, and pick up the slack. And if you try to harm Naofumi, Ren, or any of their friends & allies," he briefly ignited a lightsaber, "I will kill you."
He let her drop, and she fell to her knees, coughing and gasping for breath. For the first time in centuries, she felt fear as she realized that, if this Jedi determined that he had no other choice, he was strong enough and skilled enough that, going all-out, he really could kill her. Then, she sensed a presence directly behind her, just before Master Kota's hand was placed upon her head… and she was shown memories and information on some of the Dimensional Defense Force's heavy hitters – shinobi like Naruto and Gaara and Jiraiya, Z-Team champions like Goku and Vegeta and Piccolo, elite mages like Nagi & Negi Springfield or "Team Nanoha", Gamma Team, and not to mention the DDF's considerable star-naval assets (and if a planet was deemed truly lost, they could always evacuate surviving peoples and then glass it from orbit).
"They… They don't even need the Cardinal Heroes to defend this world…" she murmured in shock.
"But we're helping the Sword and Shield and their friends regardless," Kota replied, "because it's the right thing to do and because they all have potential. If only the other two hadn't chosen to squander theirs, especially that blond oaf…"
Naofumi sighed as he got to his feet. "Come on. The others'll be awake any moment. I'll go get breakfast started."
-Break-
Other than that bout of first-thing-in-the-morning hostility, the rest of the morning was peaceful. Around noon, though, Fitoria suddenly challenged Fito to a duel. However, she made it clear this was not intended as a life-or-death thing, simply a "sparring match" with both of them in their human forms. The two of them squared off in a courtyard, a barrier up to catch any stray attacks.
As the spar started, it quickly became clear that Filo was severely outclassed, Fitoria effortlessly dodging or shielding against her various attacks and sending her reeling with every halfhearted counterblow.
"Is this all the growth you've managed so far?" Fitoria asked. "Soon, the enemies you'll face will become stronger at a faster rate, and if you wish to protect the Shield Hero and his comrades, you will need to match that pace. Can you pull that off? Or will I be… disappointed?"
Growling, Filo pressed her attack, trying to get creative with her movements and attack spells, but again the much more experienced Fitoria saw through her attempts and expertly countered them. Getting fed up, and determined to be strong enough to protect her friends, Filo leapt high and came down at Fitoria while channeling as much of her power as she could, and a new spell came to her, forming large glowing claws over her hands:
"Spiral Strike!"
She crashed into Fitoria's barrier claws-first, pressing hard, and then – to Fitoria's shock – the barrier shattered. Filo shot forward, and Fitoria barely avoided being impaled or decapitated; as it was, a gazing strike slashed open the side of her neck, barely missing her jugular vein. Clutching at her bleeding neck, Fitoria dropped to the ground, staggering. As the barrier came down, Team Jedi immediately ran in, Naofumi preparing healing magic.
"Y-You… You pass" she rasped out, her own and Naofumi's healing magic slowly halting the bleeding and mending her flesh.
-Break-
After Fitoria had recovered, she explained how she had been testing Filo for a very important role: the next Filolial Queen when the time came that Fitoria died or otherwise relinquished the role. To that end, she produced a shimmering silver tiara with multiple tiny purple jewels set into it, and carefully set it atop Filo's head. It only remained for a second before vanishing into magic which merged into Filo's body, and a second later a single long, curving cowlick sprouted from the crown of her head.
"Is… that the mark of a Filolial Queen?" Raphtalia asked.
"She will grow more as she gains power and experience" Fitoria explained.
"It looks weird" Filo whined. "I don't want it!"
She reached out and plucked it off… and a second later, it spontaneously regrew, drawing a pitiful whine from the girl.
"Better get used to it" Fitoria remarked. "Now then, I suppose the rest of the day should be a little celebration for the appointment of my successor."
-Break-
That night, Fitoria spoke alone with Naofumi, pointing out that him giving up and never trying to clear his name was as good as admitting his "guilt" for what he was falsely accused of, as far as people were concerned. She also remarked that saving "the world" and saving "the people" were different things, and soon he & the other Heroes would have to choose which path they took…
-Break-
Two parties approached the mouth of a cave hidden in the forest. Suspicious thanks to Naofumi's words, Itsuki had led his team to covertly investigate the Three Heroes Church, and had encountered Ren's team doing the same thing. The two parties had joined up for this, first finding a hidden library that then led them here.
Entering the cave, they found their way to a sizable chamber partially open at the top, a few rays of sunlight streaming in. In the center of the chamber was a single stone chest, which they approached cautiously. Itsuki and a few others kept their eyes & ears open, feeling like there was something 'off' in the air… Approaching the chest, Ren pushed the heavy stone lid off… and gasped.
"It's empty!" he said. "But… why? When?"
Suddenly, there was a panicked shout from Itsuki, as a terrible foreboding feeling flooded the air.
"Everyone, we need to ru-"
A titanic explosion filled and engulfed the cavern…
-Break-
The next day, Fitoria transported the group and their wagon to a hilly area, beside a road that led to a border checkpoint, claiming that there was another Cardinal Hero nearby. After bidding her farewell, they set out toward the border checkpoint, soon realizing it had a platoon of soldiers manning it. With no other real choice, the team rode towards the wall, quickly being noticed, seeing the soldiers scrambling. As the team approached the checkpoint and saw who was there to meet them, however…
"Aw, fuck…" Naofumi groaned in dismay (with Raphtalia, Master Kota, & Ahsoka reflexively covering Filo's, Melty's, & Chantez's ears, respectively).
The wagon came to a stop, and everyone dismounted, Naofumi stepping forward towards where Motoyasu was glaring with calm hatred at him.
"We don't want any trouble, Motoyasu" he said. "We just want to pass through, and we'll be out of your hair."
"That's it…?" Motoyasu said, his quiet voice trembling with rage. "That's all you have to say… like what you did means nothing?!"
He readied his Legendary Spear and dashed forward, and Naofumi brought his shield up just in time to deflect a stabbing thrust. Naofumi gave ground as Motoyasu pressed his assault, until he got an opening to blast the blond oaf back with a Force Push.
"What the hell is your problem, boy?!" Master Kota snapped. "You've never come at Naofumi with genuine Killing Intent before!"
"What did I do this time?" Naofumi growled. "Are you that upset that I bailed on our last fight?"
"Quit playing dumb!" Motoyasu shouted. "You really are a Devil! And as a hero, I will make you pay for killing Ren and Itsuki!"
Shock rippled through the hero team.
"Ren and Itsuki… are dead?" Naofumi muttered, stunned.
Then, he had to leapt back to dodge a Lightning Spear blast.
"Motoyasu!" he shouted. "Think about this! If even one Cardinal Hero dies, the Waves become exponentially more difficult! Why would I cripple our ability to fight them like that?! Plus, Ren and I are allies! We fought together against the horde of mutant plant monsters – cleaning up the mess you made! …Who even told you they were dead? Did you see their bodies?"
"We do have a reliable source" Malty cut in as she made herself & Motoyasu's party known. "It was confirmed by the Three Heroes Church – how the Shield Devil used a monster attack as cover to murder the other two Heroes."
"Her and the Church again…" Naofumi grumbled. 'Does that mean they'd go so far as to endanger the world by killing other Cardinal Heroes just to make my life even more miserable?'
Malty then cast a wave of Lightning magic, but not an attack; instead, it formed a massive barrier-cage around the two groups, forming a battle arena that would zap anyone who tried to escape. Furthermore, the 'outsider' Jedi – Kota, Marek, Ahsoka, and Chantez – were caught outside the barrier, unable to jump in and help Naofumi's group. Motoyasu began to charge at Naofumi, only for Filo to transform and charge, unleashing a flurry of powerful kicks that pushed Motoyasu back. He flung her up and away with a counterblow, only for her to switch back to human form and dive back at him with glowing gold Spiral Strike claws, stabbing and slashing at him with even greater speed.
Malty cast a wave of small firebolts, but Melty neutralized it with a blast of Water magic. The little princess then followed suit with a spell Ahsoka had helped her learn, a barrage of Light-type Sagitta Magica shooting out at Motoyasu, Malty, and Lesty & [Green-Cloaked Mage Girl], the other two girls of his party (Elena, the blonde fourth 'Team Spear' member, was recovering from a leg injury back at the capital). As Team Motoyasu was battered by the mana projectiles, Filo leapt back from Motoyasu to make room for Naofumi's Force Push to bowl the oaf over.
Snarling, Motoyasu held his spear high, beginning to charge power, and Malty & the other two girls poured Fire and Wind magic into his weapon, a mass of mixed magic building up around the spear's head. In response, Melty and Filo began incanting and charging a mass of Wind and Water magic. Motoyasu's attack was fired first, a blast of multiple magics tearing across the ground towards Naofumi's group. …And then Melty & Filo's "Typhoon" was unleashed, a spiraling torrent of power that crashed into the incoming attack and then pierced through, extinguishing the flames and surging forward to engulf Motoyasu and his 'followers'. It then hurled them straight up into the air, battering and tossing them about, screams of shock and fear drowned out by the roaring wind & water.
When the attack dissipated, the hostile party all fell to the ground, groaning weakly, dizzy and sore. The Lightning Cage came undone, allowing the offworld Jedi to join the group. Gritting his teeth, Motoyasu tried to get to his feet, propping himself up on his spear.
'I didn't even get to do anything…' Éclair thought. 'Or rather, the Spear Hero and his party are so unskilled that Raphtalia and I didn't even need to do anything… If the Bow and Sword are at this level, we might be in real trouble come the next Wave…'
"Will you just stop and listen to us, Motoyasu?!" Naofumi snapped. "You've been duped! And I've got a pretty damn good idea exactly who-"
Suddenly, Filo looked up at the sky for a moment, and then shifted to her bird from and dashed around, punting Motoyasu and his party closer to Team Jedi.
"Papa! Something really bad's coming! We don't have time to get away! Use the strongest shields you can! Hurry!"
"I sense it, too" Knight Marek said, he and Master Kota looking up at the sky. Master Kota's eyes widened.
"I can sense a massive amount of power building up a few kilometers above us… A wide-area bombardment spell artillery strike! Everyone, get in close now!"
Then, a sudden spark of light high above turned into a massive column of destructive Light magic, powerful enough to rival a Starlight Breaker, crashing down at the group. Unable to access most of his shields (stupid sore-loser pouting Shield Spirit…), Naofumi tossed up an Erst Shield and Second Shield, while he and the other Jedi all reached up and formed the strongest Force Barriers they could manage, encompassing them and the still-stunned Team Motoyasu in a near-invisible dome.
The bombardment spell struck, quickly beginning to melt and vaporize earth. The two glowing green magic shields only held for a few seconds before shattering under the anti-army spell's onslaught, and then the full force was beating down on the Force Barrier. Blinding light, bone-shaking vibrations, and a deafening roar assailed the people within as the Jedi strained with all their psychic might to hold back an attack spell powerful enough to punch through a (unshielded) capital ship.
Finally, the storm abated, and the Jedi let the barrier drop. They all but fell to their knees, trembling and panting, though began to recover superhumanly quickly as they let the healing power of the Force flow into them. The ground around the group for a sizable difference had been vaporized, as had much of the ground underneath the protective Force Barrier, leaving a patch of green in the center of a huge crater, streams of molten rock trickling down the crater wall here & there.
"T-That power…" Malty was in disbelief. "That was…"
Suddenly, the group became aware of a foreboding presence above, and looked up to see a figure standing at the lip of the crater, with an elegant robe and tall hat, looking down at them and softly applauding.
"Most impressive" Pope Balmus of the Three Heroes Church said, his formerly-welcoming smile now 'feeling' evil despite looking the same. "As expected of the Shield Devil and his infernal 'allies'…"
"What are you doing?!" Malty shouted. "You almost killed the Spear Hero and the future Queen!"
"I think not. The royal family has sullied this land enough – the King summoning inadequate Heroes and nearly bringing the wrath of several other nations down upon us, the eldest princess a selfish, short-sighted, cruel and wicked woman who cares nothing for anyone but herself and never thinks major decisions through, and a queen and crown princess who dare to advocate peaceful relations and respectful treatment for the filthy subhuman beasts whose mere existence is an affront to the divine… That is why we, the Church of the Three Heroes, have chosen to take control, and guide this kingdom along a more righteous path!"
"You mean treason" Knight Marek retorted.
"If you people worship the other three Cardinal Heroes," Naofumi said, "then why would you risk killing the Spear Hero like this? Sounds pretty blasphemous, wouldn't you say?"
"It would be if these were true Cardinal Heroes" Balmus replied. "However, it has become clear that the current 'Heroes' are false. The Spear a gullible womanizer who freed a sealed evil seed and nearly rendered an entire county sucked dry of life. The Bow forgetting his station and triggering a nation's collapse, all in pursuit of shallow personal glory. The Sword initially being just as inept, and only able to 'improve' with the Shield Devil's direct help… Clearly, such ineptitude is proof of their falsehood. …That is why my followers and I visited divine Judgment upon the False Bow and False Spear, just as we shall bring upon the lot of you…"
Motoyasu went pale, remembering where Malty said her intel was from. 'T… This psycho traitor pope killed Ren and Itsuki?! And then he tried to trick me and Naofumi into killing each other…'
Then, Balmus drew an ornate, gold-colored sword which pulsed softly with golden light, like a heartbeat. Seeing it, Melty's eyes widened with shock and horror.
"T-That blade…" she whispered.
Balmus held the sword high as it glowed with power, and then swung the weapon downward. A huge blast of golden energy shot down at the people in the crater, and Naofumi instinctively stepped forward and brought his shield to bear. Knight Marek, realizing Naofumi's sealed shield and weakened Defense wouldn't be able to safely withstand an attack of that magnitude, focused his might and used the Force to slow the incoming blast and also deflect it just enough that it struck the Cardinal Shield at enough of an angle to be deflected back & up away from the group, the transferred momentum knocking Naofumi on his ass but otherwise not hurting him. Meanwhile, up above, Balmus' weapon glowed and shifted form, transforming into a familiar spear wreathed in golden light.
"I knew it…" Melty breathed out. "That's the Cardinal Replica!"
"Explain" Naofumi said.
"Centuries ago, a cabal of powerful priests and mages in service to the crown attempted to create a weapon that bore the powers of the four Cardinal Weapons, able to shift between them at the bearer's will, as well as being able to unleash full-power attacks with them without the wielder having to do more than the bare minimum of training. They technically succeeded, but… the Cardinal Replica uses an enormous amount of mana to cast any of its spells or abilities. A normal person would only be able to use it three or four times, at most, before dropping from exhaustion. It was said to be lost over 100 years ago. But I'm assuming the Church actually took and hit it."
"Very astute, Melty" Pope Balmus said. "With your keen intellect, it's little wonder you were made crown princess, especially as your sister squandered her mind on shallow pursuits and manipulating others for her gain. If only you had followed her example in loathing the accursed subhumans, as the Lord intended for us… And as for the magical cost of this weapon's usage, that is why my loyal flock accompanied me here!" He gestured to the roughly 1,000 Three Heroes Church priests, sages, & nuns arrayed behind him, all knelt in prayer to donate their magical power to their leader. "Their prayers for our God to deliver us to victory will grant me the power to visit judgment upon the lot of you!"
"Using me as a tool…" Motoyasu growled. "Framing Naofumi for murder… Committing high treason and launching a coup… Killing Ren and Itsuki… You are beyond any redemption! I will do my duty as a Hero, and stop you from causing any more harm! Lightning Spear!"
He fired a piercing strike of lightning magic at Balmus… and a diamond-shaped golden barrier formed in front of the traitor pope, intercepting the attack with no signs of strain.
"With the mighty divine barrier provided to me by my fellow believers," Balmus said, "your blasphemous attempts to resist holy judgment are rendered even more futile."
Not accepting it, Motoyasu fired a Meteor Thrust, a bright blue blast of magic that flew up in an arc and then came down at Balmus from above, only for the barrier to block it again. Next, he and his party tried the wind & fire combination – Burst Flare Lance – but it too failed to pierce the golden barrier protecting the traitor pope.
"Well then," the old man said, lifting the Cardinal Replica Spear high, "I believe it's my turn to attack."
"Thousand Swords!" "Meteor Shot!"
To everyone's shock, a piercing arrow of light and a wave of solid-magic swords shot across above the crater and crashed into the startled Balmus' barrier, managing to wear down and shatter it, knocking the evil old man back. Everyone looked up to see two familiar figures standing on the far edge of the crater.
"We got here just in time" Itsuki remarked.
"I can't believe the church would go so far as to attempt a coup…" Ren mused.
"Y-You're alive?!" Motoyasu shouted in shock as the two other Heroes joined them down in the crater.
"Itsuki and I both came to the conclusion that the Three Heroes Church was acting suspicious," Ren explained, "and decided to investigate them in secret, linking up when we came upon each other. We found a book that led us to where the Cardinal Replica was supposed to be… but it was a trap. We all would have been killed if it weren't for those 'Shadows', the kunoichi serving Queen Mirellia."
"Speaking of which," Itsuki spoke loud enough for the traitor pope and his followers to hear, "we only have to hold out for a little while, because Queen Mirellia is on her way with over 1,000 of her best loyal troops to crush this sad attempt at a coup!"
Hearing that, many of Balmus' congregation started murmuring fearfully; if an army of elite soldiers led by the Queen herself – a fearsomely powerful mage in her own right – was on the way, they wouldn't stand much of a chance…
"My faithful!" Balmus shouted to his congregation. "Stand firm! Though our enemies may soon crowd around us, we walk the blessed path! The might of the Lord shall grant us the strength to prevail against all who try to stop divine judgment, especially the demihuman-loving Queen and her pawns! Our holy crusade will triumph over all adversity, the will of God granting us eternal victory!"
The traitor pope and his congregation, so utterly convinced in their racist, hateful beliefs, were genuinely inspired by this awful proclamation, the flow of donated mana picking up again, returning the glow to the Cardinal Replica. Meanwhile, down below in the crater, the Four Heroes and their allies were trying to figure out what to do next.
"Even with that fancy shapeshifting weapon of his," Itsuki said, "he probably can't handle fighting all of us at once. Either we'll overpower him, or we'll stalemate him until his followers run out of mana to donate to him."
"Right!" Motoyasu nodded. "The Four Cardinal Heroes, united against… Huh?"
He and the others then noticed Naofumi and his team in a huddle, planning out tactics.
"Hey! Naofumi, we're supposed to work together, aren't we?"
In response, Naofumi shot the Spear Hero a venomous glare that had Motoyasu moving back a step.
"Ren is the only one of you three that I have any faith in" Naofumi replied. "Itsuki went all 'budget Robin Hood' and brought a country to the edge of collapse, leaving the people starving and broken. Motoyasu unleashed a cursed seed that nearly wiped an entire village out and could've sucked the life out of all other plants for miles around, not to mention blindly following Malty's every whim and believing every single lie he tells her. Neither of you two are dependable, or skilled, or trustworthy, or heroic! In fact, although not in the same way as him, you're as bad as that traitor pope! And if it were up to me, I'd leave you both to die here & now!
"But… We recently met Fitoria, the centuries-old Queen of All Filolials. She's incredibly powerful, and she says that if you two don't get your act together and work with us, she'll kill all four of us so that a new set of Cardinal Heroes can be summoned. And if she decides that's what she has to do with no other options, we won't stand a chance in hell against her. So… To save my own ass, and protect my party, I'll work with you two idiots for now, to deal with this self-righteous traitor."
"Wait… a Filolial Queen?!" Itsuki asked. "And she wants to kill us all for not measuring up?!"
"The same reason Balmus wants to kill us…" Ren pointed out. "At least, partially."
"If you children are done chattering," Balmus interrupted from above, "we can perhaps move this along. It's quite rude of you to be making others wait while you hash out your differences, you know. Ah, but the four of you working together just might be enough to pose difficulty. Unless, of course, I add a little… home field advantage."
Then, he and his 1,000 followers began to chant a spell incantation, magical power building up and coalescing together. The sky overhead darkened as a titanic magical construct formed overhead, walls and panes of solid magic taking form. With a mighty thud, the humongous construct formed and landed, a massive circular building encompassing the entire crater and a small region around it, including the traitor pope. Green and greenish-yellow magic forms walls, buttresses, and iconography, and the dome ceiling was pitch black except for a blood-red eye-like light at the center.
"Welcome… to my Cathedral! You are, all of you, vermin. Cowering in the dirt, thinking… what, I wonder? That you might escape God's judgment? No; you will all burn until nothing remains but ash! And not even the Shield Devil will live to creep, blackened, from its hole to mar the reflection of our passage – the culmination of our journey to victory and salvation! For your destruction is the will of God! And I? I am His instrument!-!"
-CHAPTER END-
Next Time: the battle against Pope Balmus, and the aftermath as the Queen returns