My name is kusa tachinowarui. And today is the finale of the tournament. Although. I didn't enter i'm just here to cheer on my two friends. The knight oersted. And the mage streibough. I'm the rouge of the group. If your wondering why i didn't enter? Simple. I'm not interested in the prize. The winner of this tournament. Gets to marry the princess of our kingdom of lucrece. Alethea. Both oersted and streibough are madly in love with her. But not me. I've already got a woman to love in my life. And she's right next to me.
Rinne berlinetta. A beautiful girl with long white hair and sword skills that rivals oersted and magic that rivals streibough.. I still remember how i met her. It was during my time at the knight academy. I found rinne being bullied by three other female squires. I couldn't just pretend i saw nothing. So i stepped in. it ended with those three girls knocked out. Unfortunately this act of heroism didn't end well for me.
Those three girls were the daughters of some powerful lords supplying the academy with tons of gold. Which meant what i had to say didn't matter. I was expelled while the three bullying harlots got off scott free. After that, I trained as a rogue. Didn't mind. Turns out the style fit me better.
After a couple of years. I met her again. We talked for a bit. She apologized for how she got me expelled. Something I declared that wasn't her fault. She then gave me some bad news. That her grandfather. The man who inspired her to be a knight. Passed away due to the plague. He was also her only family. Due to her mother and father dying to demons. She had no friends from the knight academy either. She was alone. Utterly alone.
I decided right then and there. To become her friend. After that I introduced her to oersted. And streibough. And they too became her friends. And soon. A team. After a lot of adventures. Some hilarious moments involving a drunk rinne. and a lot of fun times later. Love began to blossom.
It was the night when we dealt with bandits attacking an defenseless village. That she came up to me blushing. I asked what was wrong.
"Kusa…i'm really glad to have met you…you protected me from those bullies…and you never resented me for getting you expelled…you became my friend when i had no one else…you are my best friend…but i want you to be more than that…I LOVE YOU KUSA!" rinne yelled. With tears in her eyes. I replied by kissing her on the lips. There was no turning back from that. My relationship with rinne was now intimate. But enough about the past. It's time to focus on the present.
And it would seem we're at the final round. Both oersted and streibough have both defeated there opponents. So the last battle is with each other. A battle between friends for the love of the princess.
"Know this my friend. I will hold nothing back. I've yielded much too you. But not this day. Gods grant me strength. grant me glory deserved!" streibough yelled. As he and oersted readied to fight.
"Who do you think will win?" rinne asked.
"It really depends if oersted can land his hits. Streibough is pretty fast. And has powerful magic. But's he's just as squishy as any other mage. So dodging is his best option. On the other hand. Oersted definitely has the endurance to keep on fighting and strength to dish it back. With the right blade. He could definitely cut streibough in half. But his blade has to connect for that to happen. And everyone and everything's endurance has limitations. Plus oersted lacks ranged options. So he's in trouble if an enemy stays out of his sword's range. The one walking away with alethea's hand depends on if oersted can land his attacks. If not he'll be blown away by streibough's magic." i said. Criticizing both my friends' combat styles.
"So how many hits can streibough take? Four or five?" rinne asked.
"Three hits. If luck is on his side." i said. The battle soon began. After alot of sword swinging. Dodging and magic flying. Oersted managed to land three blows. And streibough fell to the ground.
"Rejoice lucrece! Your champion is crowned! Oersted!" the minister yelled. Oersted ran over and helped up streibough
"So be it…well fought and won. My friend." streibough said. Both me and rinne got on the stage. And walked towards our friends.
"Like you said. Three hits…are you alright streibough?" rinne asked.
"I'm…fine" streibough replied. Clearly hiding his pain of losing alethea to oersted.
"You may not be able to marry alethea. But you'll find another love. There are plenty of beautiful woman in this world. You just got to search." i said.
"Thank you for the advice my friend." steribough said. But the tone of his voice had anger in it.
"And i must thank you. Rinne." oersted said.
"Me? For what?" rinne asked.
"For having kusa's heart. If he entered the tournament. I would have stood no chance." oersted said.
"Oh no doubt. Kusa would have utterly kicked your butts." rinne said. Me her and oersted laughed. It was true. I could defeat both of them. Not to sound egotistical. But my skills in combat are better. But i also know their weaknesses. So if I did want to marry alethea. I could have easily. But i already the woman of my dreams. I noticed streibough looking at us with an angry look. And i could feel something…dark. Emanating from his heart. I hope i'm just imagining things.
"Approach youth! And kneel before the king!" the minister yelled. Oersted did what he asked. And kneeled before the king.
" A Magnificent duel! I salute you! Come alethea. Do you have naught to say?" the king asked. Alethea got up from her seat and walked forward.
"Oersted…your deeds are known to me sir. Having witnessed your prowess first hand i…am grateful for most thrilling spectacle. Let us be wed. for king and country." alethea said.
"The youth is deserving of reward great! Let marriage unite! Bonds of blood true bind! And all know joy and peace forever more! My people! Come and join in our revels! My table is open to one and all!" the king yelled.
"Does that include us?" i asked.
"Indeed young rouge!" he replied.
"Yes!" i yelled as i arm pumped.
"Your love for food hasn't changed at all has it kusa?" oersted asked.
"Nope!" i replied. We all laughed. After enjoying the best food i'll ever have in my life. I washed it down with the best wine i've ever had. And passed out. However i was soon woken up by oersted slapping me.
"Wake up kusa!" oersted yelled. I had such a headache. And that slap didn't help.
"Ugh i've got such a hangover…what's wrong oersted?" i asked.
"It's princess alethea!" oersted yelled.
"What. did you already get her pregnant?" i asked.
"No you hungover buffoon! She's been kidnapped by a demon!" oersted yelled. I quickly snapped out of my hangover.
"What!? You've got to be joking…" i said. His face told me that he was indeed not joking. "Alright. Fun's over. Time to be heroes. I'll go wake up rinne. Though i really don't want too. She's really nasty with a hangover." i said. After i woke up rinne. And dodged thunder for a bit. Me her and oersted kneeled to the king. And explained the situation.
"I am undone. Too cruel. This morning is. Awoken to familiar nightmare. But can it be? The demon lord of dark. Dead and forgotten long years. Now returned. The hero hasshe slew him. Might he again come in hour of need? Yet he has withdrawn deep into the wilds far far from king and kith. In search. Tis said. Of solitude. A place apart from men…" the king said.
"I will defeat the lord of dark in his place." oersted said . His voice full of determination.
"My son. You will fight this fiend in his stead?" the king asked.
"Yes!" oersted replied.
"Happy day! You are indeed our hope! Protector of the realm and our future! Cast down the lord of dark and save my child! Restore peace to the kingdom of Lucrece! Show the people your true mettle. Show them. My son. That you've the makings of a king! Go! Prove yourself a worthy successor! Deliver alethea from evil!" the king yelled. After his speech. He gave oersted a map of the world. We all left the castle.
"Kusa…rinne. Can i ask you to lend me your strength?" oersted asked.
"Of course!" rinne yelled.
"We're friends oersted. Even if you ride to fight the devil himself. We will always ride with you! Friends to the end!" i said. Oersted smiled.
"Thank you my friends! Let's save alethea together! For the good of lucrece!" oersted yelled with determination. As we walked out into the wild. We were interrupted by a voice. That we were all familiar with.
"I hope you weren't planning to face the lord of dark without me." we turned around to see streibough was the one who said that.
"Streibough! We didn't want to leave you behind. We thought you needed time to heal after what happened at the tournament." i said. Streibough raised an eyebrow at me.
"Have you forgotten i know healing magic?" streibough asked.
"Oh…right." I said. Feeling like a total idiot.
"Happy to have you along my friend!" oersted yelled. And thus it was just like old times. Me rinne oersted and streibough. Four heroes. Off to save the princess. As we met our way to hero's rest. We encountered monsters. I summoned my weapon. The kartana gauntlets. These babies are two forms of death in one. Strike and slash. I have a punch that can break through the heaviest of armor and the bones of whoever is inside it. They also have the ability to produce blades of magic energy from the elbow part. Which can cut through anything. Rinne. Wields two swords from a foriegn land. I believe there called katana's? One has control over fire. And the other ice. She also knows some really good healing spells. And those have been god sends against tougher monsters. Like a minotaur. I still remember the pain of being thrown at that tree.
We met a hermit. But he just completely ignored us. Even when we entered his house to try to speak to him. He wouldn't say anything. We did notice the shield in his house. Looks a shield fit for a hero.
"Let's go to fugalia. This asshole's giving us nothing but the silent treatment. So let's go." i said we soon left.
Rinne pov.
"Hey girl!" the hermit said.
"Now you decide to open your mouth?" i said.
"Your grandfather is lord berlinetta. is he not?" the hermit asked.
"He was…he died of the plague." i said. Sadness in my voice.
"...sorry to hear that…who were those three you were with?" the hermit asked. Why is he so interested in me.
"My friends oersted the knight. Streibough the mage. And my love. Kusa the rouge." i said.
"A rouge? You fell in love with a rouge? Do you realize that will stain the berlinetta name!? Do you wish to dishonor the name for one dirty rouge!?" the hermit yelled. I was angry now. Who does this guy think he is!?
"And why should i care for the honor of a dead house!? Everyone else died from the plague! I was alone! Until i found kusa again! Despite the fact he got expelled from the knight academy because he defended me from bullies. He never hated me for it. He was my first true friend! He was there for me when no one else was! He's a rogue because of me! Being with him has been the best part of my life. And who are you!? Some hermit living in the mountains! To tell me what to do with my life! Who i love is my choice! Not some hermits! And especially not the name of a dead house!" i yelled. I stormed out. Everyone looked at me with worry.
"That was…odd." streibough said.
"Indeed…he didn't speak to us. But spoke to rinne in private." oersted said.
"Yeah…except the fact we can hear everything through this thin door….who is that guy to judge who rinne loves? He's not her family!" kusa said.
"Yeah. the only family i need…is right here." i said as i kissed kusa on the lips and hugged him tightly.
"Alright you two! Save the lovey dovey stuff for later!" oersted said.
"Right. We have to save alethea. So you can do lovey dovey stuff with her!" kusa said with a smirk.
"Oh come on!" oersted yelled with a blush. Teasing him will be fun.
Kusa pov.
As we arrived at fugalia a child recognized oersted and wanted to show him to his parents. It seems after the tournament oersted got quite popular. As we continued looking around we found an old man.
"Now rest your weary bones. Of flames partake such quiet warmth. To wash away the pain. " the old man said. I then noticed the shield over the fire place.
"Isn't this the same shield we saw at that hermits place?" i asked.
"Young man! Wherefore do you know such things!?" the old man yelled. And thus we explained everything that's happened.
"Gods strike me down…the lord of dark returned. Thus do you seek the hero hasshe's aid…as you should 'twas by his mighty hand that demon died and all was set to rights. But weak. Complacent good folk came to be in vict'ry's wake reliant on our hasshe. So he then weary. All but spent withdrew to respite deserved midst the drifts of snow. Themselves alone they loved. He'd realized. In truth commanded and consumed by greed. And celebrated hero of lucrece sensed deep within his heart the selfsame sin. The covetous contempt for others grew. I envied these men. There lives simple...the songs that call young fools to glory great in due course condemns them to fall from grace. Within obscurity embrace. An end. Unburdened. Nameless. Aye that was our dream." the old man finally finished his ranting. Rinne fell asleep. She woke up.
"Uhh…is this geezer finally done?" rinne asked as she wiped the tiredness from her eyes. Only to get bonked on the head by streibough.
"But nameless you are not. For yours i know." streibough said.
"Indeed…with hasshe i faced the lord of dark. Then bold and brash…now simply uranus. To brave the mount. To risk one life and limb for alethea is a noble aim. But i would see hasshe and his heavy heart filled yet filled with hate for fellow man. Be cleansed. Without love. Without trust. Without faith i…i fear for him. And his immortal soul. So i will take up arms and join your quest and pray dear hasshe. My friend. Yet be swayed." uranus said. And thus our party is now five. And soon to be six. As we headed for hero's reach and returned to the hermit. That we now know is the hero hasshe. However he was just as silent with uranus as he was with everyone except rinne.
"Hasshe. Hasshe…will you look me in the eye. Will you not acknowledge a comrade true? The lord of dark has risen. We must act!" uranus yelled. Only for hasshe. To look away.
"Oh hasshe…" uranus said. I was done with this clown. So i walked over to the chest in the room and began lockpicking it.
"Kusa! What are you doing!?" oersted asked.
"What does it look like? I'm opening up this chest. So we can get the legendary sword brion." i said as i continued picking.
"Get away from that!" hasshe yelled.
"Finally done with the silent treatment?" i asked sarcastically.
"Brion is not meant for the hand's of a filthy rouge!" hasshe yelled.
"Who said i was gonna wield it? I was gonna give it to oersted. Besides why do you care? You're clearly hellbent on not using it. No you just want to sit here. And rot! While the lord of dark reeks havoc upon lucrece. Because nobody kissed your ass!" i yelled.
"The peoples troubles are beneath me!" hasshe yelled.
"oh you are so full of shit! Your no legendary hero. You're just a pathetic egotistical attention whore! And now if you'll excuse me. I need to get back to opening and give this legendary equipment to a real hero!" i yelled. As i tried to go back to picking the chest.
"What about you rouge!? Did you not get involved with my niece for the power of the berlinetta family!? Did you not join this young knights quest for glory!? To be loved by the people!?" hasshe yelled.
"Niece? Wait. you're a berlinetta!?" rinne yelled. Shocked and confused.
"We'll get back to that rinne. But the answer to both your questions is a solid no. i got involved with rinne because i love her. Simple as that. As for why i'm here with oersted. He's my best friend and his fiance has been kidnapped. I want to help him. I don't care for fame. Just helping my best friend. Nothing more. Nothing less." i said.
"Then you're a fool!" hasshe yelled.
"Maybe. But in my eyes. There's nothing wrong with that. Hell. it's usually fools that become legends." i said i began to pick the lock again and i finally got it open. I then pulled brion out of it and threw it to oersted only for it to be caught by hasshe.
"Fine…you want me to take up arms against the lord of dark again. You disrespectful rogue!? Then i will! Just know. I'm not doing it for the people. There troubles are beneath me still. I'm only doing this to shut you up! Besides. I'd rather not have my last surviving family member die to your stupid quest!" hasshe yelled. As he went to the chest and donned his armor.
"I'd prove you wrong! For peace of mind and pride!" hasshe yelled. Now our party is six. Even if it's this jackass. We had the two legendary heroes who defeated the lord of dark. Now it was time to kick some lord of dark ass. We then headed up the mountain right to a grave. hasshe held up brion at the lord of darks castle. Which caused the darkness stopping us. To disappear.
"By all the gods i swear! With sacred blade! I'll slay you! And send you back from once you came!" hashe yelled. We then traveled all the way down hero's rest and traveled to archons roost. The place was a dark cave with flaming skulls. Being the only source of light. Not only that. But the monsters here. Are definitely the toughest. But we slayed them and pushed on. And found ourselves in a room with seven bizarre statues. Three I recognized. As a tyrannosaurus rex. A long extinct species. And two warriors wearing kung fu belts. I've never met a kung fu master before. But anyone that can end lives with their bare hands. Is one of the deadliest warriors you'll ever meet. The rest we're alot harder to recognize. The fourth one was another human. But what was odd was his weapon. Some big piece of metal with 6 smaller pieces of metal in a circle. Other were two were of some grotesque bird and frog monster. The last one looked like some sort of skull monster. Except made from something…blocky.
We then move to the next room. And everyone drew there weapons.
"It ends this day! O lord of dark!" hasshe yelled. The torched in the room then lit up. As the lord of dark appeared in front of us.
"hasshe the hunter! And uranus the priest! With righteous fervor they come. Confident. That all can be reclaimed. Redeemed. Absolved…in death you'll understand my true design!" the lord of dark yelled.
"I've got you! Crushing blow!" oersted yelled. Swinging his sword hard. Breaking through the lord of darks skin. Making him more vulnerable. Streibough and uranus hit it with lightning and light magic respectively. However the lord of dark responded with with a maelstrom of blades made of thunder. Everyone except renne and me got hit. And everyone was on their knees.
"Uranus! Streibough! Focus on healing! Oersted! Hasshe! You me and rinne focus on attacking!" i ordered. hasshe clearly wanted to argue. But the lord of dark wouldn't give us that chance. As streibough and uranus kept healing us! We dealt blow after blow. Causing the lord of darks skin to constantly break apart. And he began to seriously bleed. It was time to hit it with our final attacks
"Have at thee! Heavenly strike!" oersted shouted. As he jumped up high an stabs his sword through the lord of dark. Causing a flaming crater.
"Death trail!" hasshe yelled. As an huge dragons comes from his sword and throws it at the lord of dark. Throwing him in the wall.
"Blazing hell and ice age!" rinne yelled. As fire and ice magic quickly formed from her katanas. She then jumped up high and slashed with her sword an in x sending a huge blast of ice and fire at the lord of dark. Causing it to burn and freeze at the same time. How was that possible? I have no idea. Now it was my turn.
"God's hand!" i yelled as my gauntlet got charged with divine light! And then i punched the lord of dark through the chest. I then ripped out it's heart and crushed it. It fell over. Disappearing into black smoke. "Stay dead this time! You unholy pile of shit!" i yelled.
"The fiend played us for fools…'twas false. This lord of dark." hasshe said. As he fell to his knees.
"A shadow cast by minion small. A trickster. Nothing more!" hasshe yelled as he coughed…he was coughing up blood. Rinne laughed.
"This is some sick joke the world's playing on me…i find out i still have an uncle alive…and now he's going to be taken by the same illness. That took everyone else!" rinne yelled. As tears came down her face. "I just don't get it. Why am i the only not sick from the plague. Why the hell am i still alive!?" rinne yelled.
"I do not know girl…but i do know that our family is blessed that you survived…your just like your mother…kind. Even to a man filled with hatred like me…then again…if the world was more just. Things like those bullies going unpunished. While the man who did the right thing. Gets expelled from the knight academy wouldn't happen." hasshe said. We all looked at him in shock.
"When?" i asked.
"Back at the capital when we restocked…oersted told me…you may have been forced to walk the path of the rogue…but your heart is that of a true knight….take good care…of my niece…" hasshe said as he breathed his last. Falling on the ground. Dead. rinne burst into tears. She was now truly the last berlinetta. I picked up the brion sword. And handed it to oersted.
"I-i'm not worthy." oersted said.
"The king put his faith in you. Alethea put her faith in you. Everyone in lucrece put there faith in you. Me rinne and streibough put there faith in you…if your not worthy to wield this blade…then who is oersted?" i asked. He then nodded and took the blade from my hand. Streibough then looked over at the statue. "What are you doing streibough?" i asked.
"Dear alethea!...she's not here!" stribough yelled as the words on the statue began to light up and the room began to shake. "The mountain shudders! We must flee this place!" streibough yelled. Me rinne uranus and oersted immediately ran! We got out of the room. Only to hear streiboughs scream of agony!
"Streibough? Streibough!" i yelled only to be met with silence. I punched the wall. "Shit!" i yelled. With no other choice. We retreated back to the castle to rest. I was in a room with a king sized bed. I'm sharing it with rinne. While oersted and uranus are in another room. With two separate beds. I pulled off one of my shoes and threw it across the room in frustration.
"I take it your mad?" rinne asked.
"How could i not? That couldn't have gone any worse. We waste our time with a wannabe! hasshe and streibough are now dead! And we didn't find even a hair of alethea. The only way it could have gone any worse is if all of us died!" i yelled.
"Yeah…and i find out i actually had an uncle still alive…only for him to die shortly after. By the same plague that killed everyone else. What am i? Cursed!?" rinned yelled. As tears fell down her face. I hugged her tightly.
"You still have me…you won't get rid of me that easily." I said with a smile. Rinne wiped the tears from her face.
"Just…hold me…i really need it right now…" rinne said. I did as she asked. And we both fell asleep in each others arms.
"Kusa…disaster is approaching. Wake up! WAKE UP AND GET TO THE THRONE ROOM! SAVE THE KING! SAVE OERSTED FROM THE DARK ROAD THAT FATE HAS IN STORE!" a voice in my head yelled. I woke up in the middle of the night. Rinne still holding me tightly. I didn't want to leave her side. But i can't shake the feeling that something bad is about to happen. So i got up and put a pillow into rinne's grip. And then i headed into the throne room. And i saw oersted with his sword drawn. Aimed directly at the king. Just as oersted struck. I got in between him and the king. And blocked brion with my gauntlets.
"What the hell are you doing oersted!?" i asked.
"Why are you stopping me kusa!? This is our chance to destroy the lord of dark!" oersted yelled. I knew what was going on. Oersted was under an illusion spell. The lord of dark is certainly clever. Trying to frame oersted with regicide. But i won't let that happen.
"That's not the lord of dark! Your under an illusion spell!" i yelled. As i threw a despell bomb to the ground. Causing oersted to cough. And see the truth. He then dropped his sword.
"I almost killed the king?" oersted asked in disbelief.
"The lord of dark tried to frame us with regicide. But i won't allow that!" i yelled.
"Thank you my friend. For preventing me from making a big mistake." oersted said with a smile.
"What are friends for?" i asked. Oersted then kneeled in front of the king.
"Forgive me your majesty. I almost fell for the lord of dark's vile trickery." oersted said. Kneeling his head down in shame.
"You can make it up to me my boy…by not giving up and slaying the lord of dark! And saving my child!" the king yelled with that same determination when he first sent us on this mission.
"Yes! Your highness! I will." oersted said with the same fiery determination when he first took this quest. The king then looked to me.
"Young rouge. True friends are hard to come by. But i can tell that your a true friend to my boy! Please grant him your and lady rinne's support."
"Don't even need to ask your majesty. He's got it ever since we first became friend's" i said with a smile. We then headed back to our rooms to sleep. As i got back to my room. Rinne was awake. Staring at me.
"Mind telling me where you went?" rinne asked. I told her what happened. And was shocked. "Okay. i'm not so mad anymore. If oersted actually killed the king. We and uranus would have been sentenced to death alongside him!" rinne yelled and shuddered.
"Yeah. disaster averted…let's get some sleep. Because tomorrow. We have to back to archons roost." i said as i went back to holding rinne tight. And fell back asleep. The next day came. And once again we at the archons roost. This time. We would succeed. Any monster that got in our way was immediately sliced to pieces or smashed. We ran back to the room that streibough and hasshe died in. and this time we found a secret entrance. After slaying the phobia monster's And headed even further up this cursed mountain. We finally reached the top. This has to be the where the princess is.
"Uranus. You stay down here." i said.
"Why? Will you not need my aid?" uranus asked.
"We already lost one legendary hero. We can't lose the other." i said.
"Alright…i have faith in you. Go forth. Young knight. Young rouge. And young samurai. And claim your destiny!" uranus cheered. As we nodded and headed up the stairs. So close to the end of this journey. As we reached the top. We heard a familiar yet distorted voice.
"A promise fulfilled for king and country." the voice. It then came out of hiding. Revealing itself to be…streibough!?
"We thought you were dead. What happened?" rinne asked.
"...that illusion spell…it was yours wasn't it?" i asked. Oersted and rinne looked at me with shock.
"Ever the clever rouge kusa…yes it was me…" streibough said. With no guilt in his voice.
"You tried to frame me for regicide!?" oersted asked in shock.
"What the hell streibough!? If it succeeded all of us would have been executed!" rinne yelled.
"I'm well aware of that…" streibough said. Without any regret. He didn't care if we died alongside oersted.
"Streibough…why? I thought we were friends…"oersted said completely and utterly hurt.
"We were…until that tournament…the contests champion. So strong and bold. Abandoned good hasshe. Left to rot! You were supposed to kill that thieving king! Who gifted you my love! And become disgraced be labeled as a demon! But you had to block the blade! All three of you are nothing but selfish beasts! Never content to share your spoils. Never to care about anything that didn't involve you. I tried friend's. I believed that you could change. But that competition in you cannot you'd never settle. Never let me win! Not even when i begged! For love! For love! None of you have no idea how i wept that night. You lustful wretch! How could you understand!? You've never loved! nor lost! Nor known shame!" streibough ranted.
"Are you done?" i asked.
"What?" streibough asked.
"Are you expecting any of us to feel bad for you? Well we don't. You said you wanted love. If you can't get the girl in your sights. Simply find another. If your expecting sympathy from me or rinne. You're shit out of luck. You made it crystal clear. That you didn't care if me rinne and uranus also got sent to the gallows as long as you got petty revenge on oersted! And it's even more hilarious. When what your getting revenge for is as petty. As a wounded pride. And bottomless envy! And because of that. You sold your soul to the devil. I can't believe i was friends with someone so pathetic. Alethea dodged an arrow. A princess deserves far better. Than a pathetic backstabbing mage. who's jealousy knows no bounds." i said.
"Y-you how dare you look down on me kusa! You're just a lowly rogue!" streibough yelled. Utter hatred coming from his voice.
"Yeah i'm a lowly rouge. A lowly rouge with a beautiful woman at my side. True love. Something you'll never have. Face it streibough. You didn't lose to oersted…you lost to yourself. Hell would have to freeze over before you did anything meaningful with your miserable existence!" i yelled. Streibough was utterly seething with anger. As he jumped in the air. Darkness surrounding him.
"You will repay my loyalty! In death!" streibough yelled.
"There's not a chance in hell. That we're going to lose to such a pathetic loser!" i yelled as we all drew our weapons.
"Have at thee! Heavenly strike!" oersted yelled as he thrusted his sword down on streibough causing an crater.
"I'll never kneel to you! Gale force!" streibough yelled. An ball of wind came at oersted. But i blocked it.
"My turn you backstabbing bastard! Leaf blade!" i yelled as i green blade of magic appeared on my gauntlets elbows. As i double slashed streibough.
"Burn in hell kusa! Red cage!" streibough yelled as soon a cage of flames surrounded how ever it was soon absorbed by rinnes fire katana.
"Thanks for the flames streibough! Now fall you traitor! Demonic tiger blade!" rinne yelled. As a red tiger with horns appeared behind her. It then went in to her swords giving them a red aura. She jumped and slashed down. Causing a red explosion.
"Enough! I'll destroy all of you. Black abyss!" streibough yelled as black orbs appeared behind him. He threw them at us. I managed to dodge all of them but oersted and rinne weren't so lucky. As they we're on the ground. Badly hurt.
"Looks like your alone now kusa! Who's pathetic now!?" streibough yelled.
"Still you. And i'm gonna prove it by ending this now!" i yelled.
"Then hit me with your best shot! You lowly rouge!" streibough challenged.
"Okay. you asked for it. My ultimate attack! Dark lethality!" i yelled as a dark aura emanated from me. And before anyone knew. I was behind streibough. In the next three seconds he was on his knees. Vomiting tons of blood.
"You triumph to the last…such greed." streibough as he finally fell over dead. I then healed oersted and rinne. Alethea came out of hiding. She looked at streibough's body then oersted.
"Why now husband. I waited. But you never came in you i placed my trust. And my faith. Even though good streibough. He… and despite that wrong. He loved me still. He suffered dearly. For your sake. Your pride. A hero's legend built on sacrifice. With victories hard won by better men! And yet despite that…you two stand by his side! You didn't care what streibough felt in the slightest. Anointed heroes! Glory to their names and streibough. Sweet and humble be forgot. But not by me." alethea said. Clearly she was manipulated by streibough. She then pulled out a knife.
"I will not betray our love!" she yelled. However before she could stab herself. I grabbed the knife. Ripped it out of her hand. And threw it off the cliff. I then slapped her across the face.
"You won't even let me be with him? You damn rouge!" alethea yelled.
"Your highness…shut the hell up! And Open your damn ears to learn the truth! And then proceed to feel like the biggest idiot. As you almost killed yourself over a manipulative prick!" i yelled. And then explain everything that happened. How we would have gotten here sooner if streibough didn't double cross us. About how he tried to use an illusion spell to get oersted to kill her father. And how he was the one who had her kidnapped in the first place. All because he was jealous of oersted. And sore loser. She was quiet for ten minutes.
"I–i'm sorry. For the things i said. I was foolish. I almost took my own life because of this man!? You were right kusa. I do feel like the biggest idiot." alethea said. With shame on her face. Oersted picked her up. Bridal style.
"Do you mind if i carry you home?" oersted asked.
"Not at all…you're my husband after all." alethea said with a smile.
"Great. Happy ending for all! Now can we get out of here! This place gives me the creeps!" rinne yelled.
"I agree with her. I wish not to see this place for as long as I live." alethea said as she buried her face into oersteds shoulder. He smiled. We soon walked down the stairs. But then the voice in my head came back.
"Don't relax just yet. the worst is yet to come." the voice said. I looked behind me to see a shadowy demonic figure.
"What the hell is that!?" I asked. Oersted and rinne also looked to see the figure.
"This wasn't how it was supposed to go…you weren't supposed to get this happy ending! You were supposed to fall into despair. Be filled with hatred. And become the lord of dark!" the figure yelled. At oersted.
"What are you talking about? Who and what are you!?" oersted asked.
"I am the lord of dark odeo! You already know me. After all…" the shadow figure. Then shapeshifted into…another oersted!? This one had glowing red eyes. "I am you." the demon oersted said.
"No! That can't be true! I would never become the lord of dark!" oersted yelled.
"I thought the same thing. That is until the good people of lucrece labeled me a demon when i was tricked into murdering the king. After that i was labeled a demon. But even after that. Even after uranus died to free me from my cell. I still had one hope. Alethea. However that hope was destroyed when that harlot killed herself to be with streibough! I had no hope left…just pure hatred. So i decided to wipe humanity from this world! Not just in our time but all times from the past to the future. I wiped out everything! The heroes from across time tried to stop me. But they failed! And i was now left alone…with nothing but the empty kingdom of lucrece!...but as i stood on that balcony reflecting on my past mistakes. I happen to come across this timeline!...to think…the man destined to become the lord of dark odeo. Actually got the happy ending he desired. What was the difference between this timeline and mine? What stopped you from becoming the demon of hatred…oh wait. I know." the demon oersted then pointed at me.
"It was you. Kusa tachinowarui. The rogue. The third best friend. Loyal to the end. An existence that should not have been! You stopped oersted from killing the king. You stopped him from going down the path of dark!" the demon oersted yelled. I remembered the voice. The one that woke me up. And warned me of the disaster that was coming. I stopped oersted from becoming odio. Oersted then put alethea down. "Your highness. Return to the castle. This is something i must face." oersted said.
"Please…all of you come back." alethea said. As she ran out of the archon's roost.
"If what you say is true….then your a mistake that i must correct!" oersted yelled as he drew his sword.
"Do you three really think you can defeat me?...you three really are fools. Now. allow me to show the power. That erased mankind!" the demonic oersted yelled as a massive red aura flowed from him. And everything went dark. When we could see again we saw a giant suit of armor. With red flaming claws. It's helmet had red glowing eyes. It was emanating red flames and at the center of it's chest was red flesh. That held the demonic oersted real body. This is the true power of the lord of dark.
"We have come too far…i won't let you destroy our world! We will have our happy ending! The one the world unfairly robbed you off! Let's end this! Oersted!" i yelled. As me our oersted. And rinne ready for battle.
"Oersted! Rinne! Hold nothing back!"
"You got it! Ice of hell and fires of heaven!" rinne yelled as she fire katana gave a golden flame. While her ice sword had dark aura emanating from it. She then slashed with her ice sword causing the hand to freeze and then slashed with the fire sword. Causing an explosion that blew the hand to pieces.
"Have at thee! Holy trail!" oersted yelled as a big golden dragon came from his sword. And bit on the other hand. And exploded reducing the hand to ashes. Odio then screamed as a big red explosion came from it. It was impossible to dodge. Both oersted and rinne were both badly hurt. I was smoking from that attack.
"Hmm..your still standing…" odeo said sounding impressed.
"I have not come this far to fall now! I won't lose to you! Dark lethality!" i yelled as i once again struck again. Onto the demonic oersted in his chest. Which tons of blood came from his mouth!
"That really hurt! It's obvious your a threat to my exsistance…that's why you must be erased. Good bye. Kusa tachinowarui! Thousand curses!" odeo yelled as a bunch of dark hands came out of the ground and grabbed me. I tried to break free but it was no use. I was pulled into the abyss of darkness. Last thing i heard was oersted and rinne yelling my name!
My consciousness is fading…is this where my journey ends? To fall to the greatest evil the world has ever seen? I was about to fall asleep. But then memories started to flow into my head. Memories. hasshe who continued to fight. Even when deafly ill. Memories off uranus…who gifted us with his knowledge. Memories of the king. Who lit the fires of determination in our hearts. Memories of streibough. The good times before this cursed quest. Memories of oersted. My best friend. Who i stood by even into hell itself. And he by me…memories of rinne. The girl who's heart i stole…and she stole mine in return!
That's when I remembered…I'm not just fighting for myself. I'm fighting for the people who opened their hearts to me. Who stood by my side even at the worst of times. And for those who died or fell into madness because of this damn quest! For the people i believe in. for the kingdom that was my home! And for the people who put their faith in a lowly rouge like me! I will not lose. Release restraint!
Oersted pov
A purple light blasted from where kusa was absorbed by the ground. And out came kusa but transformed. His skin black with purple lines he had the horns of a demon. And the wings of an angel.
"What incredible power…but it will change nothing…the hatred of mankind will pull you in again!" odeo yelled. The black hands came back. But they just phased through kusa like he wasn't there.
"Impossible!...doesn't matter i have plenty of other ways to destroy you!" odeo yelled as he fired a laser beam at kusa.
"Akira tadokoro!" kusa yelled. As a big metal hand block the laser!
"Using the powers of the fallen heroes to stop me? They couldn't stop me now. Why do you think they'll stop me now!" odeo yelled as his metal hands returned.
"Lei kugo! Masaru takahara!" kusa yelled. As the two hands were destroyed by an angelic kung fu master and an angelic wrestler who both punched with enough force to split in half.
"You will not win!" odeo yelled as he charged a ball of dark energy.
"Sundown kid!" kusa yelled as another angel appeared. It fired a bizarre weapon at the ball. Which cost it to explode right in the face of odeo.
"You will die here! You damn rouge!" odeo yelled as he send an enormous amount of red blades at kusa!
"Oboromaru!" kusa yelled as another angel. Dressed in black garb. Wielding the same foriegn sword that rinne uses. And slashed through all the blades. And when he sheathed his sword. A big slash hit odeo.
"Seeing if one of those fallen heroes can save you from this!" odeo said as he fired off another giant explosion. It was certainly going to kill us all.
"Cube!" kusa yelled. And summoned. What looked like a metal ball on metal feet. It's body unfolded. Putting up a shield that stopped the explosion dead in it's tracks.
"Impossible!" odeo yelled. Kusa hand him on the robes.
"I'm more than just an rogue! I'm an armageddon knight! I exist to destroy evil like you! now perish! Oersted!" kusa yelled as an angelic version of myself appeared. Wiedling a heavenly claymore. It flew high above odeo. And charged his sword with holy magic causing it to reach the sky and slashed down! Cutting him in the half down the middle. The battle was finally over! As we were back on the archons roost. Staring down the wounded demon me.
"Your unreal…such power…no wonder you changed this timelines version of me's fate. But no matter how much power you wield…you cannot travel through time. Where my incarnations will reek in places where you cannot hope to reach. In times way before any of us were born…or to times where all of us would be ash…as for me. I'll return to empty lucrece that i reside alone! And watch…as this incarnations tear this timeline from places you cannot reach! Goodbye kusa!" the demonic me laughed. As he teleported. Back to the empty hell he wrought upon himself.
"I-is it over?" alethea asked.
"No. this is just beginning!" kusa said as he walked towards us and then closed his eyes and a bright light consumed us. When the light cleared we were back at the castle.
"Oh well. That's convenient!" rinne yelled.
"My child. Your safe!" the king yelled as he ran up and hugged alethea. "You did it my boy! You truly are a worthy successor!"
"Yeah! I will protect this kingdom! As i am the hero!" i yelled.
"Nice to see that despite the fact that you we're now at war with an evil lord of dark version of you! You still have that determination!" rinne said. The king looked confused.
"It's a long story your majesty." i said i was about to explain but then i felt the castle shake it was coming from the garden. Me and rinne ran over to see what was causing it to see kusa standing in front of seven statues that weren't there before. The first statue was that of a one eyed caveman holding an axe made of bone in one hand. And a dagger made from a t rexes tooth in the other. The next one was of a shirtless martial artist his back and arms covered in tattoos. The next one was like a female version of the black garbed angel that kusa summoned to deflect the blades. Her weapon's being 2 dagger-like katanas. The next one was a female version of the angel kusa summoned to stop the dark bomb. The statue depicted her playing an instrument. While a two handed version of the weapon that the sundown kid had was at her side.
The next one was another woman with long hair and a jacket on her shoulders. Her grin and and the pose she was making just screamed she was ready for a fist fight. The next one depicted a girl with short hair wearing an outfit with a short skirt and a tie. Sitting on a bench next to a bag. The final one depicts something similar to the medal ball. But shaped like a human and had another weapon like the ones hat wearing ones wield but more…advanced?
"Kusa what are these?" i asked.
"It's like odeo said. I can't travel through time. But i can do what he did. And send incarnations of myself to those times! Where ever odeo rises. So shall i. Whenever he tries to spread his evil. And bring chaos and destruction to the world. I will stop him. And protect the weak. And destroy those foolish enough to follow him!" kusa said. He finally turned back into his normal form. He then fell to his knees. I checked on him.
"I'm fine oersted…just exhausted…he will return…once his incarnations are dead. He will come for us again!" kusa said.
"And when he does…we'll be ready!" I yelled with determination.
"Yeah…until then…we train…and enjoy the time we have. With the people we love. It may be the last time we see them." kusa said. I put my hand on his shoulder.
"It won't be…we will win!" i yelled as i looked him in the eyes. He just smirked.
"Hard to believe the man who became the lord of dark odeo is so optimistic." kusa said.
"Well i have a certain green haired rouge to thank for that!" i said. We both laughed.
Kusa pov./epilogue.
It all began with a quest to save the princess alethea. It was a noble quest…but this quest turned out to be cursed. Not only did this quest result in the death of one of our kingdoms greatest heroes. The demon slayer hasshe. It also made streibough one of my best friends go mad. This quest was also destined to ruin my other best friend oersted's life. To leave him with nothing. Alone. Utterly alone. To be cast out. unloved. outside the grace of gods. His life torn to shreds left only with the road to hell to walk. Becoming the greatest evil to our world. the demon king odeo. I saved him from this fate. By stopping the event that was the beginning and one of the biggest reasons for his fall. Being tricked into murdering the king. I even managed to make alethea to see that she was manipulated by streibough. Thus saving her life as well. However this whole time. We We're being watched. By an oersted who became the demon king and won against the heroes. Reducing the entire world into an empty wasteland. Jealous of my timeline's oersted getting the happy ending he never got. He came here to try to do what he did to his world to ours. Thanks to a divine power that has awakened within me. I managed to drive odeo back to his timeline. However, The lord of dark has not given up. He has sent his incarnations to different periods of time. Times when I was nowhere close to being born. And times so far into the future. I will be nothing but ash. To combat this new threat. I too created incarnations of myself. The light to his darkness. Whenever he arises to spread hatred and despair. So will I. to protect the innocent and show no mercy to the wicked. I suspect that once his incarnations fall. He will return…and when he does. We'll be ready…this battle is far from over.