Naofumi was re-bandaging Raphtalia's cursed burns one night as both his and Chazon's party rested. With only 10 days left until the wave, both parties agreed to scout out potential disaster areas since going for a class up out of the country was impossible. Bandaging Raphtalia again reminded him of how she got her wounds and he shuddered when he remembers Chazon's weapon acting up as well. I need to talk with him, especially if he's been struggling like I have…

After bandaging his party member and forcing her and Filo to stop fighting lest they wake everyone else up, Naofumi had taken to crafting more accessories and medicine since he couldn't sleep yet. He was brought out of his slight stupor when he noted Chazon out in the hallway and followed him out there. "Can't sleep either?"

"Not really… I suppose it's a mix of trying to craft accessories in the way you taught me and the anticipation of the next wave , though I would be lying if I said those were the only reasons." Chazon sighed somberly.

Naofumi decided to rip one bandage off. "I need to ask you… have you been experiencing… some kind of dark power?"

Chazon gave him a shocked look. "How…?"

"When that bitch tried to make us dual again, I saw your weapon's jewel turn pitch black for a second and I noticed your mental struggle."

There was a long silence before Chazon sighed again. "I can't get anything by you, can I? I'll admit, I've been suffering something of a… hatred problem as of late. However, can you promise me not to tell anyone else what I'm about to tell you?"

"You have my word, though we should go outside to discuss it properly."

After the two of them went out, Chazon rubbed his head. "Alright… where to start?"

From there, Naofumi learned of the time his whole party was captured and about to be raped while the same noble who tried to rape Rino had her taken away. "When I kept hearing from those "mercs" how they were going to… have their way, my hatred grew deeper and darker… until I wanted everyone there to die. At that moment… I unlocked something horrible: a spear known as Hatred's Trident… and took my first sapient life without mercy."

Naofumi was shocked to learn that not only was his fellow hero suffering something similar to him, but he had also murdered. Chazon kept going, "During that entire time, I hated everything but I was trying my best to not hate my party members. After giving the noble his deserved death, they all tried to calm me down… and the full weight of what I'd done hit me." Chazon's voice had begun to grow quiet, like he was reliving painful memories. "I… I was poisoning them with the miasma coming off my weapon… and I couldn't control it…"

There was a short pause before Naofumi sighed. "At least you controlled yourself enough to not hurt your party members directly… unlike me…" Chazon looked at him as he shook his head. "I unlocked something somewhat similar to your weapon: the Shield of Wrath, unlocked when I was asked if I hated everything and wanted everything to die when I thought Filo was killed." Naofumi gave Chazon the softest look he has ever given. "Those cursed burns on Raphtalia? Her reward for trying to bring me out of my wrath…"

I… I never knew… Chazon gave Naofumi a hug, which he returned. "I'm glad you're back to normal, but that must have been… horrible. I felt bad enough putting my entire party through the mental anguish of wondering if I was irreversibly changing. I don't think I could have bared it if I had directly harmed them…"

Naofumi broke the hug with a sigh. "Yeah… though I can't imagine what you went through when you realized that you took lives, no matter how much they deserved it, and when you briefly poisoned your own party. Anyways, when I unlocked it, it said something about a "Cursed Series" or something like that…"

Chazon gave him an odd look. "When I unlocked Hatred's Trident, mine said it was part of the Corruption Series. I vaguely recall meeting the requirements for it back at the dual, but I never bothered to remember that until then."

"Same time as my Cursed Series… that night really was hell for both of us. I was burning with wrath while you were freezing with despair… somehow fitting our dynamic." He admitted with a chuckle.

Chazon nodded before looking wistfully at the night sky. "Here's hoping… that we never have to use such cursed or corruptive power in the future."

"Agreed but we can't count on not doing so ever again. We'll need every advantage we can get if we wish to survive." Naofumi thought of something else. "As a side note, thanks for all your help with gathering materials for medicine and accessories. Because both our carriages can carry a good number of goods, we'll be amply prepared for the wave."

That was another dynamic the two heroes shared. Chazon had a fondness for gathering materials, but not crafting with them unless it's something only he specifically can craft, like Aetheryte Crystals. The only reason he's dabbling in accessory crafting is because his wish to strengthen his party members in SOME way is pushing him. On the other side, Naofumi was always a crafter and trader but disliked having to forage for his own materials, despite having to do it for this entire time.

Both of them wished that they didn't have to stay separated for levels; the only reason why they could work together the way they are now is because there was no concern for such things.

Naofumi stood in silence for a bit before nodding at his fellow hero. "The plan starting tomorrow hasn't changed. We head to Lute to get some direction recommendations for heading north and scout out the land for potential disaster areas."

"10-4, hopefully the next wave doesn't hit as hard as the last one. The normal monsters were weak enough, but I'd rather not deal with another Heavensward Mauler." Chazon shuddered at that. "I've dealt with enough bear monsters for a lifetime now…"

That got a small chuckle out of Naofumi "I get the feeling the last wave was special… somehow. But I'm also getting a bad feeling from this one as well."

"Agreed. The pre-wave preparation will definitely be necessary."

Rino and Rifana observed the two heroes chatting down below, even if they weren't really eavesdropping. Rifana sighed at the sight. "It's kind of surreal, isn't it? My village revered the Shield Hero due to him being the savior of us demi-humans. Now here's the current Shield Hero, interacting with my own savior."

Rino nodded at that. "The Four Cardinal Heroes were always legends to look up to. I'll confess… I may have objectified Chazon-kun a bit too much in the beginning, but… after confronting him in his despair… I know better now." She looks at the spear hero with a small smile which quickly turned somber. The man that I love so dearly… yet here I am, still being cowardly in expressing my love for him. Even after the many times we fell asleep together, which should have been the turning point.

Rifana must have sensed some of her inner turmoil because she suddenly said, "Don't worry. Come what may, I'm sure Chazon-sama will understand. The incident with him becoming so full of hate should turn out fine as long as we continue to be there for him."

Rino nodded at that. She's right… no matter what happens, I refuse to let anything push me away from him… not even his own dark emotions.

Kardia had been laying in bed with Amber and Obsidian; the two of them had played very hard with Filo earlier and were out like lights as soon as they got in bed with "Kardia-nee." She had been wondering about some things herself, like why her very soul suddenly had hatred seeping into it. Thinking about it… I wonder if that lends credence to how Siltvelt sees multi-tailed kitsunes as monsters. She remembered Chazon's promise to her and smiled softly.

The road trip had proven interesting. After stopping at Lute for some recommendations for places to check out up north, they had passed a village who had a high toll even though Naofumi had a trader's pass. The derelict state of the town led both parties to agree that the lord was a scumbag, but there wasn't much they could do about it so close to the wave.

The really interesting point came after traveling further north. When they reached a ruined town, they found Itsuki and his party trying their best to help out the villagers. He rushed over with a small group of villagers when he saw the two carriages. "Naofumi, Chazon! Do you have any edible food with you guys? I'll gladly pay for it!"

"We'll pitch in as best we can as well, Itsuki-sama. Please!" one of the villagers said. They were willing to offer up various objects for even a morsel of food.

Naofumi noted their clothes. "Are you guys from around here?"

Itsuki grimaced at that. "No… they're refugees from the northern kingdom. I'll explain in a bit, but I beg you to help them anyway!"

Chazon nodded and looked at his party. "Let's get a temporary kitchen set up to feed them. Prioritize the children first!" There were gasps of relief from the group as Itsuki sighed.

After the refugees had eaten the stew that was made by both Naofumi and Chazon, the Spear Hero switched to his BioPlant Halberd and withdrew four of the many BioPlant seeds in his inventory. He had his status magic register the stats for Red BioFruit seeds, marked it as a favorite and made all 4 seeds have them. He turned to the refugee representative. "Are you guys going to stay in this abandoned village?"

He nods. "This is the only place we could find. We didn't have the strength to keep going and we wanted shelter no matter how ruined it was."

That was all the confirmation Chazon needed to know as he went around to plant the seeds in four different spots around the ruined plaza. He made sure the well was still receiving water before turning to the rep. "I've planted some seeds that'll help you and yours for a while, but make sure to keep them watered. Additionally, I'd recommend finding some way to keep your people sustained for a foreseeable future outside of my gift to you."

The representative, realizing what Chazon did, grabbed his hand and shook it tearfully. "Thank you, brave hero! Thank you to both you and your fellow heroes!" He rushed off to tell his people the good news.

Chazon noted Itsuki sitting off by himself and sat down with him. "Talk to me, maybe you'll feel better."

Itsuki gave a start when he heard Chazon and also noted Naofumi had approached as well. He let out a somber sigh. "I… just wish I had more foresight than this…"

"Itsuki, my old man always told me that "hindsight is 20-20" no matter what. What matters is that you're willing to learn from your mistakes." Chazon gets a nod from that.

Naofumi gave the Bow Hero some credit in his mind. Whatever he did, at least he was trying to rectify it like Ren did. I don't recall Chazon speaking with Itsuki, though…

Finally Itsuki started explaining, "I was commissioned by the adventurer's guild to help overthrow a despot in one of the northern countries before the last wave. When I arrived, I had joined the resistance that had been fighting against the ruler and vying for more freedom. Apparently, I was the tipping point in those battles as we had routed the ruler's forces with ease.

"But… before I set out, Ren had told me to "fact check" and talk to everyone involved as best as possible before setting out for my objective. I was initially wondering why him of all people told me to do so… but when I heard that it was advice from you, Chazon, something told me to at least try. Maybe out of respect for the fact that… seeing you leave the dual so broken made me want to follow that advice out of respect for you." Chazon nodded at that while Naofumi smiled a bit; it looked like both the Sword and Bow Heroes really did hold Chazon in some regard.

Itsuki continued, "I had my party and myself check around the towns as much as possible. It did seem like joining the resistance was the right thing to do. However… I had also heard that the leader wasn't doing it out of greed, but necessity. Because of the waves and how they could strike anywhere at any time. Naturally, the only person to know for sure what his mindset is was the leader himself, so I helped the resistance storm his stronghold.

"I didn't have him killed on sight. Instead, I tried to reason with him and… he was receptive of it. He didn't want to tax his people so heavily. His knights and guards were all demanding higher compensation in return for continued protection. He was willing to become a simple advisor to the leaders of the resistance. That meant that, as far as I knew, my job was done. I had even checked on all of the citizens before trying to make my way back to Melromarc."

Itsuki looked like he was on the verge of tears when he breathed in. "When I heard that the problems in the country had gotten worse, I rushed back to see what went wrong. I found out that the resistance had... executed the previous ruler under the charges of treason. Even though he wanted to help make his kingdom a better place to live. The leaders had kept the taxes hiked up to the point where it was practically unlivable… but I managed to get at least one village evacuated before things got too bad."

Naofumi crossed his arms in thought. Sounds like he got played for a fool… just like Ren when he took the job of killing a dragon that was supposed to be peaceful. Unlike Ren, though… the consequences of his actions weren't borne of neglect… but from cold-hard betrayal of trust.

Itsuki's tears had started running down his face as he shuddered, remembering all of the people who he failed to save. "Why? Why did it turn out this way? Wasn't everything supposed to be alright after the quest ended?"

"I hate to say this… but by the sound of things, all you did was switch up who was running the place." Naofumi stated with a sigh. "But… even worse is the one cold truth that I learned early during my time in this world: sometimes… your trust isn't always well spent."

Chazon patted the Bow Hero in comfort. "You did your best with what was given to you and you even tried to help people out in the fallout. I've talked to everyone here, Itsuki, and none of them blame you or your party for what has happened. They were grateful that you confirmed what their wishes were, how they felt after… and even how you helped them after things didn't turn out the way everyone wanted them to."

"It… feels like it would be easier if they did just blame me…" The Bow Hero had started sobbing. "How many… how many people died because I just wanted to do the right thing? I trusted that the resistance would be a force for positive change. That by helping them, justice would be served. But… in the end… what was it all for? A lie?" Chazon gave Itsuki a hug as the Bow Hero broke down.

"Itsuki-sama." Itsuki saw some of his party members, as well as a good number of people he helped, over Chazon's shoulder as Alay addressed him. "We really did do our best for these people. Perhaps… one day, we'll find true justice for them like you dearly wished but for now, let us at least be glad we saved some of them. I heard of Chazon-sama's gift to these people. They'll be able to keep going despite their hardships."

Welst nodded at that. "Despite what Mald says, we did our best. The most we can do now is pray they can survive on the gifts that have been given to them." The refugees nodded at that.

"You guys…" Itsuki breaks the hug with Chazon and wipes his eyes. "You're right… and time spent sitting here weeping about it could be time spent doing our best in other endeavors." I've… never played a game that's broken my heart this badly… that has hurt me this badly…

Chazon got up and stood by Naofumi. "We're heading back to Castle Town soon to make our final preparations for the wave. Would you like to join us?"

Itsuki thought for a moment before nodding. "Perhaps that's a good idea. Besides… there isn't much time for levels to be gained anyways, so I'll take you up on that offer. We have our own carriage, so we'll follow you shortly."

After returning to Castle Town, with only about 27 hours until the wave, all three heroes decided to stop by a tavern for a meal. When they entered, who did they see but Ren and his own party. "Looks like all four of us are here, huh?"

Itsuki looked at the Sword Hero in surprise. "Ren?"

Naofumi snorted in amusement at that. "What a coincidence. How have you been since we parted company at Dragon Village?"

Ren sighed as he sat back down, with Wyndia giving him a concerned glance. "Honestly… I've been thinking about things. When I remember back to the last wave on the eve of the next, I remember hearing how you and Chazon defended the villagers of Lute. While Itsuki and I ran off to kill the boss, giving no regard to the small-folk. Then there's… what happened at Dragon Village and what became of the people there when I neglected my clean-up. That made me wonder… am I really a hero?"

Chazon walked over and gave Ren a pat on the shoulder. "You still did your best to save those you could. Plus, you ended the last wave much faster than if you two hadn't gone off to kill the boss."

"That is correct." Naofumi thought about it for a second. "That… might actually be the most efficient way to deal with the waves. Two heroes go right for the boss to end the wave sooner, while the other two go save the villages under attack by the small fry."

Ren and Itsuki look at each other. "Then… who do you propose goes to fight the boss and who defends?"

"Hmm… my job is to defend, so I know what I'm doing… though I'll be sure to tell the villagers that anyone off to kill the boss did so because they trusted me and the other hero to defend the civilians. Ren, since you're the most damage focused, you'll be best suited for going after the boss." Ren nodded at that

Chazon crossed his arms. "Meanwhile, Itsuki and I could fit either role fine."

Itsuki thought about it before motioning at the Shield and Spear Heroes. "You two know each other better than we do, so having the same set-up as before might be for the best. Ren and I know how we each fight, so we can do our best on that front."

Naofumi chuckled at that. "Just remember to try everything you can think of in case a strategy does not work. In the event that nothing works, try and find a way to distract the boss until we can reinforce your positions."

Itsuki nodded at that before Alay came to him with a slip of paper. "Seems there is a guild request to overthrow a lord in the northern territories. Apparently the lord there has been taxing citizens beyond the court's set limits."

Naofumi and Chazon looked at each other with frowns. "I think we know what region you're talking about. We had to pay a hefty toll just to get through, even with a trader's pass."

Itsuki grimaced. "This'll have to be saved for after the wave. When we do, I'll head out to the neighboring lands for more information before I rashly act. Hopefully I won't have a repeat of what happened the last time I accepted a guild request…"

Ren nodded at his fellow hero. "Itsuki, shall we have our parties come together to strategize for the next wave?"

Naofumi and Chazon left after confirming that the other two heroes would be fine before returning to their parties. Rino looked at them curiously. "What were you guys talking about?"

"Strategy… It feels somewhat surreal that all four of us actually had a decent conversation, considering the rough start we had at the beginning." Chazon admitted as he sat down between her and Amber.

Naofumi nodded as he sat beside Raphtalia. "Perhaps we can work together after all. Something I thought to be a pipe dream after I was accused." Raphtalia held his hand in concern, which he smiled at.

Rifana wagged her tail in excitement. "If all four heroes are working together, then we have nothing to fear!"

"Daddy, I'll do my best with Filo-chan and Amber-nee!" Obsidian piped up; it'll be his second real battle and his first wave, yet he's excited all the same.

"Hear, hear, Kuro-kun!" Filo beamed at him.

Kardia nodded gently. "My magic is ready and willing."

Raphtalia fist pumped both hands in the air. "This wave will go even better!"

"I know it will and I know we can do it!" Rino piped up.

"If Papa is by my side, I can do anything!" Amber cheered, flapping her wings excitedly.

Naofumi and Chazon shook their heads at each other. "Wasn't expecting that, but I'm glad to see everyone so fired up. Here's hoping we can keep that momentum going throughout the wave."

"Don't forget we still need to pick up our stuff from Erhard." Naofumi reminded everyone. "Once we've done that, then our preparations are complete and we can begin our strategy meeting."

Erhard did not disappoint with the quality. Naofumi's armor got radically upgraded while including the dragon emperor's core. Chazon's custom armor was not only lighter and stronger, but made him look like a holy knight between the silver and the Heavensward fur; it even gave him a resistance to light magic.

Rino's magic gold dual blades were a sizable upgrade with the same focus on speed, while Rifana's light metal shield turned out great as well. Kardia, meanwhile, admired her magic silver mage armor and noted that she did feel a lot more focused with it equipped. That made Chazon blanch at not getting her proper armor before.

Erhard looked at the newly outfitted parties with glee. "It's amazing to see you kids shaping up excellently. I have no doubt you'll do amazing in this wave."

"Pardon us!" Everyone turned and saw that Ake and Merlay's group had returned, with the young knight holding a bag of coins. "I'm glad we found you! We managed to earn these silver coins to pay you with!"

Naofumi had a small smile as he withdrew the accessory he had shown the group… and promptly gave them it without taking the bag. "Use that money to get yourselves better equipment. The reason I put you through that is because I wanted to test how determined you were to join me… that and I don't want you guys getting maimed because you had lack-luster armor and weapons."

"Thank you very much! We won't let you down!" Naofumi had sent Ake the invite and he accepted, which listed his party as a sub-party of sorts.

Merlay approached Chazon and put a hand on her heart. "As for my own decision… I wish to go back on the one I made so long ago- one that I regretted making ever since it was made." She breathed a bit before giving him a determined look. "Spear Hero Chazon, may I formally and officially join your party?"

Chazon took a second to process her word choice before giving her a questioning look. "You mean you wish to join me beyond this wave?"

"Indeed. My grandmother, while supportive of my decision back then, told me that if I truly regretted my decision then I should do something that would prove my willingness to go back on it. The way I see it… this is how it should have been, were it not for my-"

"That's enough, I'm not going to have you call yourself a coward." Chazon looked back at his party members, who all nodded in agreement. He was surprised Rino was willing to let another girl close to his age join him before turning back to Merlay. "I have heard your resolve and would be remiss if I didn't pay it in kind. Welcome to the team, Merlay… for real this time." He added with a small smile.

"I won't let you down!" Merlay accepted the party invite and Chazon saw she was level 26; same as Ake and a level higher than the demi-human mage in his party.

Checking her stats, he noted that her MAG and MDEF were outstanding, but her ATK and DEF were poor. Guess she's going to be less speedy than Kardia, but more tanky on the magic side of things with average agility. He made sure to not only adjust her stat growths appropriately, but made sure all exp gains went to her.

Naofumi snorted at that exchange. "Another girl joins you, huh?" Chazon took a second to realize what that meant and stuttered in embarrassment, which made everyone laugh. "Come on, we're having a strategy meeting now." Erhard made sure to once again express his exasperation at his shop for being the location of all of Naofumi's meetings.

On the morning of the next day as the timer counted down ever closer to 0, both parties gathered around to make last-minute preparations. Erhard had given the group spare swords and weapons in case the ones they're using break mid-wave. Naofumi made sure to give the accessories he worked the hardest on to Raphtalia and Filo, though Obsidian got a similar accessory to Filo.

Chazon Refined as many of his weapons as possible, even giving Naofumi some more of his ores when he learned the shield hero had rotten luck with his Smelting attempts. He also went through the monster souls he had in his inventory and Spirit Enchanted the weapons he thought he would be using the most. Namely the Mutated Mauler Claw Partisan for pure offence, Stone Golem Spear for defense, and Chimera Dragon Spear for magic.

During that time, he noticed that the Stone Golem Spears seemed to be somewhat stronger than what he remembered. Does that mean my more commonly used spears will constantly get stronger? He checks his other weapons and couldn't tell the difference. Maybe all this Refining is making me mix my numbers up a bit...

He looked at his party members as they chatted among each other. Merlay had been quickly accepted by his other party members. She had a more subtle personality, though not as serene as Kardia, and was a bit shy. The main thing was her determination to prove her worth, despite being a level 26 among level 40's. I'm just glad I was able to get enchanted accessories for everyone made in time. Didn't quite get all that I wanted, but its something.

Chazon made sure to make Naofumi an alliance leader once again. As the countdown reached zero, Erhard made the parties promise to come back alive, which everyone nodded to as a golden light surrounded them. When the light left them, the sky once again turned blood red with blue portals.

The next Wave of Catastrophe had begun.

"Naofumi, Chazon! Good luck in the village!" Itsuki called out to them as his party and Ren's rush towards where the boss is.

"Don't do anything reckless!" Naofumi called after them before turning towards the village. "We'll go as we planned! Let's save as many as we can!" Everyone in the alliance cheered and rushed forward.

Naofumi and Raphtalia on Filo plus Kardia and Rifana on Obsidian rushed on ahead thanks to the filolial royalty's high movement speeds. Everyone else ran as fast as they could to catch up and take care of monsters that were in their path. This was the first step in Naofumi's strategy: have 2 small groups rush forward ahead of the group and work their way outward from the village center to take care of any monsters that fell directly into the city.

Obsidian and Rifana abused their High Quick wind spell to get around and protect villagers while Kardia not only rained highly precise lighting spells onto monsters but also healing any injured they came across. The monsters of this wave were a mixture of goblins, lizardmen, and werewolves, though they were all routed easily by the three.

Chazon, Rino, Amber, and Merlay made sure to obliterate anything that got in their paths. Merlay, despite only being level 26 at first, was already proving a potent ally as she casted tricky earth spells and magic of various other elements. Amber was very quick on using her scales to blast, burn, or blind opponents before following up with fire or light spells. Rino and Chazon once again proved their mettle as a duo; anything that they attacked or got attacked by were reduced to giblets.

Naofumi's team proved deadly once again as well. Naofumi was on point with blocks and call-outs, Raphtalia was a deadly blade storm in her own right, and Filo was a force of nature against anything in her way. The knights and mages that had joined under Ake's leadership were proving their worth as well. They quickly set up an evacuation point and were able to lead civilians to it safely once they were rescued by the hero's party members.

Eventually, both parties reconvened in the ruined plaza and looked at the sky, with Naofumi sporting a worried look. "Are those two alright? Is the boss proving to be a handful, or are they stuck getting it to appear?"

Chazon pulled up his status magic map and confirmed the location of the other two heroes. It seemed Ren was on a moving platform of some kind with Itsuki nearby, so he slapped a waymark there that everyone in the alliance could see and nodded. "If we wish to end this wave sooner, we'll have to provide back-up to the other two heroes. However, Filo and Obsidian can only carry so many at a time, so whoever stays behind will have to go to the evac point and hold the fort."

Naofumi looked at his party of two. "I already know who's coming with me. To prevent slowdown, Filo and Obsidian will be limited to two passengers, so choose who will come with you, Chazon."

"I'll go." Kardia stepped forward, both her tails swishing. "You guys need a dedicated magic user to round out our group of 6… though I'm willing to bet that Amber can come with considering how light she is."

"I'm always willing to help Papa!" Amber piped up excitedly.

Rino nodded at the group. "Be careful, you guys. Who knows what the other two heroes are fighting." While she wanted to join Chazon, she knew that Raphtalia shared the same role as her, so she let Kardia join him instead. I just hope nothing happens… that makes Chazon-kun fall back into the blackness of hatred again…

After mounting the royal filolials, both of them took off towards the direction Chazon pointed. Obsidian was able to keep up with Filo just fine despite having an extra person on his back. As the two groups rushed through the forest, they saw the waymark… which was atop a pirate ship that had had a mass of snake-like creatures coming out of its hull.

Naofumi took one look at the ship and grimaced. "We really were smart to let the other two come here immediately. Who knows how much destruction that thing would have caused if it were allowed freedom of movement."

"My question is, is the ship itself the boss, or is it the one controlling it?" Kardia wondered out loud.

The group found Itsuki with a bunch of fellow archers and mages trying to shoot the serpent heads down. His face turned to relief when he saw the two other heroes approach. "Thank goodness you're here! Ren found out where the boss is hiding, but his party up there lacks the ability to cast light magic! The best we've been doing is distracting the entire ship until you arrive!"

"Good job out here! We'll board right away, so keep doing what you're doing until you can board safely as well!" Chazon shouted as Obsidian and Filo jumped an extreme height to board the ship.

On the ship, Ren saw the two filolials and shouted up, "The boss seems to be hiding in the shadows, but we can't force it out of hiding very easily without light magic!"

"Say no more. Raphtalia!" Kardia called out and, as soon as both demi-humans landed, they casted Faust Light and revealed ALL of the shadow's hiding places. Ren's party quickly took advantage of the exposure and all of the shadows were stabbed, forcing the boss from its hiding spots.

All of the fragments converged and revealed the boss' true identity:

Dimensional Soul Eater

Level:?

Ren wasted no time in pressing the attack. "Thunderbolt Slash!"

"Thunder Arrow!" Itsuki had managed to board as well and joined the battle.

Chazon saw his cue and, despite not having a lightning attack, he did have a LIGHT attack. "Light Spear!"

The lightning-aspected attacks converged onto the light-aspected skill and nailed the boss, causing a small chunk of damage to it. It roared in pain as it tried to attack physically, only for Naofumi to block it outright. "Lightning attacks might be one of its resistances. Filo and Obsidian, cast wind spells! Kardia and Amber, use offensive light spells!"

Both filolials were more than happy to oblige. "Faust Tornado!"

Kardia brought her magic to bear. "Zweite Shining Barrage!"

Amber raised her hands to the sky in utter joy. "Faust Bright Shower!"

Filo and Obsidian's combined spells did okay damage. Kardia's multi-hit spell took a big bite out of the Soul Eater's HP, showcasing just how high her magic really was. Amber's spell was the gravy on top. The boss moved to charge up an attack in its mouth, which nobody wanted to see. "Chazon, on me! Everyone else, behind us!"

As everyone gathered close behind, Naofumi switched to his Ultralight Metal Shield while Chazon went for the Stone Golem Spear and held it in front. The Soul eater launched it's breath attack, but nobody was completely blown up.

After the dust cleared, the other two heroes kept going with their offensive while Chazon got an idea. "High Jump!" He quickly leaped up to where the Soul Eater was with a grin. "Let's see how you handle some human ingenuity." The Eater attacked, but Chazon Air Dashed out of the way… leaving behind an activated flashbang.

It exploded into blinding light and the boss was actually stunned, leading everyone to keep pelting it with attacks while it was prone. Chazon had a seperate idea in mind thanks to still having his Stone Golem Spear equipped. "Air Strike Javelin!" The spear was launched and embedded into the Soul Eater, right as it got out of its stun. Chazon let out a savage grin. "Spear Drive!"

The back of the boss exploded gloriously, causing an even bigger chunk of damage as it roared in pain. Istuki looked bedazzled. "That almost looked like a tactical missile-strike!"

"Glad to know someone could see what I was up to!" Chazon stated with aplomb. "The only downside is that I'm stuck with a three-hour cool-down, but I'll take free damage!"

If anyone were to watch the fight in the third-person, they would see a unique sight: all four heroes were working together to take out the boss. Ren and Itsuki, while short of their potential, were quick to take advantage of the boss during vulnerable periods alongside Raphtalia and Amber. Chazon was being a good distraction and damage dealer while in the air alongside the filolials using High Quick, while Naofumi was able to keep the ground protected with Kardia switching to support magic and buffing everyone.

Chazon decided to switch to his Heavensward Mauler Feather Javelin and use Heaven's Piercer, and it took an ungodly bite out of the Eater's HP. "Guys I think I found our ticket to killing this thing!" He drank a Soul-healing potion, but grimaced at the fact that it's his last one. "Even so, we need to kill this thing and fast!"

Naofumi thought quickly and looked at the three girls who could cast light spells. "All of you, infuse as much light magic into Chazon's spear when he throws another Heaven's Piercer! If we can maximize the damage output, then we might be able to kill it before he runs out of SP!"

"Right!" All three girls started focusing on Chazon's Heavensward Mauler Feather Javelin as he wound up for another throw. The javelin surged with power and light as they poured light magic into it.

Eventually Naofumi told him to let it rip. Chazon obliged. "Take this and smoke it! Heaven's Final Piercer!" As it flew, the javelin gained angel wings and flew even faster than it normally does. It hit the Soul Eater and took out almost half of its HP, leaving it with a sliver, which proved to be its undoing as the other parties unleashed everything on it, finally killing it.

Itsuki fell onto his butt. "We finally did it…"

"It was touch-and-go, but we pulled through. I'll admit, I'm disappointed in myself that we couldn't do as much damage as Chazon could… or Kardia for that matter." Ren admitted with a frown.

Wyndia bonked Ren on the head, much to the Sword Hero's confusion. "Then you just need to continue improving yourself, correct? No sense in moping about it." Ren let out confused noises as everyone laughed.

Everyone except Naofumi, who looked at the sky. "The boss is dead… so why isn't the wave ending?"

Chazon looked around, a terrible feeling growing in his gut. "Perhaps, like the last wave… there are multiple bosses?"

A screech from above caught everyone's attention… revealing itself to be a second Dimensional Soul Eater. Itsuki clenched his teeth. "You can't be serious! We struggled enough on ONE!"

Naofumi, seeing how low on resources everyone was, knew what he had to do. He backed up to where Raphtalia was. "I'm sorry… but I have to use "that" shield. I wish there was another way, but we don't have any other choice…"

Words couldn't describe the anguish in Raphtalia's heart when she heard him say that… but she also knew that nobody could handle a second Soul Eater when the first one took too much to kill. As such, she held his free hand and gave him a smile. "Didn't I tell you? I'm your sword and I'll follow you through fire and brimstone." She nods at him. "I'll stay by your side… always."

Naofumi couldn't help but smile at that. He suddenly got a pat on the shoulder from Chazon. "If you're forced to use "that", then I guess I just have to follow suit. Don't worry, I'll do my best to maintain control." He turns to Kardia. "Look after the kids while I'm gone, okay?"

She nods at that. "Just promise you'll come back to us."

"I will. Amber, Obsidian, stay by big sister Kardia and auntie Raphtalia, okay?"

"O… okay, Papa…." Amber knew what he needed to do, but she didn't like it one bit.

"Daddy, please let us help you if you need it." Obsidian wanted to do anything, no matter how small, for his father.

"Don't worry, I will." Chazon patted both of them before he walked up beside Naofumi, who was mentally bracing himself, before addressing everyone behind him. "I must ask a single question. What emotion is most associated with the color black?"

Everyone but his own party members looked confused. "Bad time to ask, but I honestly don't know." Ren admitted while Itsuki nodded.

Memories of hate whirled in Chazon's mind at that moment as the black veins consumed his vision. The mercenaries that threatened to rape his party members. Malty and her attempts at screwing everyone over. The noble who didn't learn his lesson and tried to keep Rino as a toy.

"It's hate. The deepest, darkest shade of black is hatred." He pauses for a moment before looking back, his scleras pitch black. "And I've got a lot of it to share."

Everyone recoiled at his sudden change in tone and appearance as his spear became coated in darkness as deep as eternity before it took on its Hatred's Trident form. Raphtalia in particular felt her soul grow cold, wondering what could have driven someone as kind and compassionate as Chazon to unlocking such a power.

Naofumi followed suit as his shield took on it's Shield of Wrath form… except it was upgraded by the Dragon Emperor Core he had absorbed before, causing his armor to suddenly transform into something more befitting of a demon.

Ren noticed something else. "Something's happening to Filo as well!"

Filo's eyes were glowing purple as her feet looked like they were on fire. Raphtalia recoiled as the filolial suddenly attacked the Soul Eater in a rage. "F-Filo's being affected by the core as well?!"

"So it would seem." Amber and Obsidian looked in shock and horror as Kardia's voice changed. Her own sclerias had become pitch black as well and wisps of shadow trailed off her body, giving her the appearance of having 9 tails. Amber and Obsidian rushed to Raphtalia in fright as she walked forward. "This horror story reject wants to play? Perhaps we can oblige."

Chazon, even with his mind being consumed by Hate, was despondent when he realized that his Spirit Bond with Kardia had transformed her as well. Yet his hate convinced him that it was necessary for survival and refocused his attention on the Soul Eater. "Shall we dance with the face not even a mother would love?"

With those words, he joined Filo in the first attacks on the second Soul Eater, knocking it over and allowing Naofumi, consumed by wrath, to shove his cursed shield into the boss' face. The monster had to suffer cursed burns and a suffocating dark miasma.

Itsuki clutched his hand in frustration. "Are we… really so weak to drive those two to such lengths?" He wanted to call their powers cheats… but he knew that it was far from the case. Such power came at a price and the price was sanity.

Ren shook his head despondently. "Weak or not… we should still help them fight in between their own attacks. Stay frosty! Naofumi is blinded by wrath and Chazon might strike at us out of hatred, so attack cautiously! Mind the miasma as well because that's pure poison damage!"

The Soul Eater knocked Naofumi away, only to get assaulted by hatred-fueled dark magic from Kardia, who looked at the creature with nothing but disgust. The other heroes did their best to damage the boss between Chazon's, Filo's, and Kardia's attacks, but it wasn't amounting to much. They had to fall back due to the poison damage caused by Chazon and Kardia's miasma; it couldn't differentiate between ally and enemy

Raphtalia, seeing Naofumi pause both due to miasma and looking as if struggling to fight his own wrath, rushed forward and grabbed his arm with a cry. The action gave him further pause.

Chazon noted that, even with the power boost the four of them got, they still weren't killing it fast enough and slammed his fist into the ground. "Damn it! I hate you! I hate you for existing!"

"Calm down, Master." Kardia was still capable of rational thought. "Perhaps your Corruption skill will help ease our woes and make it suffer. Besides… I get the feeling the Shield Hero is coming up with his own plan."

Naofumi had calmed down enough to see what needed to be done. Chazon, seeing his cue, chanted. "Worthless mortal, I condemn thee! Suffocate and wither as your feeble life draws to a close! Hatred's Gaze!"

The Soul Eater was encased in a dark aura as the magic eye on his trident focused on it. Kardia quickly followed up with her own spell. "Zweite Hatred's Shadow Hold!" The intermediate tier hate-boosted magic didn't just lock movement, but put the target into a type of stasis. Thanks to the lowered level and stats from Hatred's Gaze, it was possible. The miasma coming off the stasis continued to slowly damage the Eater.

"Shield Prison!" The frozen Eater was encased in the ball of binded shields, with the gaps in them being enough to not break Hatred's Gaze. "Within this virgin of cold ore, who shall swallow even your screams with her embrace. Suffer in anguish as your entire body is stabbed and skewered! IRON MAIDEN!"

Chazon watched with morbid curiosity as the titular Iron Maiden came down from the sky to swallow the Shield Prison ball with the Soul Eater stuck inside. Due to distance, Hatred's Gaze was cut off and he got hit with Hatred's Backlash, though he noted that it only lasted as long as the initial skill lasted. Because it was only a minute of the Gaze, he only got a minute of the Backlash.

It was all Naofumi needed to get the relatively healthy Soul Eater into the Iron Maiden and execute it. As soon as it was over, he changed back from his Shield of Wrath and collapsed, which brought Filo back to her senses.

Chazon, feeling the effects of Hatred's Backlash, collapsed as well while struggling to fight off the remainder of the hate in his soul; it was no longer needed. Kardia hugged him on the floor, trying her best to fight it as well.

"Papa! Kardia-neesama!"

"Daddy! Kardia-nee!"

Both kids rushed forward to embrace their surrogate family, crying for the both of them to come back. It was the push both needed to expel what remained of their hate as they smiled at the two. "See? I told you… you'd be able to help me, Obsidian."

"Daddy!" Obsidian buried his head into Chazon's chest, very clearly on the verge of tears, as Chazon stroked his head comfortingly. Amber did that same with Kardia, who was petting the Solar Empress comfortingly. Raphtalia was doing the same with Naofumi.

Ren observed the two groups comforting each other with a small smile. "They trusted their party members to bring them back. Amazing what trust can do to forbidden power, though I'd rather not dabble in something like that."

"Agreed." Itsuki looked at his own party with a small smile. "We should work harder to grow stronger, so that those two don't have to rely on such power again." Everyone nodded at that.

"Don't discount yourselves yet." Naofumi approached the group with Chazon, now recovered from his Backlash. "You kept this ship from getting close to the village and the evacuation point. You did what you could and I'm thankful for that." Both of them bow to the other two, which was returned.

The area turned green, which broke everyone out of the lighter mood. A familiar roar was once again heard as another Soul Eater appeared. Chazon was exasperated. "A THIRD ONE?! REALLY?! TWO WASN'T ENOUGH FOR THE-"

He was cut short when what looked like light rained from the sky… and impaled the Eater to death. Everyone looked around, stunned, before Raphtalia asked, "What… happened?"

"How disappointing." A woman in a kimono suddenly dropped onto the corpse, dissolving it into dust on the wind. "You have trouble with weaklings such as these? Hardly befitting of the heroes who are supposed to be the pillars of the world. It appears only two of you can truly hold that title… though I still question the worth of the second." She gives a sly smile as she looks at Naofumi. "What is your name?"

Naofumi glared at her, unintimidated. "Were you not told that you had to give your own name first?"

She chortled a bit. "Forgive me, for it slipped my mind. I am called Glass… your enemy."

Everyone looked at each other in confusion as Naofumi grimaced. "Naofumi…"

"Naofumi, huh? Then… Naofumi. Shall we begin the true battle of the wave?" She unfolds the dual fans she was holding with a murderous glint in her eyes. Naofumi noted that her status, bar, and even level were glitched, which made him hold off as he secretly withdrew a Soul-healing potion. She noted his hesitation and decided to taunt him. "What's the matter, hero Naofumi? Not going to send your servants to attack me?"

While it did aggravate Ren and Itsuki, both of them knew that attacking blindly would be paramount to suicide. Chazon kept his calm as well; he didn't mind being Naofumi's servant but her tone rubbed him the wrong way.

Unfortunately, nobody got a chance to act as her fans glowed yellow… and created a powerful gust of wind, which proceeded to knock Ren and Itsuki out. Chazon quickly switched to his Stone Golem Spear and was able to tank it, but barely alongside Naofumi. She scoffed at the other two heroes. "It seems you two really are servants… though the spear one seems sturdy enough." She launched an attack skyward.

Chazon saw what she was doing and dodged out of the way… only for her to appear right before him with the same smile. Her attack cut right through everything as Naofumi watched in horror and everyone cried out in despair.

Chazon's HP was cut down to 1% in a single blow. He collapsed onto his knee, coughing up blood, and barely holding onto life through sheer willpower.

"In the end you are still but leaves in the wind to me. Far too easy to take out." Chazon could only look on in pain and shock as she walked past him towards Naofumi. "I guess I'll just have to seek entertainment from the real hero." Everyone still standing attempted to engage her at Naofumi's lead, though she was able to pick apart everyone as she got ever closer to the shield hero.

Tears began streaming down Chazon's face. No… Is this… truly how it ends for me? Killed… in a single blow? Killed… in front… of my… family…?

Trembling within the breeze

I can feel my soul… is… shaking

Even with a single blow

Everything that is comes undone

Using every ounce of strength

Just to keep myself… from… breaking

I… can only watch you walk…

by...

…

No… I refuse to die… I refuse to just lay down and just accept that this is my fate!

Rifana

Kardia

Obsidian

Amber

Merlay

Naofumi

Raphtalia

Filo

Damalus

Glenn

Rino

I'm not done… I want to see your smiling faces again. I wish to see… this world live on, even in spite of all the bad in it. I want to see this world freed from this darkness!

I won't give up.

I REFUSE!

Chazon struggled to his feet, even in spite of his fatal wound. Naofumi and everyone else stopped fighting and looked at him with widened eyes when they saw what was happening. Glass followed their gazes and showed surprise as well. "I'm amazed you're still holding on. Don't you know that'll only prolong your pain?"

"Prolong my pain…? Don't make me laugh. I knew physical pain well before being brought here." Chazon gave Glass a determined glare, no longer crying. "You think… that you can just come here and decree who lives and who dies? That I'll let you vanquish the lives and dreams of everyone I care about?"

He points his default spear at Glass, the jewel on it glowing a bright yellow. "Talk shit at me all you want, but I won't be the easy prey you think of me. I'll keep fighting. I'LL KEEP GOING FORWARD, NO MATTER WHAT!"

Purity Series: Hope unlocked

Spear of Hope I unlocked

Equip bonus: All stats bonus (medium), movement speed bonus (medium), Light-aspected attack (high), All known light-aspected skills, 'Rising Hope' (passive)

Special Effect: All stats up (medium), Purity (Radiant Rays)

His spear suddenly transformed into a more holier-looking spear, complete with bright yellow "blades" along the spearhead, a small pair of angel wings, and a shaft guard that looked decorated with elegant markings.

Chazon narrowed his now bright yellow eyes. HP, MP, and SP were full and his armor started glowing radiantly as it repaired itself. "This world... is not yours to end. You're gonna have to try a little harder than that, for this is our future. Our story!"

Holding onto everything

Even when my body shatters

I will never let you pass

Even when my tears run dry

Beating with our hearts as one

Everyone I know is praying

I will strike you down

Do or…

...die...

I wanted to pay homage to a fandom that I used to be crazy about, but left after my interest died in it. For those interested, it's the "Undertale - Battle against a true hero (lyrical adaptation)" that I quoted at the end.

Additionally, if you want help imagining the bright yellow "blades" running along the Spear of Hope's spearhead, look at a weapon from a game called Spiral Knights called "The Divine Avenger" and use that as a reference point.