"Faust Light Slash!"
Rino cut down another lizardman trying to get into the evacuation camp made by the knights under Ake's leadership. The wave hadn't shown any signs of slowing down or stopping despite Chazon and Naofumi rushing off to help Ren and Itsuki. She had used a few of the grenades that Chazon had given her to great effect on bunches of enemies, but she ran out.
A goblin rushed to attack the worn-down Rino, but was crushed by a magical boulder courtesy of Merlay who rushed over to help Rino back up. "Rino-chan, don't push yourself so hard!"
"I-I know, but we need to keep fighting. I refuse to let anyone down this wave!" Rino unsteadily got up by herself, still holding her magic gold dual blades in an attacking position.
Merlay, while helping Rino over to the center of the camp, mentally noted just how many levels she got. She was already due for a class up despite only fighting the wave ever since joining Chazon. Am I getting an excessive amount of exp now?
Ake rushed over and helped Merlay shepherd Rino in. "Chazon-sama wouldn't want to see you pushed to your absolute limit. We just need to trust in the four heroes to end this wave as soon as they can. My squad will take care of any stragglers trying to get inside just fine, so please rest!"
Rino reluctantly went, though not before looking beyond the horizon, a floating pirate ship visible in the distance in the canyon. She had been keeping an eye on everyone's HP bars to try and get a feel for how they are doing, ready to rush off at any moment.
Rifana, taking a break from defending as well, gave Rino a flask of water. "We've all been doing our best. We can't lose hope yet!"
"I know, Rifana-chan… but I worry regardless." She took a drink and looked at Chazon's Hp bar again. A couple seconds later… it instantly dropped to flickering between 1% and 0.5%, which made Rino scream in horror. "NOOOOO!"
Rifana and Merlay grew pale at that as well. "No… it can't be… Chazon-sama…" Rino stood there, shocked, until she slowly broke down thinking that Chazon's life was forfeit. Rifana could only collapse onto her knees in pure shock and denial while Merlay closed her eyes and looked down with a pained expression.
What none of them expected, something everyone in the alliance got, were bright yellow words that began to shimmer onto their status magic. All it said was three words:
Pray for him...
Rino, desperate for anything to tell her that Chazon wasn't dead or dying, prayed with all her heart, hands clasped in front of her. Everyone including the villagers, realizing the implications of what was going on, also started praying.
Praying for the heroes to come home. To carry their hopes unto a bright future.
Despite a pillar of light erupting from the pirate ship, nobody stopped praying.
Chazon launched himself at Glass, who was expecting to be able to knock him away just as easily as last time. Only to get launched off the ship onto the cliffs on one side of the canyon, sustaining hefty damage. She corrected herself with a stunned look. How? He's not supposed to be any stronger than Naofumi!
"Light Spear!" Glass narrowly dodged the light-aspected projectile before being forced on the defensive with his barrage of spear strikes. He wasn't a trained spear user, but he was no amateur; if he had been properly trained, she realized that he would've been even more deadly.
Naofumi and everyone else still conscious saw the battle unfold below them with stunned gazes. They had thought him gone after Glass' blow left him all but dead, yet he not only recovered but suddenly had the mysterious woman on the ropes. It's his new spear perhaps? Naofumi looked at Chazon's status and saw a buff he's never seen before and read its description:
Rising Hope (passive)
Breaking limits as hope surges within. Potential sharply increases with every hope and prayer sent.
Every hope and prayer… Naofumi looked in the direction of the evacuation point and saw a soft yellow glow emanating from it. Everyone started praying for him… and that allowed him to come back from the brink… He turns to everyone still conscious on the ship. "Chazon isn't finished yet. Pray for his success with hope in your hearts!"
Never thought I'd be saying that myself…
Kardia knew what Naofumi was getting at and clasped her hands together. "If it helps Chazon-sama fight that woman… then our fate is in his hands."
"But… but isn't there more we can do to help Papa?" Amber was looking at the fight with extreme worry, not realizing that she had a similar glow coming off of her that Chazon had.
Naofumi realized that she somehow also had the Rising Hope passive and nodded at her. "We can't do anything more to help… but you can, Amber. Only you can help him end this fight!" She nodded with a determined look before launching herself at the battle.
"Good luck, little sis…" Obsidian said before praying even harder for the both of them. Kardia felt pride surge in her heart at the two children- her younger siblings.
Naofumi started casting heals on the parties of the other heroes, hoping to wake them up. Ren was the first to regain consciousness. "Ow… to think we were knocked out by a mere gust of wind…"
"If you've got time to complain, you've got time to pray." Ren looked over and saw the ongoing battle with widened eyes. "As of right now, Chazon and Amber are the only ones who can contend with Glass. He gets stronger with every person praying for him."
"If… it allows him to fight that woman on equal footing, then pray we must." Itsuki said, getting up and putting one fist to his forehead in a praying position. Both heroes knew they were too far out of their league here; pure levels and stats meant little in the current situation.
Raphtalia looked at the battle with worried eyes as she prayed. Chazon-sama… fight on. Fight so that Rino-chan can see you safe and sound once again.
Glass was able to launch a few attacks of her own, but Chazon was able to narrowly dodge or block them. The only reason she was haphazard with her skills was because she needed breathing room to figure out holes in his defenses and techniques. He knew this as well, which is why he was relentless with his offense.
After a particularly fast combo, Glass hit him away only for him to have a pin fly off his finger. Falling in front of her was a round object; a live flashbang which promptly exploded and briefly stunned her as well. He's not without his tricks either. I just need to-
"LEAVE MY PAPA ALONE!" Amber suddenly screamed as she straight-up launched light-aspected blast scales that practically homed in on Glass from above. Glass barely avoided all of the detonations, only to find herself in a fight between two powered up party members; both equally determined to take her down.
"Chaos Spear!" Chazon launched his flurry skill at Glass and caused her to start dodging. However, it also allowed her to properly gauge the best place to hit him. Getting into position to take advantage of it was a different matter when she got hit in the side by a light spell from Amber.
I'm guessing she's getting her power from him. If I can just neutralize him, then she won't be a threat any longer either, but she's also preventing me from properly attacking him. She knew what she had to do. Switching targets she went right for Amber and, while the solar empress was able to dodge a good few attacks, eventually got hit away.
Chazon took advantage of her distraction and lined up a strong blow in retaliation. "Demonic Strike!" The upgraded skill not only ripped through her HP with the first hit, but the 6 smaller ones quickly tore into her as well. He quickly dashed over to where his daughter landed. "Amber, are you alright?"
"Never better, Papa!" Amber quickly recovered and prepared to launch a fire spell, augmented with her blaze scales.
Glass managed to drink an elixer to top herself off before narrowly avoiding the fire spell, though the intense heat drained her HP a bit. She quickly found herself in a sort of "blade lock" with the spear hero. "To think you're the same hero I nearly killed in one blow. How did you recover and get so strong?!"
"Wouldn't you like to know." Chazon ended the lock and hit her away again. "I told you before, I refuse to give up here. Not when everyone is depending on me to end this wave!" The hope and determination in his eyes were plain to see.
"Very well, might I ask you your name?"
"Chazon. What does it matter to you?"
"I just want to respect the fact that I mislabeled you. You really are a hero if you can find strength even in the most dire of situations. However… I have a duty to fulfill and you must fall to see it through!" She launched another attack skyward before rushing forward.
Chazon didn't fall for the same trick twice. He Air Dashed backwards before blocking her next strike and counter-attacking. He didn't dare leave himself open by using Heaven's Piercer or Air Strike Javelin, opting to go for attacks that affect areas rather than single-target attacks unless an opening presents itself.
Amber started using her bright scales in an attempt to blind or mislead Glass while continuing to use her blast scales. Chazon got hit by a wave of inspiration from Amber and decided to try something. "Chaos Light Spear!" With every thrust from the flurry Chaos Spear allowed came a light-aspected projectile. It was hell on the SP, but potent in reach and coverage.
Glass, however, saw her opening and took it.
Getting right up against him, the weakness of many spear users as it was a dead-zone for them, she quickly activated her most powerful skill and shoved it into his chest. The result? Knocking him back so hard that it broke his passive's aura of light and launched him towards the ruined village. He was at 25% health now… and no longer holding the Spear of Hope.
Naofumi cringed at that as a de-powered Amber suddenly dropped to the ground, only to develop a horrified look when he saw an inverted icon of Rising Hope on Chazon:
Sundered Hope
Stats are lowered from broken hope. Incapable of feeling any hope.
"No… even after all that?!" Itsuki outcried in despair when he saw what happened. Everyone on the ship had screamed in horror when Chazon was launched by Glass, clearly no longer strengthened by prayer.
Rino saw the dust cloud from where the evac point was and rushed towards it, fearful for Chazon. Rifana and Merlay rushed after her, wanting to keep her from doing anything reckless.
Chazon collapsed as he coughed up blood once again. Glass approached him with a slightly somber look on her face. "I recognize that you did your best and that you got further than any other hero… but this is the end for you."
No… even… after all of that… it wasn't enough? Chazon desperately wanted to keep going, to keep fighting.
But he had already forgotten what hope felt like as tears began running down his face once again.
Am I really… so weak?
…
Nothing changed…
No matter… what I do… it all ends in failure…
Why… did I think… that I could change anything?
"No…" Glass stopped when she heard him and saw his spear's jewel had changed color again… only this time it was an empty grey. There was a very noticeable drop in environmental temperature.
Everyone's… going to die…
E̝͜ͅv̬̣͈̰̯͈e͖̖̭͝r̖͉͈̜͢y̯̪̻̭͔͓̜o̜͖̦͝n̢̘̰̗͓͚̖͔e̠͔͈̺̜̮̥͢…͏̫̘͚ͅ ̡͈̯̳w̷̰̦̤͎̹̳a͓s͎͚̲̙͕̥t̀e̴̙d̫̮͉͉̫̬͚͠ ̻̰͕t̶̺h̬̻e̴̼͙̺͚̻̭̠i͜ͅr̝̱͈͍͞…͜ ̬̗̳̞p͢ṛ̺͙̝̗̝̬͢ąy̧̭̥̺͕̙̠ḛ̛͔͙͇̮ͅr̢̠̙͙̠s͉̞̰͓̣͡ ̪̝̯̬̝o̖̩͈̳̲̩̯n̨͇̥̳ ̟̭͈͈̰m̵̻̻̹͕e…̢̭̺
"No…" His body had begun emitting a cold vapor as he began shivering violently. Glass, not wanting to gamble on how long this state of weakness will last, rushed forward to decapitate him.
Everything I've done…
It was all… for… nothing…
I'm…
Weak…
Weak…
W̵͔̠̣͍͕̘̜3͓̬4̴̨͔͇͚̟͖̼̟̩̯͞k̸̢͖̠͝!
C͏̴̯̙̘̝̲͉͚̩ơ̞̟̳͎̭̥͙̻r̨̯̙͚̯͚̗̤r͉͚̮̫̤̭̬ú̶̩ͅp͈͓͕̱̦̭͍͢͟t̗̝̠̦͕̹̦ͅí̫͚̭͚͓̻ọ̤̖͢n̛̰̖̼̩ ̧̹͍̪̝̟̺S̺͖̻̪̹̟͎̜̤͝͡e͔͍̯̲̼̰͖̤͟r̻̯̬͇í͈̲̮̪͔̮̬e̵̫͉̦̩̭͞ș̪̥̝̭̩̜͘͠:̡͈̝̮̳̯̠̥̟̀ ͜͏̡̪̫̱̤̫̬̘D̸͏̛͙̩è̺̱̲̤̪̰̼̥͠͠ș̶̫̗̬̰͚̭́͞p̢̞̬̗͓̱̮̤à̱͎̠i҉͚͔̗͙͉͕͎̫̰r̴͚͚̺̮̭̞̟̀ ̹̯͉̤ų̶̷̱͚̮̲̲͔n͏͉̮͙̖̫̟̜̲́l̺̳̫̩̮̕o̴̩̰̤̗͇͎͉̲͘͜c̴̴̟̗͚̟ͅk̸̵̻͎̺̼e̞̘̪̕d̸̻̟͚͢
͘͏̺͍͉́D̨̦̹̺͖e̳͎̮̕s̝̦̖̤̼͚p̷̢̯͔̭̰̻̮̹͘ͅą̸̟͝ͅi̦r̭͕͢͟'̸̢̦̤͈͍ş͈̠ ̮̙̺̘ͅP̷̡̹̮͘ͅi̮͉̥̫ḳ̵͎̯è̵͙͔̯͉̣̺͕͞ ̴̡̛͎͈̰̯̝͍̯̦I͢҉͎̫̹Ì̛̫̝͙͉̦̫͖̟̗ ͙̘̫͓̪u͏̢̖͎̻͕͔̗͚́ǹ̗̘͘͞ļ̸̤̥͙͇͈͕o͇̤̦̫̤͓̼͞c̴̀͏̥͖̜̭k̛̯̞̖̼̖̮͎͢͝è̛͓̱̣͈̦̦̞̭d̸̤̗̻̜͘
̧̨̯̘̀E͞͏͍͔͍̫̰q̵͈͓̤̹͉̣̗͓̕͝u̴̝͉̠͕̭̥͞͞ͅi̷̦̻̯͔̪͚̻̹p̵҉̭͍̤̰ ̷͈͉̕͜b̛̰̞̥̤͍̦͓͇̤͟o̼͙̣̜̠͜ͅn̙̠̠ͅų́҉̞̝̠̯̠s̡̩͚͓̟͙͕͝:̸͉͈͕̱͖̞̗̬͞ ̵͖́M̶̶̗͕̩̥Ạ̛̘̮͚͉́G͡҉̙͚̣ ̫͕̻͍̹̀͜͞ͅb̜̝̩̼̮o̴̴̷̳͖n̖͇̫̮͇͉̣̞͠u̧͇̺̫̘̜̝̩̕ͅs̙̟̜̬̯̼̭͍ ̨͖͕̫̲͡(̨̺͉̟̥͢v̺͎̩̠̟͡e̘͓̹͈̱͈͉̕r̶̴̬̗͙̮̮̰͖y͓̦͉͝ ̡̛̹̗̥͈͇͉̭͚̰͞ẖ̥͕̰̱͠i̭̹͔̜͍͠g̰͓̭̬̬̰̝̯h͖̮̲̹͕̝)̳̩̕,̴̘ ̸̧̧̝͓͇̲̙͖̥̭͍D̬ͅE҉̛͎̠͠F̣͇̮̳̖̙̟͘͘ ̢̠͓͉͢ḅ̜͖̩̣̮͡o͢҉͔̠̫̬̱̯̱n͓̣̫̙̳͙̠u̢͍͎̮̯͓̗̦̱s̨̝̭͡ ̡͈̖̼̮͜͝(͕v̩̱̯͙͡e҉̺̪́r̢͚͞y͖ ͇̞͇̟h̩̫̞͇̝̞̣ͅì̡̳̖̥͕̩̮͟g̸̝̮h̦̲̗͠)̢͏̮̼,̴̨̖̩̪͔ ̷̪͎̠ͅM͜҉͉͕͓͇͙Ḍ̵̡̯͇̮̥̮̳͓E͏̶̺̖̞̹͈̥͓F͕̩̕͞ ̼͍̞̗͎̀̕b͝҉̘̗̠͔͇o̳̣̕n̛̪͎̺͓u̢̩͈̤̻̯͕̳̭͎s̷͚̫̦ ̷̟̜͍̹(̴͉̹v̴҉̼̗̬̞͇ͅe̗͙̼͉͔̣͖̩̱͠r̡͙̣̪̰̙̦̰͚y̨͈̹̯̦̺͘͜ ҉͉̳̼̖͡ͅͅh̵̢̼̗̺̥̹̳̳̺͠i̡̝̠͍̞̬͚͝g̵̲̟̲͚̫̰͘͠ͅh͓̳̰̞͎̪͍̭)̣̱̞͢͢,̶̭͉ ̶͇̺̣̥͓͙͚͙͞A̷̴̲̪̜̘̬̺̺̰l̵̢̡͓͕̭l̨̟̬͈͖̹͙̝̞͡ ̱̬͍̩͙̠s̳͇ţ̛̠̗a̢̦̥͢͡t̛͚̫̯̭͇̯̠̪̻͜s̡͇̞̜̜̦ ͖̳̯̮b̩͉̥̣̥̲̣o̷̢̹̟̱͙n̸̙̟̥͇͇̭̫u͝͠҉̗̣͎̮͖͓s̡͕͔͎̣̳̠͙̪ ͎̗̳̬͎͢͢ͅ(̰͎͓̖̭̩͚̤m̢͚̝̝̹̹͠ḛ̹̝̜d̫͍͡i̭̤̪͎̥ṳ̧̘̪͖̰̫̦m͍̖̩̗̘̠)̦͙̣͠,̤͙̖ ͏̡̳̭̬̜͉͕̤ͅW̢̨̟͙̮͢a̡̫̹͓̩͠t̨̙̳̬e̖͇͚͇͉̙͇r̶͎͙͞-̡͇͇͔a̴̬̭͔̦͉͕͖͡s͇̗̙p̶̼̼̺̪ę̟͎̖͖̬̹ͅc̸̜̞͢t̛͇͖̭́e̸̥̱̬͞ḑ̺͜ ̷͙͙͚̩̥̜͚͢a҉̲̲͔͓͚́͡ͅt͕̹̳̖̣̙t̵̙̟͖̝͎͍̼͜a̮͕̤̹͢c̺̯̟̩k̴̡̠͖̩̟͈̪͉̮ ̴̛͔̩̭̥̩̫(̷̳̟̤̩̱̱̼̖ͅv̥̭e̦͟r̡̩͇̫͓͖͓y̵̪͍̯͍͔͉͞ ̡͎̱̭̞̜͍̖̰͡͞h̬͉i̸͍͉̻̟̫̦̻͔g̸͖͉h̢͚̣̤̭̺͎)̴̶̨̹̖,̲̙̩ ̴̺̝̪ͅ'̶̟͍D̴̗̯̺̫̙̦e̵̛͇̣̘̠͠s̵͈̖̜̲̤̀͞p̵̧̬̗̬̮͍̫͟ạ̙̭͠ͅi҉̧̥̘̭̝͙̗ͅr͍̰̗͙̝̗̯̕i͉̙̰̖̗n̡̝͇̠̼̤͇̘͕͡ͅg͏̙̘̖͈̳̲̼̟͡ ̶̰̻̙̗ͅͅA̵̵͓͇͖͙̟̟̘̙̤u͠҉̡̤̲̱̥͈̬͎͈ṟ̸̩̘̱͓̪̫̰̯͞a̯̻̳͎̖̲͝'̜̦̳̪̳̟͘͢ ,̷̥̟͔̻̪̦͇͜ ̩̩̭ͅ'̯̯̝A̧̧̦b̘̳͔̦̀͝ś̵̩͓̯̘̞̫̮͉̲o͈̰͔̪ͅl̲̩̗̝̰̺͚͚͘͟͡u̪̼͢͠t̛̠͟͝e̘̫͕͈̩͔̪͢͝ͅ ͙Z̛̫̮͙̻e̛̛̼̠͓̗͡r̛̤͖̥͡͡o̬̮'҉̸̶̻̥̥̹͓̳
S̰̳̻͙̖͢ṕ̬̭͇̙̝͖̺͇ḙ̛̣͉̻̫̫̼͈̥c̫̗̖͈̹͙̟͕̀i̖͇͈̥͈̟̬͘a̶̗̖̯̮̬̥͎̩l̡͚̭ ̛̯̟͉̻͘͘ẹ͇̳̯̳̮̗̠̯f̵̢͚̘̠̩f̬̭̱e͇c̥͕̗̜̘͇̘t̡͖̪͜:̸̛̭̺̙ ̨̝̲̪̖ ̭͙̦͕͙̣̰ͅM̟̙A̶̯̺̤̙͡G̡̮͖̙̲̗͈͚͈͜ ͏̵̢̙͍͖u̴̴̠̞̹̱͓̖̟̯p̧͓̺̦̗̕ ̢̻̖͓͢(̜̣̜͈͍̫͘͞v̥̪͓̹̙̦̗̙͘͡ę̤̻͟r̢̢̘ͅy͏̢͕̥̱̗̜̪͜ ̸͉͙͉͉͍̹h̼̙̙̱͜ì͎̻̥͉̳͇̞g͏̻̘̰̱̥̝͠h̙̭͔)̧͙̤̖̤͔͎̻̯̞,̰̟̕͞ ̷̯̺̞͚͕̗̲ͅD̴̶͚̗̤͎E͕͖̰̗̺̝̜͘͝F̡̠̬͓̲̞̹ ̶̲̯͇̝̦̫̯̣͘ų̩̩̩̹̝̣͙͉̀p̝̻͇ ̠̪̦̘̠(̟̱͍͓͡v̴̗̬̝͙e̢̮̖̺̖̤r̛̤̦̺͙͟y̙̯̥̭̙̜̦̲ ̷̸̱͓̬̟͉͎̗̝̀h̵̠̤͇̪̪i͓g̸̨̹͔h̴̛̤͔̙̥̜́)̺,̰͙͔͙̝͓ ͇̦͘͟͜M̨̤̹͔D̩̺͟͠ͅE̵̢̱̼͙̺͍̻̙̩͠F̵̟̜̬͈͇͔͍͚ ͏͎̪̩̖͈͉u͇͍̙̺̦̜̮p̷̧̩͍̦̰͠ ̞̦͖̳͚̦͕̗͘͝(̴͙͔̣͘ͅv̸͙̼̙̼͎̗́e̷̱̘͜r͕͉̗͕̗͜y̮͚̕̕ ̙̙͠h̸͖ͅi͓̟g͔̱͟͠h̯͚͍̦̖͍̰)̖̝͔͎́,̷̷̺͈ ̨̛͖̮̰͕͘C̸̡̭̯͜o͏̀͏̲̲̼̳̭̭r̨͙̗̙̺̭̻̞r̫̜̕u̵̶̘̖̻̙͚̱ṕ̸̯̞t̰̟i̴̡̘̼͇̘͠o͏̪̭̲͕ṉ̸͔̥͝ ͖͞(̪Ḏ͔͜e̺s̶̢̞̭̼̹̖̤̠̝p̼̫̫̪̝̤a̴̢͓̫i̷̡̼̞̜͔̜r͏͉̻͓i̸̟̺n͏̢̞̰̻̦̣̖̻͙g҉̹̳͍͉̻̣̟͡ ̨͓̻̙̩́́F̴̢͖̭͕̻̹͙͠r̘͜o̯͈̙͓s̸͓̺̥̹͢t̲͓͉̼̫)̵̹̫̮̖͈ͅ,̶͜͏͉̭̠̹ ͙̥͍̼͎̳̺͡ͅS̸̴̺̲̝̞̤̳͕͈͠ķ̹͘ͅį̨̼̗̙͇͉͖̤̞͡l̵̡͈l̗̠̙̮̙̝͢ͅ ̦͕͉̙̗͖̀͜a̸̷͍͇̖̪̳͉̺̞u̹̯͕̦ͅǵ̶̹̞̫͚͖͈͘m̮̘̺͚͚͢é̼͙̞̠͎͓̰̦͈͝ṉ̷̜̀t̸̛̯͇͙̣̼͢a̝͖̻̣̕͜t̡̡̯̙͖i҉̴̯̩o҉̱̝̻̦̤̠͎ņ̯̣͟ ̸̗̻(̢͎͎͠D̜͡e̪̘̳̤̲͔̰̕ś̷̞̳̺͍̜͘p̡̬̪̭͔͚̞̲̀a̠̱̖̘i̡̟͓͇̦̲̜̣͟r͓̼͓̥̲͈͟ͅì̟̟͉̯̣́n̵͖ǵ̣̮)̸͓̮̻͙͟͟
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Chazon screamed in utter despair as a violent grey blizzard erupted from his body, pushing Glass away from her mark. Glass skidded to a stop and was about to try again, only to suddenly become overwhelmed with the amount of despair that was in the air. Not just her body was freezing, but also her soul as she noted a new debuff she's never seen before:
Despairing Aura
Overwhelming despair is freezing your soul. SP and willpower rapidly draining. HP will drain if SP runs out.
No way… Glass wore her soul on her sleeves more literally than anyone else due to her fighting style and power. The aura was not only draining her SP, but her HP at the exact same time… and it was falling rapidly. If I stay here, I'll more than likely just die!
She looked at the shivering figure at the epicenter of the raging blizzard, only to hear him muttering, "I'm… weak… leave… me… to… suffer…"
She noted his HP bar and grimaced. It no longer had any readable values, but ice had begun encasing it from one end to the other, even in her status magic. It was already one-third of the way. Perhaps… I've done all I can. Besides, the wave is almost over so I must fall back and recuperate. With that thought, she quickly exited the blizzard and ascended into one of the portals in the sky. The sky would have returned to a blue color after, if not for the blizzard causing grey clouds to cover the land.
Naofumi arrived just in time to see Glass retreat. He would have expressed relief, but he knew Chazon had suddenly caused this blizzard to appear when it was supposed to be the warm season. He noted that all of the snow and ice was grey. He fell so deep into his despair…
He tried to use his Shield of Wrath to keep himself warm and approach. He quickly realized that not only was his SP draining, but his wrath was barely able to stay hot in the cold depths of despair. He pressed on, eventually finding Chazon in the epicenter of the blizzard. "Chazon! Snap out of it!"
"Who… are… you…?" Naofumi saw how dead his now grey eyes were and paled. He yelled in surprise when Chazon suddenly struck at him, his spear having transformed into an icy pike that spoke of nothing but despair. "Stop… mocking… me…"
"I'm not mocking you! Please wake up!" Naofumi blocked another strike and winced when he realized the cursed flame counter activated… only for the curse to quickly die out due to how much corruption was in the air.
"Leave… this place… It's too painful!" The dragon soul in Naofumi's shield spoke in his mind suddenly. Even his own hate and rage was being replaced by despair as he once again saw his dead mate and hatchlings. Slain by humans and demi-humans so long ago.
"Despairing Air Strike Javelin."
The pike was thrown and disappeared in a grey flash. Naofumi quickly blocked the attack, only to see and feel that the skill had splashed grey ice all over his shield, making it heavier and harder to move.
"Chazon, please wake up! What about Rino and the rest of your-" He was caught off guard by a strike to his shoulder. While it barely pierced his skin, the pike felt exceedingly cold against it and he saw he was inflicted with a new debuff.
Despair's Chill
Agility and movement speed harshly lowered. Willpower slowly draining.
No… there's nothing I can do in here! Naofumi, despite feeling incredibly sluggish, was able to escape Chazon and exit the blizzard, noticing that his HP had begun to drop since his SP was at 0. He used to be the one with the most confidence issues. If that's all relapsing on him right now-
"Naofumi-sama!" He saw Rino rapidly approaching with a look of horror on her face. "Please… tell me that's not him… that it's not Chazon-kun…"
"I'm sorry… but it is."
"No… I thought he would never fall into his despair ever again!"
Naofumi gave her a somber look. "That's because, after his Spear of Hope was effectively broken, he got inflicted with a debuff that prevents him from feeling any hope." He looks back at the blizzard with a shiver. "This is the deepest he has ever fallen into despair… with no hope left in his heart. I can't reach him..."
Rino's tears began leaking from her eyes; she was able to save him last time because she was able to use words to put hope back into his heart. If he can't feel hope anymore, then nothing she could do would bring him back.
"What's… the… point…?" Rifana had joined them… but her eyes were dead as a cold aura drifted off her body. She fell onto her knees despairingly; her weapon had turned into a shield that was ice cold and grey with a frozen spike coming out the middle. "We were… never strong… to begin with…"
"Rifana-chan!" Raphtalia saw the state her childhood friend was in and rushed to try and comfort her. "Please… don't think that way! You've proven how strong you are! We saved everyone, didn't we?!" Her own tears were running as she hugged Rifana as tightly as possible, ignoring how cold she felt.
Rino saw what Raphtalia was doing… and realized what she wanted to do. If there was ever a time to stop being a coward… it's now. She turned to Naofumi. "I'm going in after him. I'll bring him back!"
Naofumi saw the look in her eyes and nodded slowly. "Good luck… and bring him back to all of us. Just don't get yourself killed."
She nodded and rushed into the blizzard, immediately feeling pure despair wash over her soul. Holding hope and another feeling close to her heart, she struggled forward and saw Chazon sitting on his knees once again. "Chazon-kun!"
"Who… are… you…?" All Chazon could see in his new world of grey was yet another faceless figure; once again it looked like it was taunting him. "No… leave me… alone."
Rino cried out in surprise when Chazon suddenly attacked her. "Chazon-kun, it's Rino! Don't you remember me?!" She looked into his eyes and saw no recognition in them as she dodged another strike. "No… please tell me you're in there!"
"Go… away… leave me… to suffer… all alone…" His tears had frozen to his face as he continued to attack with intent to drive away. Nobody knows… this pain…
Rino wanted to cry out for him… but she knew what she wanted to do- what must be done. Naofumi told her he couldn't feel hope. She had to use something else.
She managed to parry his spear and touched her head to his, ignoring how cold it was. "Chazon-kun… don't you know that you'll never be alone anymore? Please… come back to me."
"I… I'll always…"
"Perhaps it's my fault… my fault for being such a coward… for continuing to withhold my own feelings from you, despite all you have done for me." She looked up into his eyes as she dodged another attack. "But now… I know with more certainty than ever before…
"Chazon-kun… I love you…" With those words, she plants a kiss on his lips.
Warmth began to spread throughout Chazon's body as something pushed his despair away. The icy fog in his eyes slowly began to clear and he saw Rino right in front of him. He felt something warm on his lips… and realized why she was so close.
She was kissing him. He heard her words.
Rino… you really did… love me…
…
My own feelings… I want to return them to you.
He closed his eyes and pressed into her kiss softly, a pink fire emerging from his spear. From the outside, the blizzard dispelled and a torrent of pink flames replaced it… but the flames never felt too hot or uncomfortable. They felt like a loving embrace as the ice on Naofumi's shield rapidly melted..
Purity Series: Love unlocked
Love's Javelin I unlocked
Equip bonus: MAG bonus (high), DEF bonus (high), MDEF bonus (high), Healing potency bonus (high), Fire-aspected attack (medium), 'Loving Embrace'
Special Effect: MAG up (high), DEF up (high), MDEF up (high), Healing potency bonus (high), Purity (Healing Flames)
Rifana snapped out of her own despair and hugged Raphtalia back, tears in her eyes. Everyone else looked and saw both Chazon and Rino in the middle of the pink inferno… and saw them kissing. Kardia smiled softly at the sight. About time you showed him your own heart in full, Rino-sama.
Chazon broke the kiss and Rino looked back into his eyes… and saw light and recognition in them again. "Chazon-kun…?"
"Rino… ever since you brought me out of my despair the first time… I realized just how much I cared for you. Ever since you joined me you never stopped caring for me, even when your own life was in danger. I heard your words back then… I heard them now… and I wish to respond in kind.
"I love you too…" He kisses her again with an embrace, which she reciprocated with tears of happiness.
Naofumi rolls his eyes in amusement at the sight. "Okay, you two, stop putting on a show for the kids."
The duo quickly broke the kiss and saw everyone staring at them, much to their embarrassment as both went tomato red. Raphtalia and Rifana were both blushing hardcore, the humanoid monsters looked on in confusion, Kardia was smiling at the scene still, and the other heroes looked on in amazement that their fellow hero had found his love in this world already. Merlay had a smile too, but it was more wistful.
The old fighter that was fighting the wave with them let out a jolly laugh. "Ah, to be young and in love again! Still good to see love being born even during the waves!"
"Congratulations, Chazon-sama! Rino-sama!" Ake said as his band of party members clapped alongside the villagers. The two were still embarrassed, but they approached everyone else with smiles on their faces while holding hands.
The end of the third wave marked the beginning of a new relationship.
Analyzing…
Corruption Series progress: 2/7
Purity Series progress: 2/7
Status: Neutral
As everyone recovered from what the wave threw at them, Naofumi led Chazon to where one of the Soul Eaters fell and both were able to unlock a new weapon from it.
Soul Eater Glave
Equip Bonus: ATK bonus (high), MAG bonus (medium), AGI bonus (low), Dark resist bonus (low), SP-drain resist bonus (low)
Special effect: ATK up (high), MAG up (medium), Soul-drain attack (low)
Naofumi looked at the shield he got. "If that woman, Glass, is setting a standard for how the waves are going to be, we need to get much stronger than this."
"Agreed, but the only way for our party members to get stronger is to get their class ups. Thanks to the hard-asses in Melomarc, we have to travel to a different country for them." Chazon narrowed his eyes at Castle Town in the distance. I doubt Melty would be able to finagle anything for us anyways.
"Indeed, but we can figure that out in a bit. For now, let's return to the village and rest with our parties; you definitely need it the most with what you've been through."
Chazon sighed at that. The Spear of Hope was a powerful tool, but incorrect usage or a bad hit would throw him right into using Despair's Pike. The only reason his own "rampage" didn't last that long was because Rino risked her life to bring him out with her love rather than her hope. I really need to treat everyone to something relaxing, especially her. "Naofumi, anywhere we could go for some R&R?"
Knowing full well why he was asking, Naofumi thought about it. "One of the mountain towns has hot springs in it if that interests you. I went there with my party and, admittedly, it was very relaxing even for me. Glenn from Lerno pointed me in that direction, so ask him when you get back."
"I'll look into it, thanks! I just really need to treat my party members to SOMETHING to show my gratitude."
Naofumi smirked at them as they entered the village. "Are you sure it isn't for another reason entirely?"
That got a slight rise out of Chazon. "I have no idea what you're talking about." The shield hero merely chuckled at that, knowing that teasing his fellow hero over his new relationship would be a source of entertainment. "Anyways… I'm sorry I attacked you… while that was all-"
"You weren't in control of yourself, so it's not your fault. Believe me, I know what that's like." Naofumi said somberly as he sat down.
The other two heroes were in the area as well and all of the villagers expressed gratitude to them in helping keep the strongest monsters away from their village. Ren looked uncomfortable at all the attention and praise; the only reason he was hanging around as long as he was is because Wyndia made sure to keep him there. Itsuki was interacting with all of the children with a smile on his face as "Granny" smiled at him from the side.
Chazon noted that his help guide updated for the first time in a long time. He looked in amazement as he saw the new entry on Status Enhancement. Like Spirit Enchantment, items or pieces of monster souls can be used to imbue a weapon form with a status boost, like a boost to attack or magic. Looks like the outcome is random though, like enchanting accessories. Maybe accessory enchanting came from a previous Spear Hero?
Shaking his head, Chazon informed Naofumi of his new Method, who crossed his arms. "Sounds similar to accessory Enchanting like you thought."
"I suppose its a case of "do you want guaranteed but niche strengthening or do you feel lucky enough to get the Enhancements you want?""
As everyone mingled and the villagers celebrated surviving the wave, Naofumi was eventually approached by the knight commander, demanding that Naofumi return to the castle for a debriefing. Chazon was quick to inform him that he held no real obligation to do so, but Ake begged the two to go. After some rest, both parties begrudgingly returned to Castle Town.
Chazon accompanied Naofumi into the castle, but was told that only the shield hero was allowed in. He wasn't having any of it. "Perhaps if your country treated my friend a lot better than what you have, I wouldn't feel the need to go in with him."
"I appreciate the concern, Chazon, but I can handle myself… unless you want to say a few words to Trash as well?" Naofumi smirked at the spear hero.
"Believe me, I have many words for that daft codger. But I'll let you go in first; no point in me ruining your chance at getting back at him."
That got a bigger grin out of the shield hero as he entered the audience hall, with Chazon leaning against the doors outside; none of the guards wanted to mess with him after he shot them pointed glares.
After Naofumi told the King that he could kill him if he so wished, Chazon chose then to enter. "And considering you guys really can't do anything to him, there wouldn't be much you can do to stop him. I'd recommend giving up your rather pointless endeavors."
The King saw him take his place beside Naofumi, surrounded by guards no-less, and give him a defiant glare. "Spear Hero! You dare turn on us like-"
"I was never on your side to begin with." Chazon gave a rather sadistic grin, which sent shivers down everyone's spines. "I knew you were pathetic, but this is a new low for a Richard Cranium like you."
Naofumi snorted in laughter at the name before redirecting his attention. "So that's how it is. By combining both of our party's might, we killed the first boss that appeared. When the second boss appeared, we dealt with it handily… together. Even when that woman appeared and tried to have us all killed, it was the Spear Hero who drove her off when everyone else failed to harm her." He looks around at the unnerved knights. "Tell me, are you guys really willing to mess with us, especially when you'd be up against not just me but another hero?"
Nobody answered and Chazon scoffed. "Looks like we found our answer." He glares at the King. "Let this be a lesson to you. You tried to force my FRIEND through your bullshit because of your petty hate. A hatred you had ever since the war with Siltvelt."
"H-how did you find that-"
"I have my contacts. But that doesn't change your biggest downfall: you've let your hatred blind your judgement. People who remain stuck in the past by choice… no longer have a future. Keep that in mind." With that, both heroes turn to leave.
Aultcray gripped his chair in anger. "You both think you can just walk in here, disrespect the King as you please, and just walk out like nothing?!"
"Pretty sure we can… especially when you're not the one in control here." Chazon looks back with yet another sadistic smirk. This time Naofumi had to suppress a shudder. "I'm not just talking about our power. It'd be a shame if your… "loving" wife were to learn about everything you've been doing behind her back."
Aultcray recoiled into his chair, looking fearfully at the empty throne beside his. Chazon kept going, "So I'd recommend being a good little boy and pissing right the fuck off from any of our business going forward. Let us do our job and you won't have to deal with us, savvy?"
With that, the two exit the throne room without any other incident. Naofumi gives Chazon a cheeky grin. "Got quite the tongue on you when you really use it, huh? Loved how you called him a "dick head" without outright saying it."
"He had it coming for a long time. Regardless, let's get back to our parties and plan our next move."
"Indeed… but can I ask you to never smile like that again? Seeing that on your face is… unpleasant, to say the least." Chazon gave him a confused glance as he shook his head. "Also, this is the first I've heard of a Queen."
Chazon sighed at that, not wanting to give away the Shadow looking out for him. "Let's just say someone stopped by in Lerno, an adventurer I think, who mentioned offhandedly something about the Queen of Melomarc. Combine that with the fact that this country is a matriarchy and… yeah, he doesn't have any real power. The only reason why we weren't told is because nobody wanted us to question the king." Naofumi scoffed at that.
"Sir Spear Hero, may I have a word with you?" A maid stopped Chazon right before some stairs. Naofumi nodded at him and continued forward as Chazon followed her into the shadows. "Full glad to see you're alright after that display. You even found your love, so I offer my congratulations."
"Thanks, but I'm betting that you didn't pull me to the side for pleasantries." He had noted the look in her eyes; they spoke of worry and danger.
"Observant as always. Indeed, I need to issue a warning. The Church of Three Heroes is on the move. They already know of your "base" in Lerno Village and have sent a force there to try and detain you there."
Chazon let out a suffering sigh. "Just when I thought we could relax a bit… guess that's asking for too much at this point."
"I concur. They aren't arriving at the village proper until a few days from now… though I fear even my information might be false, for the church Shadows have hounded my information gathering at every step. As such, exercise extreme caution if you choose to teleport to the Aetheryte Crystal. You may not have much time before they attack you inside the village."
"Would you recommend it?"
"I cannot say with certainty. All I can say is this: if you find yourself being chased by them if you do go, flee north to the Reichnott Territory. One of my mistress' most trusted advisors rules the area and he can provide succor until things quiet down." She clasped her hands together, wishing she could provide more reliable information. "Additionally… I must recommend against leaving the country, even if you need class ups. Recall that her majesty hasn't returned because of the political back-lash from Melomarc summoning all four heroes."
Chazon thought for a moment before horror dawned on him. "If even one hero leaves… that might entice the other countries to invade under that pretense of not keeping a "proper leash" on us…"
"Indeed. We'll be doing our best to dissuade Naofumi-sama as well, but I'd recommend against saying anything to him yourself. Her majesty already has a plan for him, so trust that we can convince him."
That didn't sit well with Chazon, but he nodded anyways; he has no respect for the King but he'd rather not step on the Queen's toes considering she's the one truly in charge. "Alright. I was planning on going to a hot spring town Naofumi mentioned. Would we have enough time to head there for at least ONE day of R&R?"
She pondered for a minute before nodding. "As long as they don't know you're there, then it should be fine. However, I'd recommend against staying any longer than you have to."
"Noted. Thank you for your service. If I ever meet the Queen, I'll give you a commendation."
She smiled, though her frown quickly returned. "There's… more bad news I must give. Do you recall the weapon the knight named Glone used during your confrontation?"
"The one that allowed him to use Air Strike Javelin? That makes me wonder if skills really are hero exclusive."
She shakes her head. "That's because they're supposed to be… but the church has managed to reverse-engineer a weapon made by a power-mad alchemist that mimics the legendary weapons. Glone got a prototype legendary spear replica… and judging by the fact that he could use skills with it, it seems to work... which means…"
Chazon widened his eyes in horror. "They could try and have me killed off for being a fake while having Glone come forward as "the real Spear Hero" and the population wouldn't be any wiser…"
"Indeed. I'd recommend extreme caution around Glone and anyone wielding replica weapons. Now that Naofumi-sama has survived even this wave, he's going to be actively targeted by the church. However, I'd recommend against sticking with him. Splitting their forces in half will make them easier for both of you to deal with." With that, she walks away, hopeful that she provided enough warning to her designated hero.
So those religious nutjobs deign to still try and bring me in or replace me for daring to be a "fake hero"? I don't care if they're after me, but I shudder to think what they'll do to my party members… and the fact that they'll also actively target Naofumi makes it sound like they're desperate. After all, the cornered rat will bite the cat.
Chazon reached Erhard's Blacksmith, with him just accepting his place as a meeting spot for both heroes now, and greeted everyone including Naofumi. "We're just discussing where we're going for our class ups. Care to join us?"
Chazon shook his head, deciding to keep his conversation with his assigned Shadow a secret for now. "I think we'll go for that relaxation trip first before considering that. Everyone in my party has been working so hard. It's only fair that I try and treat them all."
Rino looked at him curiously. "It's not like we're complaining, Chazon-kun."
"I know, but I feel guilty regardless. Besides, we'll head back to Lerno for a day since the place I have in mind is close by."
Merlay looked down a bit. "I… haven't been part of your party for long, so-"
"You're joining us, Merlay-chan! You worked just as hard as any of us during the wave!" Rifana piped up, startling the mage.
Amber started bouncing excitedly. "Yay! Another trip!" Kardia, already having overheard what Naofumi suggested before they returned to Castle Town, already had her mental gears working with a mischievous smile.
"Daddy, does this mean I can pull my carriage again?" Obsidian cheered when Chazon confirmed yes. Raphtalia smiled at the animated group. They really did look like one big family rather than party members.
Naofumi nodded at the spear hero. "A shame you aren't joining us, but I suppose we can't be together all the time. Go do your relaxing and decide afterwards where you're going for class ups and how you're getting there."
Despite knowing he shouldn't, Chazon simply nodded at that. Deciding to let him in on one thing he learned, he said, "As a side note, I overheard a conversation on my way here. Something about "replicas" or something of that nature? I didn't like what I heard, so just keep an eye out for anything like that." Naofumi nodded at that.
Erhard smiled a bit. "I know the church is going to give you a hard time, so I already got some supplies for you two heroes. Since I'm aware of the spear kid's teleportation trick, I'll load your carriage up first."
"How much will that run me?" Chazon looked at his funds and grimaced. He might have to part with even more materials at this rate; not crafting and selling like Naofumi was starting to bite him hard.
"I'll just put it on your tab for now, kid. I know you like paying me up front, but you need that money for your relaxation, so I'll do this as a favor." Erhard gave Chazon a grin which was returned.
After everyone was loaded up into the carriage, Chazon called the shield hero's party and Erhard over. "Now this is what teleporting to an Aetheryte Crystal looks like." He started casting Teleport after selecting the Lerno Village Aetheryte as his destination. Moments later, a grey bubble formed around the entire carriage and whisked the entire party away.
Naofumi whistled. "I got the low-down on how those crystals work while in Lerno. A shame he hasn't planted any more of them."
Raphtalia shook her head. "Remember that the church branded him as a fake. I doubt he wants a teleporting service anyone can use in their hands, hence why that one is the only one."
"True. Well, old man, shall we get our show on the road as well?"
Ren and Itsuki were in the same tavern as before with grim looks on their faces. Itsuki spoke up, "As much as I want to help them… I need to take care of that job in the Northern Territories first. Besides, I'm unsure of what I can actually do to help."
The two of them overheard a priest of the Church of Three Heroes talking about the force they've sent to Lerno Village in order to detain the "fake Spear Hero" while forces hidden in the royal guards moved to set up the Shield Devil to look like he assassinated the second princess as she moved to try and get him to reconcile with her father. The two heroes retreated to mull over the information in secret.
Ren nodded at that. "I need to return to Dragon Village to make sure they're okay still. Besides, Chazon and Naofumi are… honestly a lot stronger than we are at this point, levels aside. I think they can handle themselves."
"True. I just wish I asked what their secret was, but no use in lamenting over it." Itsuki looked around cautiously. "But… we can't trust the church anymore."
"Indeed. Branding Chazon as a "fake hero" and Naofumi as a devil after everything they've done? They certainly know how to make enemies, though we should step cautiously until they make their move. I've kept the fact that Wyndia is a demi-human from them for some time now, but who knows how long that'll last."
"Perhaps I can get more information on the church while doing my thing in the Northern Territories. I'll relay anything I learn to you and the other two if I find any."
Both heroes nod and move quickly to rejoin their parties. They knew that the church may brand them as "fake heroes" going forward as well, but they'd rather stay on Chazon's and Naofumi's side. They were the true heroes of the country, as much as they wished the two of them could claim that role as well.