This has gone on long on long enough. Despite me explaining myself at the beginning of the last chapter, people still deigned to bitch about this one thing that wasn't going to be much beyond a few blurbs. All these "guests" screaming at me to turn this story around from the path I envisioned. I only have one thing to say:

Piss off.

Me not labeling my story as a harem story when I first started is entirely my fault, I have no qualms about admitting that. But even after updating the story description, people kept targeting that ONE thing and, quite frankly, I'm sick of it.

Congratulations to all who bitched. I might have found ways for it to go back to a single-person romance, but thanks to this, I'm now going full-tilt into my path out of sheer SPITE for you. Don't even bother writing a review if that's all you're going to focus on or if you're going to un-like or favorite because of this. Last I checked, nobody's paying to view my story meaning that I have full reign over what I want.

"The squeaky wheel may get the attention, but sometimes it just gets thrown across the room."

To everyone who was fine with this or those with more valid constructive criticisms, I deeply apologize for this whole gong-show.

"Everything good to go, Naofumi?"

The next day saw Naofumi and Ren's group finalizing their preparations for infiltrating Castle Town and Melromarc Castle. Thanks to Queen Mirellia's knowledge on secret passageways, they knew all of the discreet ways of getting around.

The heroes had already shifted their parties around. Chazon transferred Obsidian to Naofumi's party while Ren transferred Bakta, Welt, and Farrie to Chazon's. Because Itsuki will remain near the main army when the fighting starts, the two heroes felt that further party shifting was unnecessary.

Naofumi nodded as he shifted his shield on his arm. "We'll be as ready as we'll ever be. Between Ren and I, we've got a lot of healing, MP, and Soul-healing potions in our inventories. We also got plenty of rations thanks to those Honey-pickled Red and Purple BioFruits you gave us."

"Considering you're teleporting to Lerno, feel free to stock up on further provisions if you feel it necessary." Chazon crosses his arms in contemplation. "It might take some time for all of you to get to Castle Town from Lerno, even with the faster travel speed from Filo and Obsidian."

"We'll do our best to ration our time as best we can." Ren acknowledged as Filo and Obsidian nodded. "Time may be of the essence, but haste makes waste as well."

"Obsidian-nii, be careful!" Amber outcried. She wasn't looking forward to time spent without her older brother.

"Don't worry, Amber-chan. I'll come back to our family, I promise. I'll have Uncle Naofumi and Uncle Ren's party members with me." Ren still wasn't used to being called an Uncle, much to Naofumi's amusement.

Wyndia sighed at the theatrics going on. "We best get moving. We're wasting daylight at this rate."

"Wyndia-chan, don't worry too much." Raphtalia made sure to keep the nue's more blunt nature in check.

Melty made sure to hug her mom one more time. "I'll make you proud, Mother!"

"I'm sure you will, Melty." Mirellia already felt pride surge towards her youngest daughter. You've grown up so much during our time apart…

Naofumi focused a bit and selected the Lerno Village Aetheryte as a teleport location. Soon after, the group of 8 teleported away in a mass of bursting grey bubbles.

Mirellia turned to the soldiers present. "I want this camp packed up on the double. We march for the capital of Melromarc!" The soldiers shout in affirmation and scatter to spread the order. She turns to the heroes still present. "Once we're packed up, we'll head east towards Castle Town. I've sent some scouts ahead so that we have forewarning of any large forces the church mobilizes against us."

Kardia noted that there were some demi-humans amongst the ranks. "Did Lord Van send some of his people to help?"

"Most of them are non-combatants, but their help is greatly appreciated regardless." Mirellia smiled at the sight of humans and demi-humans working side-by-side. Even with the Cardinal Heroes showcasing that relationship, she never got tired of seeing it after how long Melromarc has treated demi-humans like monsters.

Bakta walked forward with a small grin. "No sense standing around. Let's help them pack up so we can get moving."

Farrie nodded. "If we can get to Castle Town after dealing with any enemies, we can help make our infiltration team's efforts easier. After all, what better distraction than an entire army knocking at the door?"

"Alright, you heard them!" Chazon spoke up. He wasn't one to be a leader for anyone besides his party, but since Naofumi wasn't around to lead for him he'll have to grin and bear it. "Pitch in wherever you can and let's get this show on the road!"

As everyone scattered to help the Queen's soldiers, Itsuki noted Rishia just standing there with a confused and concerned look on her face. "Fuehhh…"

"Rishia, I know you aren't the strongest physically, but I'm sure there's something you can do to help." He pats the fueh girl on the shoulder, which earned an embarrassed squeak from her. "Come on, perhaps those in charge of the medicine could use some help."

Chazon gave a small smile as he watched the two walk away, Rishia red with embarrassment. Come on, Itsuki. Even I can see she has a thing for you. I don't know if it's a form of puppy love or something else, but… nevermind, maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.

Once the camp was completely packed up, the entire army started moving east towards Castle Town. Chazon's party recognized the roads they were being chased down earlier. It was still full of blast craters from all of the grenades used to try and dissuade their pursuers. Merlay winced at the sight. "Maybe we didn't think that through."

"We were desperate and in a panic at the time." Chazon reminded her. "The safety of our charges were our priority then. Not making sure future travelers have an easy time with their carriages."

Itsuki noted the radius of the blast craters before a question entered his mind. "I must ask. How did you get your hands on grenade materials? While I heard that Faubrey was fairly advanced compared to the rest of the world, I thought you never had the time to go there."

Chazon thought for a moment before beckoning Itsuki over and whispering into his ear. "Trade secret, but I've been using Amber's scales in their creation. All I can do for you is give you some grenades and flashbangs whenever we meet."

"Huh, I never would have thought to do that myself. Is she your daughter?" Itsuki asked while whispering back.

"In a manner of speaking, yes. I raised her from an egg I purchased from the slave trader I got Rifana and Kardia from. The Monster Lottery, I believe it's called."

Itsuki crossed his arms in contemplation as his voice went back to normal volume. "Maybe I'll try my luck at it one day. I feel it would be interesting to have a monster companion like you and Naofumi."

"Just be careful. You might not get what you want or you might get a glutton for a monster. I got lucky with both of mine and they are both good kids, but they are probably exceptions to the rule."

"With a name like "Monster Lottery" it'd be like a gacha game." Chazon rolled his eyes at the comparison. "But I understand. I'll have to buy some BioFruit seeds off Lerno village and have them planted in the Northern Territories to remove the issue of food."

That got Chazon thinking before he checked his inventory. He still had 5 BioPlant seeds left. "I can sell you 4 of them if you want."

"Really? Can I buy them now?"

"Give me a second." Chazon withdraws the 4 seeds and switches to his BioPlant Halberd for modifying. After turning them into Red BioFruit seeds, he switches back to his Soul Eater Glave with a nod. "1 gold for all 4 if that sounds good?"

"Done. If what you said about the resulting trees producing lots of fruit a day, then I'll quickly earn back my 1 gold from saving on food bills."

"True. I'm not exactly a merchant, but I try to be fair with my deals." Chazon hands the seeds over and gets a sack of 100 silver in return. "Just be sure to plant them strategically. Not all of the fruits produced are going to contain seeds."

"Noted. Thank you!" Itsuki quickly heads over to where Rishia was talking with Merlay to give her the news.

Kardia tapped Chazon on the shoulder for his attention. "Bit of a random question, but what's your thoughts on Rishia-san?"

"Er… honestly, I feel like she's more fragile than glass. I'm not just talking defence wise, either."

"I feel the same way." Kardia lets out a somber sigh. "The poor girl sounds like she barely has it together. The only one keeping her from falling apart is Itsuki-sama."

"Hopefully Itsuki will recognize that and try and toughen her up a bit. That, or make a promise to her that she'll never have to suffer by herself."

That got a smirk out of Kardia. "Chazon-sama, are you also hoping those two get together in "that" way as well?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Chazon said that in the blandest tone possible, which got a giggle out of the kitsune.

After some more time marching and even stopping for a short break, Rifana noted something odd. "Is it just me, or have we not encountered any monster trouble?"

"Kukuku… it's because they fear the presence of the Vampire Lord!" Kekal outbursts with a laugh. It quickly died when she realized that she was ignored and deflated.

Alay tapped her chin. "Isn't it because we are traveling in such a large group?"

"That would be the case." Bakta confirmed. "While the specifics aren't known, monsters refuse to come out if large groups of armed humans, demi-humans, or beastmen happen to be in one place. The only exceptions happen during the waves."

"Can we really call it an exception?" Welst noted with a thoughtful look. "Keep in mind that the monsters seemingly drop from the sky at random. Who's to say that their first instinct isn't to run away from a large force of armed soldiers and knights like the monsters of our world?"

"Mind you, we haven't gotten a real chance to test that theory either." Welt added in. "Up until this point, we haven't been able to get an entire army to the waves in a timely manner. The only ones who teleport directly to the site are the Cardinal Heroes."

Those words made Chazon and Itsuki flinch. While Itsuki didn't know any better, Chazon saw Naofumi do it with Ake's group of knights and mages last wave. It made him feel even worse about not bringing in more soldiers to the wave, even though they were able to save everyone anyways.

Rino immediately noted Chazon's face and squeezed his hand. That got a sigh out of the Spear Hero, knowing exactly why she did that. "I know. Food for thought for future waves and all that. Thank you." She smiles at that.

After some more breaks midway through the day and a slight mishap with Mald, who was doing his best to avoid the demi-humans in the group, the entire army stopped for the night to rest. Mirellia mentioned that the scouts reported back stating that there were no church forces immediately ahead while her Shadows informed of no hidden forces waiting to ambush. "It never hurts to make sure, despite all evidence pointing towards the church knowing the Shield and Spear Heroes were in this direction."

"I just hope I didn't redirect the main army when I went to extract Itsuki." Chazon paused to consider if the scouting parties had informed the main army of his direction.

"I have a Shadow still stationed in the Ivyred Village in the Northern Territories with a crystal ball. She did some scouting yesterday after you two had left and there were no signs of the church's army approaching the area."

Kekal snickered at that. "Maybe they figured that, because of how fast Obsidian-kun was and my ability to slow them down, it would be pointless to try and pursue you with an army. For all they know, you could be on the other side of the country at this time."

"True. Even so, please make sure your Shadow updates us on anything going on in the area, your majesty." Mirellia nods at that.

Itsuki taps Rino and Kekal on their shoulders for their attention. "We should go over our battle plan again tonight. I get the feeling that we'll be encountering the church's main army tomorrow if they really haven't diverted course."

"I got the same feeling." Kekal acknowledged with a nod. "Our march today was too quiet, so I suspect as much."

"Whatever you guys plan, make it count." To say Chazon was worried about his fellow hero and party members was an understatement. "You know this already, Itsuki, but I'd like to remind you. If the enemy realizes that you're still alive, you're going to be swarmed. If that happens, fall back and rejoin our army."

"Don't worry, We'll try to go as long as possible undetected to eliminate small groups of enemies." Alay reassured the Spear Hero, knowing full well why he was restating the obvious.

When Itsuki's group went off to go over their strategy once again, Mirellia approached Chazon. "In the meantime, I'd like to gather everyone for our own strategy meeting once we encounter the church's main force."

That got a nod out of Chazon. "I'm not the best strategist, but let's see what we can concoct."

The Queen's army set out early in the morning to gain as much ground on the capital as possible. Itsuki decided to detach his group early on and start stalking the perimeter of any potential conflict zones. Everyone else was put on high alert thanks to an eerie feeling that had settled on everyone that morning.

Chazon in particular didn't like it at all. It reminds me of the morning I woke up and felt the presence of the Cyclops Mauler back in my early days as the Spear Hero. The feeling that something is horribly wrong.

"Papa… I'm scared. I feel a strange energy around here…" Amber spoke up, clearly frightened by the morning atmosphere.

Kardia looked around with a concerned gaze, ears flicking haphazardly. "Strange energy… more like it feels like magic energy is gathering somewhere…"

Chazon grabbed his spear. "Magic energy is gathering somewhere-"

"They tried to kill my entire party with a spell I later learned was called Judgement. From what I could gather, it was basically a giant bolt of light-augmented lightning that comes from the sky."

"They went that far to kill you?! Because what the church used is called Covenant Magic. It requires many people to cast at once and all of them must be willing participants. The result is a spell that's completely devastating both to enemies, allies, and the environment alike!"

"Oh shit." Chazon's eyes widened with horror. "Your majesty! Tell everyone to fall back NOW!"

Mirellia didn't even question him, for she came to the same conclusion as Chazon. "All soldiers, fall back NOW!" She looks at Chazon as everyone doubles back. "Do you have a plan?"

"Something like that… hopefully it works.." Chazon focused and managed to re-summon his Spear of Hope II. Looking up, he saw a small, shimmering ball of light that was not the sun. "I need as much light magic focused into my spear as possible! Everyone else pray for me with hope in your hearts!"

Mirellia didn't even need to say anything as the nearby mages, alongside Amber and Merlay, started focusing their light magic into the jewel of the spear. Chazon could feel increasing strength as word spread to pray for him. Kardia looks at the scene with a distraught expression. If only I could help him more here… never thought I'd be cursing my heritage as the Nine-Tails.

"Kardia-chan, let's go!" Rifana quickly shepherded the kitsune away from the sight, though not before shooting Chazon her own worried glance. I hope you know what you're doing.

Chazon kept observing the little ball of light in the sky before it suddenly started growing bigger. He knew what it meant. "Hopeful Heaven's Final Piercer!"

He launched his spear at the light and it intercepted the Judgement spell, something everyone instantly realized. The spear clashed with the spell, both shooting off an immense amount of energy and magic as the two fought for dominance.

However, Chazon slowly recognized that his spear won't be able to fully stop the spell. Just how powerful is Judgement?! Looking behind him, he saw that the Queen's army had fallen back far enough. Time to head out as-

The Spear of Hope suddenly got launched off the spell and the Covenant Magic spell continued to hit the ground before Chazon. It launched him back with severe damage. Thankfully his Rising Hope aura was sufficient to survive the blast, though it quickly faded as his spear went back to the Soul Eater Glave he had equipped before. If I wasn't strengthened like that… I would have died!

"Chazon-sama!" All of his party members rushed forward to help him. Merlay quickly casted a Zweite Heal on him. "Will you be alright?!"

"I'll live. But…" Chazon looked at the crater before him. The nearby trees were ignited and the ground looked like it contained lava veins. "This is absolute overkill. Did they intend to obliterate as much of the Queen's army as possible?"

There was a brief silence before a clapping sound was heard. "I had known the fake Spear Hero to be strong, but I never would have thought that you would be able to deflect such a high-powered spell like that. Perhaps if you never had interacted with demi-human filth, you would have been regarded as our truest savior."

Everyone looked up at the nearby cliff and saw someone in what looked like priest clothes with an extravagant hat on. Mirellia, who had rejoined the hero's party, glared at the figure. "Pope Biscas T. Balmus!"

"You seem well, your majesty… or should I say, Mirellia Q Melromarc." Balmus stated with a smile that held no warmth. "I had wondered when you would return. To think that you were with the fake Spear Hero this entire time."

"And to think you would grow so bold as to forcibly take over Melromarc in my absence. You certainly have grown overconfident during recent times." Mirellia made sure to hide her mouth behind her fan, but it didn't stop animosity from coming from her eyes.

"Overconfident? It was simply the right time for the one true apostle of god to step in and take the reins." Balmus raised his hands, which made everyone realize that the church's army was right behind him.

One of Mirellia's commander's panicked. "How did the Church's army sneak up on us like that?! Did our scouts get wiped out?"

"Under the rule of royalty, Melromarc has fallen from grace." Balmus' voice boomed out over the area. "Between the King no longer being as wise as he once was and the Queen showing demi-human filth and the Shield Demon unnecessary mercy, this nation has stagnated. The citizens cried for a true leader to rid our world of these threats and I shall answer that call!"

"You certainly like hearing yourself speak, don't you?" Chazon quipped, having recovered from getting blasted by Judgement. "You claim they are threats, but they are merely perceived. The true threat… lies in your arrogance to think you can do everything."

"Ah… perhaps if you had fulfilled your own sacred purpose, then there would be no need for this." Balmus looks at Chazon with a frown. "Yet not only did you fraternize with the Shield Demon overlong, but you showed kindness and mercy to your enemies and killed faithful followers. Blasphemy at its-"

"I'm going to have to stop you riiiiight there. You see, I was never a follower of your religion so you're screwed in that regard. Then there's the fact that you show racism so openly when I come from a WORLD where racism is regarded as a hate crime." Chazon glowered at the Pope. "But most importantly… You're calling my friends and family filth and demons alike, which is unforgivable."

That got a sigh out of Balmus. "You really are corrupted beyond reproach. Worry not, for I shall purify your soul alongside everyone else. After all…" He suddenly draws a golden sword from behind his back and gains an ominous, yet somehow holy aura. "God is not without mercy."

Mirellia recoiled at the sight. "That's the original Legendary Weapon Replica! Sir Chazon, if he gets free reign to use that-"

"Don't worry, I'll keep him occupied." Chazon clutched his Soul Eater Glave before he launched himself forward. "Merlay, Rifana, Amber, on me! Everyone else, assist the Queen's army!" He didn't dare take anyone else for fear that doing so would put the Queen's army at a bigger disadvantage.

"Got it!"

Mirellia folded her fan up once again and pointed it forward. "To arms! We rid the world of the lies of the Church of Three Heroes!" Her words were met with battle cries as her soldiers rushed to meet the enemy in battle.

It was quickly apparent that the church's army had a clear numbers advantage. However, Ren and Itsuki's party members backed up the army with their capabilities. This was alongside more advanced battle tactics and strategies taught to the Queen's commanders by Itsuki himself. The Queen's army wasn't at a complete disadvantage despite the numbers differences.

The only thing keeping the good guys from sweeping the opposition with superior tactics was the church's use of Legendary Weapon Replica replicas. Most normal soldiers didn't stand a chance against the power the replicas held. The hero skills the users were using were just the final nails in the coffins.

Thanks to Ren and Itsuki's party members being strong class up adventurers, they were able to stem the onslaught the replica users were forcing them through. Bakta in particular seemed unimpressed with the Legendary Sword Replica user he was facing down. "You put far too much faith into your weapon. That leaves you with blind confidence despite having no real skill."

Welst blasted a few soldiers away with Drifa Water Surge before shaking his head. "Blind confidence or not, a single misstep can end in disaster. All it takes is a well-placed strike to vital areas to die."

"Then just make sure you don't put yourself in such a situation!" Farrie outcried with her own magic going off, targeting a Legendary Bow Replica. Some nearby church mages quickly nullified her spells with anti-magic which made her hiss in annoyance. "Could someone deal with those guys?"

Kardia quickly Multi-casted Zweite Falling Gales and Zweite Fire Rain on her targets, which combined into Blazing Windfall. The church mages cried out in surprise at the sudden spell casting, not knowing what spells she used until it was too late. "Guess Multi-cast really is a good work-around against anti-magic. They weren't expecting that!"

Welt managed to overpower another group of mages with Drifa Dragon's Fire before falling back a bit. "Like I said before, you have an advantage over most mages thanks to that. Even so, we have an uphill battle ahead of us."

"You people better not fall behind!" Everyone heard Mald shout from somewhere nearby. "I would be embarrassed if I had to clean up after you guys!"

Kardia had to force down her irritation before facing another wave of church knights. This group had a few Legendary Spear Replicas. "Let's just force this rabble into a corner or something." She holds her hand forward. "Zweite Ground Shift!" The ground beneath the knights lit up with a purple sigil before the ground started rapidly shifting around, causing them to lose their footing and leaving them vulnerable to attacks from Bakta and Mald.

On another section of the battlefield, Itsuki's group was engaging wherever possible with cover from the trees. Him and Kekal were able to start shooting down some church knights to gain a small group's attention for Rino and Alay to quickly take out. To reduce his chance of being discovered as the Bow Hero, Itsuki had a cloak on and his bow was an unassuming Dire Wolf Bow.

By utilizing a combination of luring and hit-and-run tactics, they lure groups of knights to their location in the nearby forests, followed by Kekal either lowering their agility or their defenses. Rino and Alay would then follow up with fast, yet efficient strikes that would kill or incapacitate the lured knights. If the lured groups start getting too big, they reposition to lower their enemy's awareness of their tactics.

Rino still winced whenever she cut down a knight, but said nothing out loud as she pressed on. This… would have been forced sooner or later. I don't wish to take lives like this, but knocking too many out might make things difficult for us in the future…

Alay quickly cut down the last knight in the most recent group they lured. "So far, so good. If we keep this up, the Queen's army will have the advantage regardless of their numbers!"

Itsuki observed the distant battle somberly. Even after killing a few nobles before this point, he still felt queasy at taking lives like this. "Luring the regular knights is good and all, but we need to take out the ones holding the replica weapons. They'll be our biggest threats since they can tear through the Queen's forces if left unchecked." He looks at Rino. "You've won against replica users before and are holding replica weapons yourself, Rino. We'll need to rely on your power to defeat any we happen to lure."

"I'll do my best, Itsuki-sa-." She noted the most recent group of knights approaching, only to stare in horror at a specific person among them. "Y-you!"

"Oh? Weren't you the one Malty-sama wanted sold off into sex slavery?" The pink haired girl, Lesty, giggled maliciously into her hand. She was holding a Legendary Sword Replica replica in her other hand. "You really should have just let yourself go with it. Don't you know that you denied yourself a world of pleasure by continuing to be with the Hero Malty-sama wanted to "cheer on" with me?"

For the first time in a long while, Rino felt hatred. Hatred for the one who forced not only herself through the trauma of almost being raped, but also pushed Chazon even deeper into despair because of it all. "I'm sorry, but did you really get a kick out of paralyzing me and forcing me into sex slavery?!"

"T'was a dirty job, but you were just a commoner. The position as the Spear Hero's companion belongs to Malty-sama and I."

Itsuki suddenly recognized Lesty and leered at her. Chazon thought she was forced to join his party. If I had to guess, she actually wanted a cozy ride between how much money he had and free exp from freeloading.

"Everyone… I know this wasn't part of the plan, but leave this one to me. As Chazon-kun's girlfriend, this is one demon I need to face." Rino spoke in the most neutral voice she could, but everyone could hear her quiet fury. Her deep hate at confronting the one who caused herself and Chazon so much misery.

For the first time, Rino felt she could kill without guilt. And she was willing to take advantage of that feeling.

Alay knew that Rino would not be convinced otherwise. "We should probably relocate elsewhere so that we don't draw attention to Rino-san's battle." Itsuki and Kekal nodded, though the vampire made sure to shoot her party member a worried look before running off.

Lesty smirked at the red-head before her, the knights who were with her deciding to pursue Itsuki's retreating group. "So you became the girlfriend of the esteemed "Spear Hero" now, have you? By all rights, that should have been Malty-sama's position. A commoner like you has no right."

So Princess Malty was in on my whole situation, huh? Like Chazon-kun needed more reason to hate her guts. Rino slowly shook her head. "You and her would've not understood him like I have. His happiness, his hate, his despair… and his love. People like you will NEVER understand!" With those words, she launches herself at Lesty.

"There's no need to understand tools as long as you know how to work them, but I see you're truly a stubborn thorn in the side. Very well, you denied your chance at a life of pleasure, now you'll face your death!" Lesty launches a Zweite Aerial Blade at Rino and solidifies her intent.

While the two armies continued to clash and personal battles were fought, Chazon was fighting Pope Balmus with his Soul Eater Glave alongside Amber, Merlay, and Rifana. Balmus noted the spear during one clash. "It's blasphemous that you are holding such a sacred gift, yet you turn it into such a dark form and brandish it against God's chosen apostle."

"Way to self-appoint yourself as something you're not. Weren't you ever taught to be kind to your neighbors?"

The two launched away from each other as Balmus frowns. "Siltvelt enslaves and treats humans like monsters, so we do the same to them. Is it so wrong to-"

"Siltvelt's reform will be somewhere down the line. Nor am I qualified to judge who is in the right considering I'm not even native to this world." Chazon points his spear forward. "However, perpetuating a cycle of hurt and payback is not the mature way to do things. Especially when the ones you are hurting had nothing to do with Siltvelt in the first place."

That got a dry chuckle out of the Pope. "Quite the idealist, are you not? But your ideals are nothing when laid before the truth of god! You will understand as your soul is judged for your sins!" He switched to sword mode and launched an energy wave at Chazon in such a way that it looked like a lazy wave.

Rifana was able to jump in the way and block it but the physical toll it took on her was immense, dropping her to 57% HP. "Urk… I can't take many hits like that…"

Though he didn't show it, Balmus realized the consequence of bringing less priests and nuns to this battle. He knew that the fake Spear Hero was with the Queen's army, meaning that he needed to bring more soldiers than devotees, even though said soldiers were able to help with the casting of Judgement. Because of that constraint, even with the magic stored into the Replica beforehand, he had to lower the weapon's power output so as to not knock out his source of prayers too quickly.

Because of that, the weapon that should have been capable of matching all four heroes at once was brought down to this level. Still powerful if left unchecked, but could have been more powerful with better circumstances.

Chazon grimaced at the power on display. That legit looked like a Tank Buster… I knew that Legendary Weapon Replica was powerful, but it'll almost completely destroy anyone not classed up. The only reasons why Rifana was able to tank that was because of my efforts to emphasize her defenses… and because it feels like the Pope is toying with us right now. "Then let's quickly reinforce your HP. Zweite Nocturnal Heal!"

Thanks to Chazon quickly switching to his Chimera Dragon Spear, the spell restored most of her lost HP as well as shielding her for 15% of her max. She smiled gratefully. "Thank you for the protection!"

Balmus noted that the Spear Hero had both Dark and Healing affinities. "Quite an unusual affinity combination, though Dark is an unbecoming affinity for a hero."

Chazon was about to speak up when Merlay spoke up for him. "Dark is not evil in and of itself! It's who uses it that determines its moral alignment! Zweite Shadow Bolt!" She launched a bigger bolt of shadow at the Pope, which was blocked by a magic barrier that shattered. "Where is that coming from?"

Amber tried to distract the Pope by launching her blast scales at him. Her attacks were very easily negated due to the barriers deflecting the scales without activating them. "I can't do much to him…"

"Fire spells and blaze scales, Amber!" Chazon called out, not wanting his daughter to get discouraged, as he switched to his Grenadier's Gunlance and started shelling the Pope's followers in an attempt to distract them from long range. "Power through it if you can't find a blind spot!"

"It won't do you any good! Shooting Star Spear!" Balmus switches back to his spear stance and launches a ball of energy that explodes into a barrage of energy spears, which rains down on the four fighting him. "I am backed by the prayers of my fellow believers. Victory won't be yours."

Merlay noticed the status of the large group of priests and nuns a distance away from the pope. Most were praying, but some collapsed onto their side from expending too much mana. "Way to say your strength is not your own. All Zweite Heal!" She brings everyone back up to full health. "Chazon-sama! Keep pushing forward!"

"No need to tell me twice!" Chazon switched back to his Soul Eater Glave and quickly used his Air Dash to maneuver around all of the projectiles from Balmus' Shooting Star Spear. "Double Spear, Demonic Strike!"

"State of Selflessness." Chazon's first strike hit Balmus's spear… only for all of the power from Chazon's skill to suddenly rebound on him in a flash of brilliant light, inflicting severe damage and nearly making him black out. The only compensation Chazon got for his effort was Balmus getting hit by the second Demonic Strike thanks to Double Spear.

"Chazon-sama!" Rifana called out, quickly dashing forward to cover his prone form with her shield. She noted a dark aura emanating off of him now, like his corruption was fighting to overcome him. "I'm right here! We're still with you!" Chazon did his best to try and focus on another emotion besides Despair or Hate, since Hope was a bit out of reach at the moment and Love wasn't on his mind.

Thanks to Rifana's presence, Kindness was beginning to win out as he remembered all of the kind things he has done in the world and how nice those feelings at the time were. The Lance of Kindness manifested for the first time. It looked like a deep-blue jousting lance that had pristine water circling the entire weapon.

I guess Rifana is associated with both Purity's Kindness and Corruption's Despair. Probably because they both have the same elemental affinity of water. "I'll... try and recover from this as best I can. Merlay, Amber! Keep the Pope preoccupied but don't play risky!" He started casting healing magic on himself as Rifana hovered over him, ready to launch spells as counter-attacks.

"Got it, Papa!" Amber was not pleased with her enemy hurting her Papa like that. She was even more determined to take out Balmus. "You bad, bad man!"

"Amber, with me!" Merlay positioned herself beside Amber as she chanted, "As the source of thy power, we the Spear Hero's companions command thee."

Seeing what Merlay was going for, Amber continued the chant, "Decipher the laws of nature, attack my enemy with brilliant waves of light."

"Strike my opponent with an erupting volcano's wrath."

"And unleash the powers of light and fire in tandem upon our target! SOLAR FLARE!"

Merlay and Amber combined Zweite Volcanic Blaze and Zweite Brillant Blast respectively to create a ball of condensed light and fire before they launched it forward. Balmus fell back a bit, but smiled. "No matter what you use on us, the power of our faith will-"

The light bursting from the spell ball impacted the barrier, making it appear. However, it seemed to have the effect of weakening the barrier despite both being light-aspected. When the fireball hit the barrier shortly after, it exploded with such force, the barrier shattered and Balmus was engulfed in white flames, which made him scream in surprise and pain.

Amber pumped both of her fists. "We got the bad man!"

"Even if that wasn't enough to put him down, it should buy Chazon-sama some time to recover. Perhaps we can-" Merlay gets interrupted by an arrow piercing her staff arm, which makes her eyes go dull in shock. "How…?"

Balmus, now in bow stance, looked completely fine despite the earlier attack. "Verily, your efforts were in vain from the beginning. I must commend you for such a powerful combination spell, but I am God's apostle… nay, I AM God!" He smiles as he takes aim at Amber.

"Rifana! Let's protect them!" Chazon was mostly recovered thanks to both the heightened magic from the Lance of Kindness as well as the increased healing potency. He was on his feet, ready to fight again.

There was no hesitation on the weasel's part as she dashed forward with the Spear Hero. Amber was able to dodge a few of the arrows that Balmus shot at her, but Rifana was just in time to block a shot she couldn't dodge. "Rifana-nee!"

"Amber-chan, stay close to me! I'll keep you protected while you keep casting!" Her shield was now a deep-blue kite shield with water flowing in a perfect circle around it. Thanks to the increased stats, she was far more capable of taking hits from Balmus as he unleashed more Legendary Bow skills.

Chazon was able to bring Merlay behind Rifana's cover and heal her wound, but it was clear she was still in shock. What did that bastard Pope do to put her in this state? He raised his lance skyward, knowing what to do to further help their cause. "Those of unwaning goodwill, hear me! The gentle river of affection will protect you and ease your weariness! Kind Waters!"

A wave of pure water rippled from the tip of the lance, which injured the Pope when it hit him. Upon hitting his party members, they were not only healed, but gained a protective shield in the form of a water bubble.

Kind Waters

The flowing water protects you from damage.

Balmus' next sword skill completely removed Rifana's water shield, but she suffered no harm otherwise. That caused him a great deal of confusion. "You also have a water affinity?! Impossible!"

"I have a way around the two affinity limit, not that I'd tell you!" Rifana and Amber renewed their assault as the Solar Empress unleashed a new barrage of fire and light spells. Because Merlay was out of commission for the time being and Chazon's lance not letting him use offensive magic besides water, which he technically didn't have an affinity for, he became the dedicated healer of the three. Regular healing magic could still be cast just fine.

Chazon couldn't constantly use Kind Waters for offence either. Every use was taxing not only on his SP, but the kindness in his heart. Even with Rifana, somehow, feeding kindness to him through their spirit bond, he didn't dare use the skill too much. His non-water elemental skills like Light Spear and Fire Spear were also disabled.

I suppose this serves as motivation for getting a skill for every element if I want to keep at least ONE option open...

The best he could do offensively was quickly dash out, strike at Balmus a few times with skills which don't do as much damage as he would've liked, and retreat behind Rifana before the counter-attack. The strikes did affect Balmus with another new status:

Tidal Currents

The tides drag you down, causing stamina to recover slower than normal.

It was quickly clear that, without outside parties to assist either side, they were at an impasse. Thanks to Rifana's new found durability and Chazon being able to heal till the sun sets, all they could do was match Balmus constantly getting barriers and fast healing from the army of priests and nuns praying for him.

In a brief moment of distraction, he looks back at the two armies still clashing. Despite the tactics Itsuki had taught them, despite the Bow Hero whittling the church's army down with hit-and-runs and guerilla warfare, it was clear that the queen's army was at a standstill with the enemy.

Itsuki had rejoined the main army at some point, but even his group was becoming winded from the battle of attrition going on. Rino was still dueling a pink-haired individual with neither side letting up, but it was clear they were at an impasse.

Chazon, at that very moment, let the kindness in his heart slip as he looked on with dread.

After all of our preparation… after all our strategy and tactical meetings… it still wasn't enough?!

"Shooting Star Bow!" Balmust shot an arrow that turned into a giant bolt of blue energy that exploded on Rifana's suddenly de-powered shield, launching her and Amber backwards, knocking them out, and leaving them helpless. "Face your judgement, foul creatures! God demands your souls be purified!"

Horrified that he let his guard down so badly, Chazon could feel the hopelessness slowly encasing his mind as he pitifully reached out to his other two party members. He still wasn't stable enough to fight Balmus again head on without a Purity Series Weapon. Yet he knew that succumbing to Despair wouldn't solve anything as he desperately tried to feel literally anything else.

Anything…

A̸̷̳̦̱͓͝N̦͔̝Y̛̞̥̦̮̩̥̱̩͝T̴̴̪̫̣͓ͅH̥̮̰͙̟̺̗͢I̦̞͚͎̹̰̘N̙̹G̞͇̫̪̟̺!͏҉̢͔̘̦̰̤̩

Images of his party being slaughtered by the cold-smiling pope and his fanatical zealots flashed in his mind. Their cold-dead eyes asking why he couldn't protect them.

...

No… I can't let him… win… can't let… them win… I must protect my family at all costs! I don't want to lose them! I must… fight on...

I must...

…

K͢҉͍̰̼̝͙i͎̣͓͓̟̥͉̥l̵͉̳̲̣̳̥̻̀ͅl̘ ̞̦͕̳͚̲͟ͅt̸̥͚̯̱̜͢h̬̬̰̮̬̗̦̞͜͡e̷҉̞̭͈̞̱̟͢m̝͈͡.̙͇͈̱̤̱̠̜̬.̴̻͢͞.̧̺́͝

̗K͉͈͝I̷̝̣̰͟L̬̹̜̞̳̯̞L̯͚̬̫̺ ̧͙̝̠̰͇̥͉̕T̡҉̹͓̦͔̱̣͕̼ͅH̷̖̰̯͎͈̭Ę͔̗͕̣͖̲͉͟M̴͍̖͔̳̫̹̪ ̵̲̹̫͕̭̗͇͞͞A̵̶͓̜̯̞L̨̨͔͚̙̦͎͕͉ͅL̀͏̠̬͔!̶̣͇͓̮̭͜͢

C͏̟͈̖o̼͚̤̜̼͞r̡͈̦͖͖͔͇ru͖̯̻͉̲p̟̪ͅͅt͉̼̺̞io̢̥̘̠̝̺̝ṉ͇͖̯̳ͅ ̤̦S̗͍̦̺͉̝͍̀e͎̭r̼̠̝͔̘̩̗͠ie̶̩͎s̨͇̙̗͔:̮̥ B̳l̬̝̦̪o̭̣͈̞͍̥͖o͇͎dl̳̹̳͉̀ͅu̝s̮̟͙̙̲t͔ ͙͍̟͙̗͔u̸̬̖̲͕ͅn̻͚͙̲̬͈̥l̝͔̟̙͉̫̳o͙̩̼͙̳͉̜c̛̱̪̞̟̠̣k̫e͎̬̹d͍̕

̛͕̣̩B̖̖̻l̟͔̟̖͜o͙̥͢o̡d̹̼̹̼̱̕l̬͇̟͚̠u̴̘s̳̭͓̤t͈̮̮̗'̴̘s͉͙͕͟ P̴à̞̳͉͔ͅr̭t͎̤̩͈̦̝͝i̝s͖̟̳̦̳͜an͇ ҉̟I͍ ̣͖̰̤͡u̳̙͕̼̻̤n̷̰̹̖l̻̦̠o̞̙̦͓̝cke̷͈̻̩d̢̺̱̟

̝̦̹̰ͅE̵͔̮̱̠͔͇q͙͚̱͘ṷ̟̜̮͠i̟͈̕p̮̻̫̘ ͖b̫ó͖͓ͅnu̞̮̰͚̲s͉̙͓̳͖͕:̻̱̗ ̫̤̟À̬̝T̶͍̟̟̼̙K̝̕ ̧̣̫̮͖bo̪̫̗͘n͕͜ù̻̳͖̟̪s̹̟̘͝ ̡(̶̜̰̲H͈̬̣̟̰̼͕i̺̦̮̪̰̰̕ǵ͖̬͎̣̩̻̮h̠)̦̼̯͕͜,̳̙͔̦̝̀ͅ ̴A̭͙̩͎G̙̗̙͖I̘ ͓̳ḇ̱ó̺̳̻n͚u͈̦̺͕͎̼͙s͓͔͕̭ͅ ̩͎̼̮(̼̣̤͙̥̩h̟̤̘̯͞i̬̠g̩͔̝̺h̤͡)͓̪͎͉,̺̹̟ ̵̣͙̦ͅM͍̮̫̩̱̙o̜̲͎ͅve̟̗̝m̱͖̗̦̙ę̼̰̞̪̖̠͈n̨̼̗̝̙͇͔̦t͙͖ ͍̤͉s̜̻͙̜̗ṕ̩͔̫e͉͙̗͔e̺̫̻̼̭͕d҉͚̩ ̺̝̝͕̤̘b̵̥̣͔̰͍̜ͅo̯̳͍̥̲͓͚n͔̟̦̟͍u̲̳̣͈s̢̖̫̭ ̪(̡̣̖̜͍̦̟̱h̦̙̟i̹ǵ͕͉̟͎h̼̤̫̰̣͢)̴̬͚,̙͙͍̙̯͓͉ ̭S̪̠̭ͅḽ̷̝̯̼ͅa̖̟͡s̯͍͉̤̦͈̱h̫̜̠i̸͔n̬͙͇͖͙ͅg̛̘̻͚̤̖̙ ͖̘̦̣b̰̟̯̣̮̪o̢̼̼͙͎͍̻n͕̰̞̞͕u͖̬͈̦̜̦͟s̢̬͓̟̙̗͖̳ ͔̳̗̩̯̙̲͟(̱͡h̵͔̱͈̞ị̭͓̮͎̦g̢h̕)̰̯͡,͏̺̘͇̯̠͇ ̪̦͚͇͖̟T̕h̼̼r͕͔̥u͓̩̼͉͉̤s҉̩̮͇͖̖̦̭ti̦̕n̼̖͍g̖̗͉̥̰͖͉ ̱͎̹͈b̫̰̠͕̹̞̣o̗n͔͉̻̺̭̼u͚̠s̰̭̗̹͍̻͇ ̵̗̦̺̹͓͓͇(̡h̸͓̼̘̘͕͇i͙̗͔g̰̟̯̪̮͇̟h͈̦̞̘͙̰ͅ)͉͈, ҉̩̠̻Ĺ̺̹̳͍̭̖i̹ͅg̭͎̻̥ͅh҉̜̬t͍͕̠̟͎̪n̡̮̜̣̼ḭ͔͙n̥͇̗͕̠̤͝g̨̫̦̜͚-̧̙͈͇̹̤̳̜a̲̩͉̦͢s͙͟p̴͎̯̯ͅe̟̺͚̙̙͍̞c̫̭͜t͍̺e͏̫̠̘̦͎̲d͠ ̴̦̰͈͍a̫͕t̪̦̝̩̯̱t̡̠̹͈̖̘͓a͚͝c͍̪̦̱̖̗͍̀ḱ̠̩͚̟̬̜ ̝̯̼̻(̗̣̬͔̺͎́ḫ́i̵̬͖͖̭̳̯g͖̭̠͓̹̥̩͘h̥̪̹̕)̕,͢ ̳̪͈̞̝͔͖͘'̩A̭̘̺̩͔̫c̬͕͙c̴̳͎̲͙͎̰ḙl̴̬̬̤̬̯e̸͔̙͚ͅr̘͔͞a̲͓̘̭̙̕t̡͎͎̭̫̻̘ì͍̥n̹͇g͔̳̺ ̛̭̻̞̟̰B̸̠͇͕̠͚l̵͖̠͕̙o̰̥͡o̩̳̗̮̭͉d̷̜͔̰̦l̵͈̦̲̩̰u̟͇̬̰͓̬s͎̝t̵͓̙̮̦̜͚̮'̘̥̰̳̠̮̥

Ș͈̬̯͡p̘̭̣̦̳͔̘͎e̫̟͖̖̙̟͈̹͠cͅi̷̳̻̦̳̪̣͠a̷̵̮̭̘̬̘̩̙̯ͅl͓̳͕͘͟ ̸̡͕̙̤͓̯̣ḛ̷̺̀́f̷͖̱̪͈f̨̜͇͓̝̟̰̫̩͟ͅe̴̗̖̺̰̱c̮͘͜t̶̷̥̕:̛͈̱͇̝͔ͅ ̶͉̪̲̯͈͞Ạ͎̟͇̞̭̮͝T̨̧̯̺̼͢K҉̤̖̣̗͚͍ ̛͕͉͉̤͕̼͓̀u̶͕̙͡p̫̥̗ͅͅ ̵̰͖̪(҉̷̞͓͉h҉͔̯̭̗̦ͅi̹̖̪̞͓ǵ̦̱͘h̠̠͖̖̖͘̕ͅ)̛͉̫͍,͖͚̞̕ ̢̤̱̻̺̯̥̻̝͘͞ͅA̶̦̘͟G̡̖̜͕̣̀I͘҉̰̝̤̬̘͔ ̫͕̯͙͜u̮̼̪͢͠p̸̪ͅ ̦̠̼̱̹̣͝(̙͎̻̝̭h͔̞͝i̛͈͎̲̪͕̰͈̯͜͡ͅģ̹̱̀͠h̵̟̜̕)̵̛͙̻͖͖,͔̺̹̠̣̝̜ ̴̗̘͢Ç̛̩̹o̮̬͎̠̙̥̬ŗ̙͍̬͢ͅr̫̭͔̺̠̟̀͡u͇͓̖̻͝͠͞p̴̯̣̱͢t̛̯͍̻̙͙i̵̵̮͙̥̮͡ò̸̳̻̤͟n̙̟̼̭͙͔͢͠ ̞̫̳̼̟(̛̞̣̤̺͖P͙̳͔̀͡a̢͏̰̳r͇̦̩̭̣͓̭̥͟͝a̠͓̹̲̲͎̯l̢̬͈͞y͓͓̲̦̩̱̤̟͔z̺̯̘̯̜͍i͉̼͟ṋ̳̲͎̥̥ͅͅg̞̗̯̤͞ ̧̩̦̬͙̫̻̬ͅS̡̰̟͎͎͇̠t̳̳͉̦͖̫͍̹r̴̡̗̲̰̩͇i̶̦̱̟̲̦̮͚͠k̪̞͇͓̹̹̫͙e̢̫̬̳̗̱ș̺̲̭̻)̵̘͓̳̭͠

̭̫̲͙̱͇͖L̶̮̱̱͡E̵̼̰̟͓̬̳̘A͕̞̹̥̪͙͉̜ͅV̟̬̥̺́E̫͢ ̧͖͈̣N̬͇͜͡͠O̠͞T̸̥̰̜̖H̨̦͇̮̼͎̗̥Į̶̜̹͚̦͝N͉̪̠̮͡G̷̢̛̖̬͈̣̗̮̤ ̵̮̳̙̭͎̯͍͔B̥͎̖̻̕U̵̼̫̺T̶̶͖ ̧̻͈̰̠ͅA̴̞̩͇̮̺̕͡S͘҉̙͓̘̳̤̙H̲E̛̫̯̝̞̜̞Ș͙͡!̴̡̞̭̟̱̀

"Now die in the name of-" Balmus stopped short when he felt a charge in the air. He looked around as the skys slowly greyed overhead… and unnatural dark purple lightning started arcing across the slowly gathering clouds.

The air wasn't just charged with electricity. It was full of Bloodlust.

Amongst the rumbling thunder, a low laughter that slowly increased in volume was heard and everyone looked at the source. Chazon's body was now arcing with dark purple electricity. His laughter kept growing louder until it started to sound maniacal. His iris' are now a deep purple as he turns to look at the Pope.

Above all else was the murderous glee in both his eyes and his deranged smile. In a voice that sounded akin to a mad cackle, Chazon condescendingly shouted, "Die in the name of what now, worm? I couldn't hear you over your inevitable demise."

Should probably clarify a few things here quick:

Yes, Balmus was able to match all 4 heroes in the source material and was only defeated because of Naofumi. However, the reason why he couldn't sweep Chazon before him here is, as stated, he didn't have as many dedicated prayers. His force of nuns and priests were cut to 1/3 of the original count here. Plus, Chazon has the stat boosts from knowing all of the Strengthening Methods from the other heroes besides Naofumi.

Additionally, I decided to insert the Lance of kindness here because we had yet to see it in action and figured it could see some use before succumbing to Bloodlust. It also gives better justification to Rifana being able to tank Balmus' attacks. Love's Javelin will be used for a different conflict later down the line, don't worry.