The darkened skies continued to arc with unnaturally colored lightning, giving a very warped show of nature's power. While daylight could be seen outside of the small parameter of clouds, it brought no comfort, nor did anyone present feel like they could escape.

And in the middle of the battlefield, was the Spear Hero, full of bloodlust and willing to slaughter his way to the end of the battle. Whatever kindness that was left in his heart had been devoured. His wish to save his family was twisted and corrupted into a desire to kill for them.

To kill everything.

Chazon suddenly launched forward at the Pope with sadistic glee, his spear now looking similar to the Lightning Metal Spear that was often praised for its lightning-aspected attacks. Balmus was barely able to switch back to spear mode to block the attack, only to feel his muscles develop a small amount of paralysis.

Despite it, he saw the opportunity to discredit this Spear Hero even further. "The fake Spear Hero… no, the Spear Demon has revealed his true colors! Strike him down, NOW!"

"Protect the Pope!" A good number of church knights disengaged from the Queen's army and rushed to attack Chazon, who was now wildly swinging at Balmus. What they didn't realize is that their absence, coupled with taking a fair number of replica users with them, allowed the Queen's army to regain their footing and start pushing the enemy back.

Chazon saw the approaching knights and smiled even wider. "A maggot like yourself deigns to bring in your cohorts instead of fighting me directly now? How laughable, but I'll humor you regardless. Merlay! Shall we play with them?"

Merlay suddenly let out a shrill, sadistic laugh as she stood back up, Bloodlust's activation bringing her back to consciousness. Both her irises were also now a deep purple from their normally green color. Her weapon suddenly morphed into a cruel-looking staff with a lightning motif and a sparking purple gem. "These idiots have a death wish! LET'S GRANT IT AND KILL THEM ALL!"

She holds out her staff with a slasher smile. "As the source of thy power, I the Spear Hero's companion command thee! Decipher the laws of nature and unleash arcing electricity upon my enemies! DRIFA BLOODLUSTING CHAIN LIGHTNING!"

Dark purple lightning surged forward from her staff, which vaporized the first knight it hit with a scream. True to its name, the lightning began chaining to the other nearby knights. The ones closest to the first knight hit were also killed from the sheer voltage as purple orbs flew out of them and hung in the air. The ones far enough away to live yet still too close collapsed to a new status ailment they've never seen before.

Envolted

Completely paralyzed and incapable of movement. Getting touched or hit will result in severe pain.

"Wh-what's going on?!" The knights that didn't get hit were suddenly struck with fear. Doing their best to push it aside for the sake of the Pope and their fallen comrades, they charged forward with even more determination. "Spear Devil! Your tyranny ends here!"

"Hehehehe… KAHAHAHAHAHA!" Chazon burst out laughing again. "Calling me a devil now? For shame to cast aside the one you thought was a GOD! Come and dash what's left of your hopes on my partisan! I will make you fear my name!" He quickly leaps into the group of knights and starts cutting them down rapidly as they try to attack him. The ones able to survive his initial attack were inflicted with Paralysis and couldn't move as freely, setting them up to die on a second strike.

Merlay was engaged by some of the church knights, thinking that killing her would give the Spear Devil enough pause to kill him. Unfortunately for them, she was just as gleeful about her killing spree as he was. "All Zweite Bloodlusting Electric Discharge!" The knights closest to her had their hearts stopped from the sheer voltage. The others found themselves paralyzed and unable to move as freely. "Is that the best you got? You're all corpses who don't know they're already dead!"

For every knight killed by both Chazon and Merlay, a purple orb flew out of them. They, along with the ones that came out of the knights Merlay had killed with Drifa Bloodlusting Chain Lightning, were absorbed into their spear and staff respectively. The first one yielded a new status on both of them:

Accelerating Bloodlust

Stats and potential rise with each kill. Bloodlust slowly getting stronger.

None of the knights knew it, but every kill the two got made them all that much harder to kill.

"ROYAL SKEWER!" Chazon pulled his Bloodlust's Partisan back a bit in a striking pose. The instant the tip flashed, he thrusted it forward in a savage motion and skewered the hapless replica user that was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

For everyone observing the strike, time seemed to slow to a crawl when the skill landed, returning to normal when he dragged the tip out of the dead body. All the while, he continued to have his savage grin. "BRING THE FUEL TO STACK THE FIRE! PILE THE BODIES EVER HIGHER!"

Rino was horrified as she saw the scenario unfold. Even more-so than the time he was consumed by Hate and started killing the mercenaries. He was in control and could easily direct his hate. Here… he was killing almost indiscriminately, with a sadistic glee only found in murderous psychopaths. No… NO…

Her pause was enough for Lesty to fall back and run away from the battle, seeing it as a lost cause. Sorry, Malty-sama, but looks like I wasn't able to get revenge for you this time. Besides… I think you need to know just how uncontrollable the Spear Hero actually is.

"All surviving soldiers, FALL BACK!" Mirellia ordered immediately as soon as the situation was clear to her. She knew that Chazon was too dangerous to be around for anyone. Some of her soldiers had pursued the knights going after Chazon, only for them to get cut down without mercy as well.

Itsuki was in shock. Is… is that another Corruption Series weapon?! No way… I thought Hatred's Trident would be the worst of it, but this is insane!

Kekal looked on in disbelief as she saw Chazon, the one she marked for his kindness and mild mannerisms, suddenly lose himself in pure bloodlust. I kept hearing about the Corruption Series… if this is one such weapon, then we need to bring him out as fast as possible! But how?! I've never had to deal with this up until now!

Rino was about to rush towards the carnage when Kardia suddenly forced her back with a gust of wind. "Kardia-chan, we need to-"

"It's far too dangerous to get near Chazon-sama right now! Him and Merlay-chan are so full of bloodlust that they might kill anyone who gets too close. Some of the Queen's soldiers can attest to that, sadly." Kardia knew, full stop, that anything short of a sacrifice play from one of her party members would stop Chazon's rampage. That was a price she was unwilling to pay, so she hedged her bet on his Bloodlust either running out or getting bored enough to revert back.

There's also the fact that trying to bring him back prematurely will allow the Pope to either escape with his life or kill Chazon-sama...

She looks at the unconscious Rifana and Amber, who were miraculously unharmed by the rampage going on. "If we can, we need to extract those two before the situation degrades any further!"

"Permit us!" Itsuki and Alay quickly dashed forward, taking advantage of the greater movement speed they have over their party members. Itsuki was able to pick up Rifana while Alay got Amber and both were brought back without incident. Chazon did notice them, which made everyone's heart stop, but he quickly turned to kill another church knight, almost as if he forced himself to look the other way. Is there still enough left of Chazon in his mind to at least recognize his party members?

Rino breathed a small sigh of relief upon seeing Amber and Rifana safe from the bloodshed. Everyone is out of danger of being attacked by those two… but if we don't stop them, they'll attack more people than just the ones attacking them or get too close! She wracked her brain trying to come up with a way to snap Chazon out of it. It was highly doubtful that a kiss would bring him back a second time.

Yet no opening to calm him down opened itself. He was too violent right now. Too bloodthirsty.

Too chaotic.

"KEHAHAHAHAHA."

Back at the scene of carnage, one knight produced a particularly ominous purple orb as she died. When Chazon's partisan absorbed it, his and Merlay's weapons suddenly grew even more twisted.

B̴̜̗̫̩l͖̮̩̰͕̫̀o͏̼o͈͟d͝l̝͖̰̠̭̗u̸s̹͔t͕̘̲̫̤'̯̗̻s ̩̭̤̼Pa͏͉̙͍r̡͕͓͎̲̟̘ͅt̪̖͖̝̙͕i͚͍̻s͇͔̞̳̫̖a̰̻ǹ ͈̙̗̞͠I̼̯̤̬̘I̖̲̮͡ ̦̗̪u̶͔̳̜͓̬͖̠n̨̯̰̖̞̦͍̻l̶o̻̬̠͈͔̙̝c̛̫͎̖̞̱k̡̭̬e̜d͜

̯͔̫̮̬E̖͉̤̼͢q͕͎͙u̞̟̬̭i̵̫̖͓̜̬̼p̭̺ ̗̘̬̗̝̠̲b̫o̹̳͓̦̱ṉ̢̯͇̥ư̤̣̺s: ̜̙̳͖̞̳A̪̘T̪̯̞͝K̦̲̠̙̹̺͉̀ ̸b͍͙͠o̭̟̠̦͖̱n͇̤͚̥̺͜u̼̪̗͓͍ͅş͎ ̺̹̣(͉̯̻̠̦̲̫́v̸̫̟̞̳͍̺ḙ̢͈͓ͅr͚̤y̥͇̪̻̥͠ h̘̙̖̖̹i̬̙̤̯̟̱g͚͔h̤͖̖́)͉̯,̹̻̲̙̙ ͇̝̲͓̕A̳͔͉͉͞G̳I͉͉ͅ ̱̱̖ͅb̴̳̟̮͓͓̬̲o͕͔̣̱͎̖͚n̨͓̜̺u͏̪͙̜͙͎͕s̝̟͇̤̕ (̢͎̮̤̥̱v͕̬̺̟ͅè̺̘̣̘ͅr̖͍̯̬̫̯̹͠y͡ ̵̱̪̼h̯̝i̤͖̗̻̞͞g̰̯̤̺͈̬h̝̺͡)͏̪̰̯̱͕ͅ,̹̩̘̞̤̰̞ ̝̬̰̫͇̬̗͜M̶̯̱̱̩͖͉̬o̡͚̟̻̖v̻̖͝e̢̝̙̠͖̯m̸͙̞̝͇̹̹e̻ṋ̨̠̹̬̩͎t ̷͖͎͓̻s͚p̳̣e͙e͔̹͘ḏ ̗̱͈̯̹͞b̡̪̬̯̻̪̟̖ǫn̨u̵̬̪̼̱̼͚ş͓̝̤ (̵̠͈v͕͙̘̳e͖̠͕͔̣͞r͍̭͉y͏ ͜h̳̺͖̙̙̲̼i̹͜g̩̲̪̲̯͙h̭̘̦)̟͖̯͍ͅ,͚̞̺ ͖̳͎̺̤̰S҉̪̟̰̬̰̞l̦͉̳͜a̰͠sh̡̦i̶̫n̟̳͎̱̦g ͎̗̭ḅo̬͎̮͈͇̺̘n̡u̞͈̣̲̗̻͜s̩͈ ͓̺͚̜(̠͇̥̺͇̦͠v͟e̵̥͈̪̺r̝͕͓̩̩̰͇ý ̴̫̠̤̗̫̜ͅh̨͖̱̺̳͚̰ͅi̯̜̯͘g͙̹h̛̗͎̫̟͙͕),̢͓͙̪ͅ ̼̞̗̙̳̤͟Ṭ̠h̹͈͝r̵͓͔̤̖̻u͖̹s̨̻̤t̝̟̰̭̘̠̝iṉ͍̩̬ͅg̟ ̺͍͈̼̲̻͟b͞o͙͓̣n͙̱̻̬u͚̜͔ş͉̻̺ ͞(̷v̹̰͓̯e̷̥̬͔͓ry̠̲͍͚̜͓ͅ ̢̬͙̮̲̱hị̡̻͇g̗h̷̜)̬̻͎̥,̮͟ ̫̭͉̝̮͢'̛͈̠A̰c̹̜̠̳̕c͏͙̺e̸̪̪̪̩̱ͅͅl̻͓͙̫e̫r̞̀a͏͉̖̩͕̼t̩͎̜̲̪̯i̬͕̫̰͉̺n̫͉͢ǵ͓̦̹̱̩ ̪͍̳̪̲B̰̠͔̘̟͔l̜͙̫͉̹͕͜o̥̬͝o̩̫̦̯̖͕d̪l̶u̗͎͎̬̠̬̗s̵͎͙̳͙͖̗̝t̴̮̝͇̥̖̹'̝̘͙̤͓̖̯̀,͇͎͔͠ ͙͉̺̻̹̝̀'͇̘̼͍̘̤F̯̝̖̪͖ị̠n̙̝͙̫͡a̦̬̤͍͇l̶̟̤̼͖ ̛̝͎͎͚̜̲Í̗̩̬͖̣̝̤n͚͇͢d̬̪̞͇̟̖i̺̘̻̳̟̰g͍̮͎̯͚̜͝ͅn̙͇̲͈̮a̛̱̠̬͓t͏̹̙̹i͖̘o̰̹̠̬̦̹n̪̥̟̩ͅ'͏̱̙̞̬́

S̺̰̭̮͢p͈͚̬͓̘̀͞ȩ͓̞̦͎͉̳̫͚̹c̪̺̩͉̫̫͉i̶̲̣̞͚̯̣̤̟͎͜͠a̜l҉͟ͅ ̸̳̦̯e̘̥͜f̡͓̜̙͇̼̦̣̀̕f̧̲̱͖̹̱͙̦͞e̴҉͇̣̬̮͇̲̝ć̡͍̥̥͕̖͝t̷̠͚̩͓:̴̢̙̥̭ ͏̸̼̙̣̭͙͕A̭͖͍͍̙͜T͚̣͎͓͇̠͡͝ͅK̰̖͞ ̢̛̤̰͡ų̸̼̝̗̜ͅp̴̶̨̲͓̟̞ ̯̘̥(͏̡̙̰v̳̥̟͖͎͚̯̱͜ͅę̶̺̠ṛ̰͕͚̦͉̕y̵͚̹̭͖͜͞ ̡̳̟h̠͈̥̰̮͠ì̠̖͚̗͈̬͍g̕҉̱̹͚̥h̩̀)̡͇̙͝,̵̛̯̤̜͕͈̘͢ ̴̧̳̤̩͔͉̥̞̟A͏̹̰͍̤͟Ģ̠͉̜͎̳̟͘I̝̤̗̖̳̭̝̥̼ ̴̷̠͔ư̷̸̗̻͈̰̹̪̩͎̳p̡͙͈̳̯̟̩ ̗̱̗͚̪̤̭͙̬(̵̞͚̖͎̖̼̙̠v̩̖͈̣̹̀͟͠e̢̞̗̳͙̱̤̭͜r̶̜̼̲̯͡y̗͢ ͕̼͇̺͚͠ͅh̷͙̖i̡̱͕͕̻ģ̸̝̬͕ẖ̣̲̹̪̻͜ͅ)͎͍͍͉͝,̢̛̥͚͎̜͓̳ ҉̶͎̤̺̘͇͔͇C҉̥̗̣̗̭̫o͏͇̗̤r̵̢̛̗͎̹̙̣̭r̸̶͎͉̮͚̬̪̺u̺̯̖͜p҉̷͎̳̦̹͓̟ͅt͉̜̬̳͍̺̗̯i͍̪̼̼̝̻o̵͇̝̬̤̗͚̞͕ṋ̘͝ ̢̠̗̱̼(̥̖̰͎̣͎͘͡P̰̗͓à̹̭̙̦̹̹͉͎̕r̝̞̜̯͝a̛͝͏͉̼͉͈͈̯̗͖l͏̜̘̙͙̻̮y̦͚̰͉̮̫̲̘͙͞z̟̲̜̮i̶̙̬̜̙̺̰͕̠n̶͎̮̤̹̟̯̖̣g̷͚ ̸͖̺͖̙͔S̺̲̗t͏̪̭̟r̫̣̗͜ͅì̷̷̱͔͈̳k̢͙̜̭̪̠̖̖ȩ͚͔̣̱͝s҉̶̴̮̻̪̬̦̙ͅ)̫̙͕͇̗,̞̞͖̟̳̤͘ ̝̩́͘S̵̷̙̣̗̺k͍̘i̹͙͈̥͇͞l͙͎̜̱̞͠͡l̵͈̖̜̮̯ ̭̠̼a̶̻͙̖̼̤͇͟ͅu̬͎͙̝͝ͅg̮̥͈͉̥͞͞ͅm̬̣̺̺͖̮͟e͚̼̝̪̘̻̜̗̗͡n̵̩͇̘̩t̗͍̻̪̻̰͈ͅa͏̙͈͉̻͈̻̞͕̰ṯ̶̴̰͍͖̮̗i̵̗͍̙̗̪͉͍ó͏͈̗͈̟̜̹̙ǹ̲̩͉̖̠̭͡͞ ̤͉̰̬̭(͏̷͉̜̼̼̟̠͓́B̢̡̲̰͢l̨̬̻̮̟̠̥̱͕̦ó̞̥͉̮̗͟o̬̪d̵͇̯l̴̬͔̼̱͙̱̟̺͔u̢̫s̡͏͙͇̙̕ͅͅt̲̙͡i̢͍̥̼̬̮̮̪̪n̥̳̘g̢͎̫̥̖)̕͏̢͇̥̤̩̫

Chazon's smile somehow grew even more deranged as he let out another maniacal laugh, not caring about how much blood was splattered on his person. "Come on! I want to hear more SCREAMING! Bloodlusting Chaos Spear!" A bunch more knights fell to the now electrically charged flurry attack. "Fight me! FIGHT ME IN THE GLORY OF BATTLE AND SLAUGHTER!"

Before that point, the entire church army had disengaged the queen's army to try and kill the murder-happy Spear Hero, but when his weapon slightly changed form, a good number fled for fear of their lives. Of the number that initially engaged Chazon, only a quarter of them are still alive and are now fleeing for their lives.

None of the replica users survived, despite their gift of power from the Pope and the church. The only saving grace allowed to their enemies was the duo finding no sport in killing anyone who ran away like cowards.

Balmus was horrified by the scene as he gathered his power. Before him was a field of blood and corpses that reeked of seared flesh thanks to the corrupted lightning discharged by the Spear Devil. He knew he needed to have Cathedral casted on him in order to properly dispense judgement on the creature before him. However, he was running out of knights to distract the Spear Demon and his follower with.

"Pope Balmus, s-should we retreat? Perhaps we will stand a better chance in the capital with our advanced replica user there."

"And lose the chance to put the Spear Demon down for good? What I need is more fervent prayers. Let us trap this demon in Cathedral!" Balmus knew that Curses and Corruption are very similar outside of how they affect people. Trapping such a corrupted creature in a holy place will surely give me the advantage! Even if it doesn't purify him on the spot, it'll give me the opening to do so!

Chazon had a disappointed look on his face when he noticed that there were no more nearby knights to slaughter. All that was left around him was the corpses of all he had already slain. "Seriously? You guys can't keep me entertained? Bo~ring."

"Perhaps we should ask that old geezer for some "enlightenment," wouldn't you agree?" Merlay pointed at Balmus with her own sadistic smile. "If he's still unwilling to entertain us, we can still find amusement in slaughtering everyone right behind him!"

All of the nuns and priests let out gasps of fear at that as Chazon cracked his neck with glee. They were only able to stomach the blood bath before them through their faith in the Pope, but none of them wanted to stay around to be slaughtered as well.

"That will be unnecessary." Balmus knew he had enough prayer to cast both Cathedral and Sanctuary at the same time now. "You two have shown the world your true colors. That you are not just a false hero, but the demon that will bring this world to ruin along-side the Shield Demon! Now the eve of your final judgement at the hands of me, your god, is nigh!"

Chazon simply grins at that. "A god, eh? Do you have the guts to fight me, the cunning god of death?" He thought of something and scoffed. "Besides, you don't have any room to talk about condemning people for leading this world to ruin."

He's so full of bloodlust he gave himself that title. Balmus smiled coldly as he raised his arms, very clearly ignoring the accusation thrown his way. "Cunning wouldn't be an accurate term for you. In fact, while you were distracted, you let me and my faithful followers build up the energy required to put you down. Your own insatiable bloodlust will be your undoing! High-level Covenant Defense magic: Cathedral!"

What looked like a miniature solar eclipse rose from behind the Pope in a wisp of blackness. When it reached a certain point in the sky, it suddenly forms a light-green circle of walls around Chazon, Merlay, and the Pope. Chazon clicked his tongue in disappointment when nothing else seemingly happened. "You're really just trapping yourself in here with us? Brave… if not completely and utterly stupid!"

Merlay started charging up her magic. "If you wanted to die by yourself so badly, then all you had to do was ASK! ZWEITE BLOODLUSTING LIGHTNING BLAST!"

The giant bolt of purple lightning got discharged against some high-level barriers that popped up in front of the Pope. What was odd was the lightning magic turning back to its natural blue color before getting deflected off the barrier. Balmus chuckled at the display. "Here on this hallowed ground blessed by god, your corrupted magic has no power. With only the two of you here, you have nothing to truly attack me with!"

"Bloodlusting Air Strike Javelin!" Chazon threw his Bloodlust's Partisan as hard as he could and it impacted the barrier. While the lightning discharging off of it was now blue, it practically ate through the barrier and the layers underneath it before impaling Balmus, who coughed out in surprise. "What a moron. Just because her magic can't touch you doesn't mean my partisan can't either. Merlay, try again. Make sure he dies this time!"

"With pleasure! Zweite Bloodlusting Electric Strike!" Using Chazon's partisan as a lightning rod, she sent the spell skyward before it came crashing down where the Pope was. When the light show ended, she smirked. "Guess that's the end of-"

"Arrow Rain." Chazon and Merlay suddenly got showered with energy arrows, some of which actually damaged them. They looked to see Balmus still fine despite the combo attack. "There will be no end for the glory that is me, your new god!"

"More like a cockroach that refuses to die!" Chazon hissed in pain before leaping up after Balmus and attacking him head on again, with the Pope switching back to spear mode to parry his attacks.

I want to say I'm not directly affected, but I think this place is weakening my Accelerating Bloodlust… better not give this cockroach the idea that I'm actually being affected...

Balmus quickly noted that Chazon's spear skills were still fairly rough and wild. "Perhaps if you had been properly trained, you would have more competency in attacking like this. Alas, you'll never get the chance to do so. Brionac!" The powerful spear skill that normally requires some time to charge was fired off haphazardly to give himself more room. It did maim Chazon a bit, but he didn't relent.

Even with Merlay constantly firing off her Bloodlusting spells, Balmus was refusing to stay hurt or die conventionally. Tch, this bastard… I really wanted to kill him, get out of here, and kill even more but he's not leaving me with many options here. However, unless he were Envolted or otherwise trapped, I can't use my strongest skill to override the obscene amount of healing he's getting from his minions! And yet…

As the two kept parrying each other's attacks, Chazon started laughing maniacally once again, which slightly unnerved the Pope. "I must confess, despite you being a cockroach, you're putting up a fight! You're putting up a GLORIOUS fight! THIS IS WHAT I WANTED! TWO BLOODTHIRSTY BEASTS LOCKED IN MORTAL COMBAT! ONE SHALL LIVE, THE OTHER SHALL PERISH!"

The Pope managed to use "State of Selflessness" again to get Chazon to back off. "Not only are you a demon, but you are also a bloodthirsty beast bent on killing. Putting you down is more necessary than I initially thought!" He switches to sword mode and raises it. "Phoenix Bla-"

"Dritte Fall: Icicle Prison!" Mirellia suddenly casted outside of Cathedral, which had the result of encasing Balmus in ice and interrupting his skill. "Sir Chazon, finish him with your strongest skill!"

Mirellia knew that Chazon was consumed by bloodlust, but she also couldn't leave him to take on the Pope by himself. When she saw the Covenant Magic spell Cathedral in effect, she knew that, without outside help, he would eventually be killed.

Thanks to him killing off a good chunk of the church's army and the rest trying to run away from the battle, her own forces were able to rout what was left of the church knights, approach the site, and get her into position to cast her personal ice spell. Itsuki and all of the party members were able to secure a good spot for her, with Chazon's party praying for his and Merlay's safe return to sanity.

Consumed by bloodlust, Chazon didn't like following orders. He also didn't want to end his fun so soon. However, he saw the opening that was given to him and knew that he couldn't win any other way. I'd love to continue my slaughter-fest, but I'd much rather live to do so another day. "Congratulations, cockroach, you get to witness one final sight before you die!"

"Y-you wouldn't!" Balmus saw all of the corrupted lightning swirling around him and he knew what it foretold.

"Merlay, stand back. I'll show this corpse a true lightning attack!" Merlay backs off, her bloodlust slowly receding. It was being transferred over to Chazon as he held out his hand. "You who's marked for death, I condemn thee! Ever does the storm surge with the violent energies of nature. As the blackened skies herald your end, scream skyward at the corrupted heavens as your flesh is stripped from your bones! FINAL INDIGNATION!"

A multitude of corrupted sigils appeared around the Pope, with the ones higher in the air growing wider. Everyone outside of Cathedral saw the sigils appearing, which made Rino widen her eyes in horror. "He isn't… he's not casting Bloodlust's version of Absolute Zero, is he?!"

Itsuki quickly grabbed Rino by the shoulders in a panic. "What do you mean by that? Is using such a skill dangerous?"

"He almost lost his hand from casting Absolute Zero! Without anyone else besides Merlay-chan to support him-"

She was cut off when thunder crashed violently from above. Everyone looked up and saw all of the corrupted lightning rapidly gathering at the epicenter of the sigils. The air thrummed with so much electricity, it was a wonder nobody was being inflicted with Paralysis.

Balmus was able to break out of his icy prison with a laugh. "Looks like your "Final Indignation" failed, Spear Demon. Farewell. I'll add a footnote to the legend of the Four Cardinal Heroes about your-"

He never got to finish his sentence as the dark-purple lightning suddenly rained down like a torrent. It blasted its way through the roof of Cathedral and engulfed Balmus as he screamed in pain and terror.

The scene was akin to watching someone get the brutal electric chair treatment… only completely coated in corrupted lightning. By the time the skill ended, all that was left of Balmus and his weapon was charred ash.

Chazon, having gained one small iota of pleasure from Balmus' death, collapsed into unconsciousness as he was inflicted with the Envolted status from the electricity discharged from Final Indignation. When Cathedral finished dissipating thanks to Balmus' death, everyone saw him spasming on the ground with occasional purple electricity coming off his body. Merlay was also unconscious, but was merely Paralyzed.

"Chazon-kun!" Rino rushed over and tried to pick him up, only for him to cry out in pain at the contact. "Someone help! He's in severe pain!"

"Get the Spear Hero and his companion medical attention immediately!" Mirellia ordered. "Everyone else, surround what's left of the church's disciples and knights! They will receive judgement for treason against the crown at a later time!"

Kekal stood there in shock as she watched Chazon get carried away on a stretcher. It can't be… I refuse to believe… but… I see it before my eyes. Chazon-kun…

She, like the parties of the other heroes, had no idea what to think of everything that happened. And one thing everyone missed was the brief presence of cyan veins on the legendary spear's red jewel.

Analyzing…

Corruption Series Progress: 3/7

Purity Series Progress: 3/7

Error: Purity series not directly matching with Corruption Series

"My Queen, nothing is working!"

Some time after the battle with the church's army ended and stragglers were captured, a camp was made to help give those who were injured during the battle a chance to recuperate and recover. While medical supplies were stretched thin, the healing magic courtesy of the hero's party members helped speed recovery along.

All except for Chazon, who was still haphazardly spasming on the cot set up for him. The Envolted status refused to go away, even to the most potent anti-paralysis medicines available. While it did ease symptoms for a time, it would return full force complete with corrupted lightning lancing off of his body. His Hp would go down randomly from time to time or if someone so much as brushed against him.

Queen Mirellia watched from the entrance of the tent Chazon was in as his party members tried to get him to wake up. She was informed that he did have a bottle of Yggdrasil's Drought in his inventory, but unless he were to regain consciousness to bring it out it was useless.

"Chazon-kun, please wake up!" Rino called out another time, hoping that her persistence would be rewarded.

Rifana shook her head somberly. "It's not going to work anymore now than it did the first time, Rino-sama. The corrupted lightning seems to be deeply ingrained into his system, which is why he hasn't regained consciousness."

Kardia looked over at Merlay. "The only reason Merlay-chan managed to avoid the same fate is because she received a much lower voltage than Chazon-sama. Even then, she's still suffering some minor problems.

Merlay, who had been Paralyzed by the overwhelming energy coming off Final Indignation, still had occasional spasms in her muscles, but was otherwise fine. What worried everyone was when she remembered nothing during her time being affected by Bloodlust's Partisan. She almost went catatonic with horror when she learned of what she had been doing.

Mirellia remembered something and turned to the nearby medic who was in charge of the Spear Hero. "Have you tried Holy Water or purity magic on him?"

"Same result as our anti-paralysis administrations, your majesty. His symptoms ease for a time before returning. We tried combining the two and while it was the most effective, it still wasn't enough to completely rid his system of the status. Admittedly, our supply of medicine and holy water isn't exactly top-notch due to supply constraints."

That got a somber sigh out of Mirellia. "Then the best we can hope for is getting sir Chazon back to Castle Town to procure more potent medicine and holy water. Worst comes to worst, we may need sir Naofumi's help with curing his fellow hero."

"Naofumi-sama did mention that his shield enhanced his medicine. Without the drought, he is our best hope for curing Chazon-sama." Rino sighed suddenly. "I just hope his and Ren-sama's mission in Castle Town is a success."

"Even if they were forced to retreat, the death of Pope Balmus will be sufficient cause to demoralize the church devotees still present in the capital. But there's one problem I foresee from all of this." Mirellia grimaced as the thought made itself more known. "We were unable to capture all of the church's knights and supporters. With the way sir Chazon was acting, they may attempt to use that in an effort to demonize him in the eyes of the public."

The thought that Chazon would be seen as a demon to the population darkened the hearts of everyone present.

Amber wanted to cry. "Papa… please come back… I miss you…" It broke everyone's hearts to see the normally happy Solar Empress so dispirited.

Kekal in particular didn't know what to think anymore. "Has… has this been the struggle you have all been dealing with?"

"Yes… though Rino-sama has been dealing with it the longest." Rifana admitted to Kekal as she touched Chazon's bed-side. "First was hatred, then despair, now bloodlust…" She looks up at the vampire. "Tell me, do you regret joining our party?"

Kekal wanted to say no, but feelings of conflict raged inside her head. "I just… I never knew Chazon-kun was dealing with something like this. I saw glimpses of it back at Idol Rabire's residence, but…"

Kardia sighed at those words. "This is the worst we've seen it too, Kekal-chan. Chazon-sama was able to keep himself under control whenever he held Hatred's Trident, while he remained passive yet defensive while holding Despair's Pike for the first time. To think bloodlust was able to turn him into a mindless beast so easily…"

"Then what do you girls truly think?" Mirellia knew that doubt was beginning to manifest in all of Chazon's party members. They need to get their feelings out right now, else buried emotions will rip at their trust and unity. "Even after how high his body count has become, even after that display of unrestrained violence. Do you all still trust sir Chazon?"

"Yes." Nobody should have been surprised when Rino was the first one to speak up without hesitation, but surprised they were. "I refuse to give up on him, even now. I wasn't able to help him this time, but perhaps first-time unlocking of a Corruption series is always at its worst. I also hope that his rate of unlocking new corruption series should slow down even further now."

I need to get stronger… not just for Chazon-kun, but for everyone else in my party- no, my family! Even if he unlocks yet another Corruption Series!

There was stunned silence before a sigh was heard. "I suppose this whole thing was unavoidable anyways." Everyone looked at Rifana, who's tone had suddenly changed from her normal one. "The Pope had knocked Amber and I out and was on the verge of killing us. Had he not let himself be lost to bloodlust, we would have died." She looks at Chazon's still figure. "Balmus had it coming. Even the church knights who blindly believed him over us had it coming."

"Way to take the words right out of my mouth, Rifana-chan." Kekal crossed her arms in a thoughtful posture. "But I'm surprised you came out with it out of all of us. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Because I'm sick of acting like a meek girl!" Rifana had a glare of absolute determination on her face. "I've been acting that way ever since Chazon-sama purchased me… admittedly it came about partially because I still carried some trauma from my previous slave owners. I started recovering after I grew up, but I wasn't able to make head-way until Chazon-sama put Idol Rabire on ice.

"Now? I'm tired of it. I focused too much on defending when I could have been doing more. I SHOULD have been doing more!" She nods with a lessened glare. "I now understand what Naofumi-sama meant when he gave me advice the first time we met. How I need to use every advantage I can get. I refuse to let my weakness hold me back anymore!"

She looks at her party members. "Before you say anything, this is how I've always been growing up. Raphtalia-chan called me girly, but that was amongst her, Keel-kun, and I."

There was a brief silence before Kardia smiled. "It fits you, Rifana-chan. And I agree with you. The outcome was never in question, it was just a matter of when." She looks back at Chazon. "My feelings haven't changed. Chazon-sama will forever be the one who saved my life. That is the man that I love and I know he'll always be in there."

Merlay, having heard the entire conversation from her bed, closed her eyes. "Perhaps I've been a bit meek myself. Ever since Chazon-sama let me choose to leave and I took it, I've been unable to rid myself of guilt." She opens her eyes. "I don't like taking lives, but there are times when we have no other choice."

"Papa will always be Papa to me!" Amber cried out. "I just want him to wake up!"

Kekal couldn't believe her ears. Despite the massive show of violence from Chazon, despite how many people he slaughtered like livestock, all of his party members still loved him. If… if they're willing to believe in him, even during his darkest moments, then… what is my…?

A familiar pink light flashed in Rino's eyes as she held Kekal's hand. "Kekal-chan, I know you haven't dealt with this at all. The fact that you are torn over it means that Chazon-kun does still mean a lot to you. Hold onto that feeling of wanting to trust him!"

Mirellia saw the pink light in Rino's eyes and crossed her arms. My Shadow did inform me that when Rino brought Sir Chazon out of his despair, they were engulfed in pink flames. Her love for him is so strong, she's willing to reinforce other's love no matter what.

Kekeal looked between all of her party members and their nods of understanding before letting out a sigh. "Thank you, Rino. Everyone. No matter how bad it gets, Chazon-kun is the one I marked for a reason. I refuse to believe my instincts as a vampire led me astray."

Outside, Itsuki was listening in on Chazon's party with a grim look on his own face. Everyone knows Chazon's little better than a ticking time-bomb at this point, yet they all are willing to stick with him until the bitter end. How does he have such undying loyalty?

He looks up at the dark clouds above. Even more than that… Naofumi has something similar affecting him. Why? Isn't this just a game? How is a mere game affecting the players so adversely?

And… will even I suffer the same fate? After a few seconds, he shakes his head as a small smirk slowly creeps onto Itsuki's face. Nah, I'm better than that. If this is how it's going, Ren and I are probably going to be the superior players now. Rishia saw the look on his face as she was passing by with supplies and let out a slightly distressed "Fuehhh" at the sight. It looked practically arrogant.

Having heard enough, Mirellia gave a small smile. "I understand. I will do my best to ensure that what happened today does not hurt Sir Chazon's reputation overmuch. As for what the Church of Three Heroes will try to preach, we'll mitigate it for as long as we can."

Rifana nodded at that. "Then let's not worry about the past or future right now. Let's focus on getting Chazon-sama onto the path of recovery."

"That... might be difficult without proper facilities." One of the medics had come into the tent with a grim look. The fact that it had started raining outside didn't help the mood much. "Sir Spear Hero's affliction seemed familiar, so I looked into what I could. I discovered that it shares similarities with the most potent of curses. If the similarities aren't just passing, then his recovery will be slow."

All of Chazon's party members were somewhat disheartened by the news, but they nodded at each other. "Then it's up to us to look after him until he recovers."

Yet despite all of the vocal reassurances, despite everyone doing their best to maintain their positive attitude, their hearts remained heavy like the rain now pounding the tent. Admitsd the chaos of the waves, the civil war, and everything between, they all had one worry that clung to their minds like a parasite.

Was Chazon, the man they all loved so dearly, slowly being corrupted into a monster? After everything he had done for their world…

Would fate dictate that he loses everything in the end?

In the ancient forest, a certain white dragon lifted his head and looked to the sky. I had dared to hope that, for how long the Spear Hero hath gone without unlocking another Corruption Series, my worries were for naught. But… this world hath ever contained forces that push mental limits to the brink for many.

Reine Skala slowly got up and stretched, determining his course of action when the Ancient Oak suddenly relayed a message to him from another forest. "Reine Skala, are you present?"

"Queen Fitoria, I presume thou hast contacted me regarding current circumstances?"

There was a short sigh. "Yes… not just the Spear Hero accessing another Corruption Series, but the Shield Hero's Cursed Series has advanced further as well."

"I felt it as well. Even so, they must overcome these trials if they wish to set this world free from its fate." Reine Skala perches himself off his launching branch, preparing for a long trip.

"... And I thought I was the harsh one. Are you sure you don't regret not deterring the Spear Hero from using his power?" While she kept her tone even, there was a hint of smugness in Fitoria's voice.

"You know as well as I that this world doth test the limits of man's emotional boundaries. Even if I told him to never use such corrupting power, it would have found them anyway."

"For someone who's a lot more loose with things like that, your commentary doesn't sound like a vote of confidence." There was a pause before Fitoria sighed. "What's your plan? I understand that you wished to do something should this scenario come to pass?"

"Indeed. I may be long-lived, but even I know not everything this world doth offer. Thus, I wish to travel to the nation knownest to man as Faubrey and see if I can obtain information about the Legendary Weapons. Preferably, any research done on their darker aspects."

"I wish you luck, then. May you find something that sheds light on their affliction." With that, Reine Skala launches himself towards Faubray, seeking answers on the dark side of the world's spirit. Even though he was disconnected, Fitoria sighed through the connection. "For whom weeps the storm this time?"

Hopefully my portrayal of Ridley from the Metroid series was at least somewhat accurate. His Super Smash Bros. Ultimate theme and Man on the Internet's Lyrical interpretation of it was the inspiration behind unlocking Bloodlust instead of using Hatred this time around.