Sorry about this chapter being so late. Something bad happened to me on December 3rd and I wanted to take a break from everything to deal with it. Then Endwalker came out and I got horribly distracted until I finally got the reminder to upload this. Thank you LegacySpellsword for reminding me to do this!
Amidst the ongoing Wave of Catastrophe still going on, with monsters still spawning out of the rifts, all of the adventurers and parties of the Legendary Heroes continued to fight. Even though the death of the Wave Boss emboldened them, morale was beginning to dip because of exhaustion with no end in sight.
Standing on top of the Inter-Dimensional Whale's corpse was Naofumi, Chazon, Filo, and Obsidian who were all baffled by what L'arc and Therese were doing.
Chazon had been snapped out of his intoxication as he had the most stunned look on his face. "Huh…? Wha…?" He didn't consciously realize the blackened veins creeping into his vision as his brain tried to catch up.
Naofumi was equally baffled, but was more confused than stunned. "Explain yourselves- whoa!"
L'arc had taken a swing at the Shield Hero, forcing a dodge. "It's just as I said. You need to die if we want to save our world."
"What are you trying to do to Papa?!"
"Stop attacking Uncle Naofumi!"
Both royal Filolials were immediately aggressive when L'arc tried to swipe at Naofumi. Naofumi instinctually stopped them both, realizing that letting the two go all-in like that was a terrible mistake in the making.
L'arc smiled, though it carried a hint of guilt in it. "I already told you what you need to know."
This… betrayal… they… betrayed… Naofumi…
Visions suddenly whirled in front of Chazon's eyes. Of the time Naofumi was bitter and hateful after Bitch ruined his new life. When Rino's kindness was taken for granted by the sex-slave noble.
Of when he bore witness to Lily's death at the hands of someone she thought she could trust.
In the distance, Mirellia saw what was going on. "All mages on deck, follow my lead! Prepare for the casting of Judgement!" Merlay, who only saw Naofumi getting swiped at, joined in as well.
Therese saw what they were doing and sought to stop them cold. "My name is Therese Alexanderite. My friend, hear my plea and lend me your power to destroy them. Shining Stone: Shooting Star Rain of Fire!"
Fireballs the size of medium boats started raining down around her targeted boat. A meteor-like projectile suddenly shot through the ship, causing it to start sinking rapidly.
Chazon saw Rino, Raphtalia, Merlay, Mirellia, Melty, Itsuki, and his party trying to evacuate the ship. He saw the rapidly-forming vortex that threatened to consume them if they went into the water.
Something snapped inside of him right then.
L'arc sighed. "Therese, that was a bit much."
"I know, I just wanted to stop them from interfering."
"Just as long as you follow-up." L'arc suddenly dashes towards the group. "Now then, Naofumi, let's get this party-"
"You worthless mongrels are unworthy of his attention."
L'arc could barely comprehend the demonic, yet familiar voice that said that before he was viciously hit into Therese, who was trying to cast Shining Stones: Silent Ocean. When Naofumi comprehended what happened, he saw Chazon wielding a demonic-looking trident with the Legendary Spear's jewel now jet black with no luster.
H̗̙̹a͍̻̘͙̣ͅt̙r̫̬͈̮e̱̫̳d̺'̭̘̘s ̭̪̭͉͕Ṯ̱̺r̲i͚̠̱̭ͅd͖̫e̻̼̝̻n̜̯t̩̞͉̻ ̙II̮͚̯̩͎̺ ̬U̘n̤̥̞̝̹̻̤lo̥c̹̜͚͖̝̳ͅk͖e̟̲̰͍ͅd̬̮͓͈͈̗̦
̰͈͉E͈͚̦̱̣͈qui̙̙p̱͕̬̻̥̝̗ B͖̲̻̺̖̙̪o̗̬n̟̭̘u̙̖͎͓̤̖s̘͓͚͚̣̩:̗̣ ̥͇A͍̳̬͖̗̰͍TK͎̝͔̭̙̻ b̲͖̬͎̖̪͈o̳̥n͖̺̟us̺̻̭̗̼̺̙ ̙̪̱͔͕̣(͈̦V̥̬̯̠̝͖̺e̬͚̣̺r̠̯͍y̱̫̙̰ Hi͙̥̦̩͓̞̥g͈̪̖̪ẖ)̜̙̻,̭̖̫̭̗̙ ͓̣̘͈̳̫ͅMA̠G̙̩̱ ͔̜̻̪̞͎B̪̳o̭͎̰n͉̣̦̞̜u̱s ͓͙͚͈(̙̠V̺e͉̙̺̫̮ry̘̦ ̣̜͍̩̻ͅH̱̗̥i̫g̫̯̗̪h̜̦̜͓̟)͖̞͕,͎͔͖͔͖̳ ̳̪A̖̫̥G̦̺̭I̺ͅ ̼̬̝B̖̹̙͈͉ͅo͙̹n̤̠̤̱̫̟̖u̩̟̘s ̪͔͙(̹̼̹̻̤̝͓V͙͉̻͚̩̗̜e̪͖̙r̝͕y ͎͍̖͕̲̳H͚̱̙i̖g͇h̼͓̻)̲͎,̱̮ M͚̘̟̥o̫̠̙̰̘̤v͇̻e̗͈͕͚̲me̜̮̗̜̹̣̖n̼̗t̟̤̹̝̻̗͖ ̳S͎͇p̪̩ͅe͓̣̝̙͚e̳d͈͖̫͈ ͔̱B̗on̖̹̮̺̙us̪͈̺͖ ̲̰(̳̹̟V̱̹͔e̮̥̮̟̳ͅr̜͈̞͚y̰͖̣̭͉̝ ͎͙̥̞H̺̠i̥̝̦ͅg̜̱͍̮̝h)͚͇͉,̬͔̗̜̤̜̘ ̹̟D̹̟̞ar̳̟̥̞̻͇k̘̣͔̣̭ ̯͎A̩̠s̯̗̞̩p̼̲̮̣̥̱e̺͚̜̝c̳̬̖̫̩̺̜t̯̝ͅ ̘̫͙͎A̼̘͚̫̬͎t̜t̮͉̭a̺̗̠͍ͅc͍͕͚͙̙͔k̼͙͔̼ ̰̻(͚͚̯H͚̹̦̥ͅi͙̮̮̦g̼͈̝ḫ̩)͖,̫̝̞ '̟͉̖̗̬̥H̤a̲͔̻̩͙͓t͈̙͇̠͚̦̬re̥ḓ͇̼'̻͖̭̜͔s͖ ̖̭̝Ga͔̻̳̣z̖̬̩͈e̯͇̼̤̫͙'͎̜͈̹̘̹͇
,͖͕͇ ̘̪'͇͇̩̖̗͉ͅẠ͖͓b͕̝͉̻ys̱͕s͍a̮l ͚̠͕F͚̣̻l͖o͈͍̗͔̭o̪̲̠̬͚̟d͚̣͎͖̜͉'͍
̥͇͎S̯͔ͅp̲̣̻̱̥̼e͎̯ͅci̟̜͉̱͙a̺̩̺̤l͇̹͎̲ ͚͓̜̯E̫̤͎̪̩ffe͍̬̖̮̲̲̣c̭̱t:̹̭ ̳̯̰͇̻A͍Ṱ̺͚̙K̪̱̱̞̫ͅ ̩̙̯̥̹̺U̪p̟̫ ̫̪͚͙̮̗(̦̦̫͚̥H͖̤̥ig̯͇̮h̹̤̼̹͖)͉̹̻,̼͕͔͚̺ ͉̙̝͉̯̟M͇AG͇͍̖̟ ̭̞Ṳ̻p ̮̥(̖͕͙̹͈H̠͉͖̜̰̣ͅig̬̠ẖ͇̘̦̱͓̺)͈̪,̠̰̥̪̗͉̘ ̜̠̙͖A̹̦̣̖G̟I ̜̦͚U̼̜̟͓p ̠(͓͖V͔̣er̩̱̻͙y̖̖̘̯̥ ̗͇̭H͚̠̤̣̜ig̫̻͕ͅh̺̻͇̻̠̮)͈̳,͇͉̭̳͔ ͙͖̹C̱̲̻ͅọ̬̤͚͍r̜̼̮̙̞̖r̮̳u̠͓͓p̟̫͔̩̱̱ti̟̰̮̯̩o̲n̠ ͔̬̹(̟̦͖͙̫S̙͎̺̮ụ̭̫ͅf͙͙͈͓͈͓͙f͉̦͔̗oc̟̤a̗̬̭̩̭͕ͅt̥͇͕̳̰̮̺i̮̯̩̩̼͚n͈͉͓g̘͔̪ ͎M̤i̗͓͉̻a̬̣̫̠̠͕s̫̮̥̬̞̥͍m̜̱̻̦͇͕a͎̼̹͍̳̫̠)͖͙͕̣,̞̼̖͔̖͓̯ S͕̗͖̠̩k̦̤̘̳i̟̣̯̜̲͖̟l̹͍̭͍̗l͙̠̟̲̰̭̯ ̱̺̻̭̘͖̞A̤͓̱̟ṷ̞͍̫̺g̘̪̬̲͎͚̜m̬̪̩̜̺̼̲e̫̤̣͉nt̮͎̩̺̖̹a̺̻͓t̮̦̤̱̘i͔on̜ (H͓a̪͍t̺̭r̻̩̩̬͓͇̫e̘͓̘̖͇d̻̖)̻̗̘͔,̗̥͙̣ ̟͉̮̭͈̹P̝̣̙̤̦o̭͓̩̝̜̹̰i̜s͙͖̲̖̙o̯͙̺̠̭̟n̟͚̪ͅ/Mia̯̟s̼m̥a͙̳ Imm̳̻͕͓̰u̘n͔̺͇̯i̗̼̮̯͚t̩̦̫̤̥y̫͚͎̣,̹̠͚̺͙ ̯̱
Da͉̝r̝̖k̯͙͓̹̖̟͚ ̯̳̠͎̣A͚̤͓̻͉̞r̫͓͙͓̬͖ͅm̫̰̝͚̻̩o̤̞̳̞r̞̳ ͉̱M̜͈ͅo͓̖r͍͓̭̜p̣͙̰͕̲̱h̤̯
His Custom Armor, which previously made him look like a Holy Knight or Paladin, was twisted into a darkened metal that made him look like a Dark Knight. When he opened his eyes, both L'arc and Therese saw that his scleras were pitch black and his irises looked shattered. The eye on the end of the Trident was now actively looking around, hoping to lock-on to something to focus its unending hatred on.
Obsidian went pale. "D-Daddy's using Hatred's Trident… and it looks even more menacing."
That's when Naofumi realized something. I never actually saw him use it. The last time he used that Trident, I was under Wrath's influence and wasn't paying him any attention. But then why-
Chazon looks back at the trio behind him. "Don't worry about these sacks of wasted flesh. Go to everyone who was aboard that ship. I think Merlay needs help stabilizing the waters. GO!"
"Wait, Chazon-"
Without listening to Naofumi, he rushes at L'arc and Therese with murderous intent. To say the scythe wielder was off-put was selling it short, but he grinned at the opportunity. "Pretty overconfident of you to rush at us by yourself." He launches himself at Chazon as Therese begins channeling her magic again.
After a few clashes, L'arc quickly realized that he wasn't prepared for such an aggressive assault from the Hate-driven Spear Hero. Overhead swings were caught between the prongs of the Trident before getting bashed by the shaft. His increased movement speeds and reaction times meant that he could dodge or parry most other sweeping strikes, getting set up for counter-attacks.
To top it all off, the miasma that came off every strike Chazon made was slowly draining his HP. Thanks to his upgraded Hatred's Trident, the Spear Hero no longer had to worry about his own HP being drained. Shoot, even with my double-levels I'm being sorely tested. He keeps dodging my skills and answering with his own!
"Shining Stone: Ball of Flame!" Therese was able to cast a fireball that not only hurt Chazon, but healed L'arc and purified the air around them. "Be careful, that miasma is tainted with a corrupting force!"
"Damn wench! Zweite Hatred's Darkened Wave!" Chazon launched a torrent of jet-black dark magic at the duo, which threw off copious amounts of miasma. Therese was able to launch another Shining Stone: Ball of Flame and the two canceled each other out.
Eventually Chazon and L'arc got into a weapon clash with neither side in a position to properly attack. "You know, you really aren't acting like a hero right now. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were more of a demon than a-"
"What makes you think I care about the opinions of worthless mongrels such as yourself?"
Therese threw another fireball at him to get the two to disengage. "We're trying to do this for our world, though! We don't have anything-"
"Save it. I have no interest in any pathetic excuse you may or may not have. Why should I trust the words of betrayers when they're better off dead?" The pair recognized that, while it looks like Chazon was in control, the corrupting power he held was only giving everyone that illusion.
"Chazon that's enough!" Naofumi suddenly used Air Strike Shield to force Chazon into backing up even further.
"NAOFUMI, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PLAYING AT?!"
"Keeping you from doing anything you'll regret, apparently. Rushing in blindly by yourself will just let you play into their hands." Naofumi motioned at the destroyed ship. "Everyone is out of danger now thanks to Merlay and Melty's water magic. What I want to know is why are you being so hateful on my behalf?"
"Because I utterly despise traitors! Betrayal can never be- urgh -forgiven!"
"It's not like we were truly buddy-buddy before this anyways, so try to relax."
"Ouch, harsh words." L'arc grinned. "But that's true enough."
"So you're just going to *huff* let them off the hook?!" Chazon was beginning to feel drained for some reason.
"Of course not, but it's clear your blind hatred will end up doing more harm for our cause than good! Besides, you look like you're-" Chazon's body suddenly jolted as Hatred's Trident suddenly deactivated. He fell onto his hands and knees, breathing roughly. "What the hell?"
"A-all of my hatred was drained away somehow…"
"Chazon-kun!" Rino suddenly climbed onto the whale's corpse. "Kardia-chan has gone mad! She suddenly started attacking everyone around her in blind hate, with only Rifana-chan keeping her at bay! When she was first afflicted with Hate, she had to force it out by using magical claw attacks, but it seemed to only make her demeanor worse!"
Is that where… my god, what have I done?! She couldn't cast Dark magic to vent the Hate I was producing!
"Chazon, go to her! I'll hold the line with everyone here!" Naofumi nodded at him with Filo, Raphtalia, Melty, Obsidian, and Rino. "I get the feeling you're the only one who can calm her back down!"
There was hesitation before Chazon nodded. "A-alright. Just… don't do what I was doing, please. You guys only need one screw-up of a hero messing things up." With that, he High Jumps off the whale and heads towards the ship Kardia and Rifana are on.
"Chazon-kun…" Rino felt saddened that his confidence had taken another dip, though thankfully not as bad as in the past.
L'arc shook his head. "To be fair to the kid, we don't really blame him for lashing out like that, especially if backstabbers are a sore spot for him. Besides, all of those toxic comments probably weren't actually from him."
"Even without our other companion's high attunement to soul energy, I could see how corrupted his spirit was. Part of the reason I kept using Shining Stone: Ball of Flame was because I was trying to purify him."
"It probably didn't help that he had recently witnessed Rino's mother's death at the hands of betrayal, hence him becoming so hateful towards back-stabbers." That's when Naofumi noted something. "Pretty nice of you guys to let us sort that ordeal out without attacking us."
"Hey, we may be out to kill you, but that doesn't mean we have to be completely unfair about it. Besides, I like you enough to allow you this much since we won't be holding back anymore!"
I've already told everyone else to not to interfere unless they fancy becoming a target. Therese only sank the ship because they were going to try and attack them. "Then bring it! We can match whatever you throw at us!" With those words, the physical attackers on both sides rushed at each other while their casters started casting.
When Chazon landed on Kardia's ship it was clear that, despite him no longer holding Hatred's Trident, the miasma continued to linger and it was causing him damage. Damnit… there shouldn't be anywhere she can-
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
Chazon managed to roll out of the way of a sudden blast of dark energy. When he looked for the source, he saw Kardia and his heart sank. Her golden irises were shattered and dark energy was trailing out of the corners of her sunken eyes. She had slobber coming out of her mouth that was in a state of constant teeth-bearing.
She looked feral. The shadowy "tails" coming off her having eye-like apparitions at their tips didn't help.
Rifana looked at Chazon. "I've been able to keep her here while everyone else vacated, but I haven't been able to reach her! Thankfully she attacks monsters that get too close as well, but it hurts to see her like that!"
"Rifana, let her attention fall to me and stand by! One way or another, we'll bring her back!"
Rifana nodded and used High Quick to put distance between herself and Kardia. Because of that, Kardia's attention fell on Chazon as she screeched at him and went to slash at him with claws formed from pure Hatred.
If those claws scale off her Magic stat, then anyone who isn't Rifana or Naofumi would get one-shot! I don't know how well I'll fare, but I have to try!
Switching to his Pure Machalite Gunlance, he decided to test the waters by blocking Kardia's claw strike. The block was successful, but it caused him to slide back a good distance. "Kardia! Snap out of it! Why did you take on all of my Hate?!"
She didn't answer as she kept trying to attack him. He knew he had to lock her movement down to try and reach her, so he positioned his Gunlance in a way that would block attacks from below before going in and clutching her in a hug, arms pinned to the sides. "Kardia! Please!"
The plea was answered with a bite to the neck. At that moment, Chazon could feel everything she felt during the past few days.
Her overhearing of Chazon's refusal to marry anyone besides Rino and how obstinate he sounded from the start. Her minor frustrations whenever he did something with Rino when she tried to redirect him to a different girl.
The biggest point of frustration was when she saw Chazon ordering Rifana to back off in the hot springs, refusing to look at her and acknowledging how much courage it took to do that.
This entire time she was trying to subtly change my mind about that whole ordeal… and because of how cowardly I've been…
When Kardia tried to draw her head back in an effort to rip a chunk of his flesh off, he suddenly held her head closer. "Kardia… why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me about your frustrations with me?!"
The question gave the Kitsune pause as she suddenly realized what she was doing. "Chazon-sama… how come you are saying this now?"
"Because I'm an idiot and a coward!" That statement caused surprise in both Kardia and Ridana. "I was being cowardly when I stated that I only wanted to marry Rino because… I subconsciously thought I was unworthy of you girls! Even after someone told me off about it… even after the incident with the Faubray women… I was still too afraid to tell you girls.
"Afraid that… you really would hate me if I changed my mind so rapidly…" Tears began leaking from his eyes.
Rifana had noticed that, after the day of Merlay's kidnapping, Chazon had reduced how much he kept everyone at arms-length. I guess he's been trying to change the stance he made before the battle with the church.
Kardia had the same thought and she felt guilty for continuing to doubt her hero. The fact that she bit him only worsened it. The Hate infecting her system tried to retake control, which caused the Kitsune to choke. "I'm sorry I never noticed… but it's already too late for me. Please, while I'm still in control… you have to kill me!"
"Kardia-chan, no! You're-"
"I'm barely holding on to sanity… even though the Hate I felt from Chazon-sama was the start, I fear my heritage is trying to turn me into a monster. I… I don't want to hurt anyone else… so please… kill me before I-"
"NO! I refuse to let you go because of my cowardice!" Chazon hugged her tighter before grabbing her shoulders with his hands. "After everything we've been through, I refuse to believe that this is all that's left for you! I won't give you up! NEVER!" With that, he plants a kiss onto Kardia's bloody lips, focusing on her taste beyond the taste of blood.
Kardia was stunned for a moment before pressing into it with tears in her eyes. I don't want to die… I want to be with him… with the man that I love!
The dark aura that surrounded Kardia suddenly congregated behind her and formed a solid 5th tail, one with a black tip. Her Dark affinity tail.
Kekal, from her perch, noted the two kissing and smirked. About time you started being more proactive, Chazon-kun! Even if it's not quite the time or place for it. Shaking her head, she set about firing on more monsters.
As for Chazon's spear, the overwhelming amount of Love he was feeling from Kardia changed it into a javelin with a heart-shaped head and 2 pink ribbon-like fires coming from the base.
Love's Javelin II unlocked
Equip bonus: MAG bonus (Very High), DEF bonus (Very High), MDEF bonus (Very High), Healing potency bonus (Very High), Fire-aspected attack (High), 'Loving Embrace', 'Passion's Providence'
Special Effect: MAG up (Very High), DEF up (High), MDEF up (High), Healing potency bonus (Very High), Purity (Healing Flames), Skill Augmentation (Loving)
Chazon, despite having a new spear to use, chose to stay a bit longer and make sure Kardia was fine. "Are you stable now?"
"Y-yes… just feeling tired from having all of that Hate drained out of me." She didn't want to admit it, but being kissed so suddenly and so forcefully was making her bashful as well. "I-I'll be fine with Rifana-chan. Go help Naofumi-sama and the others against those people. I'll do my best to recuperate."
There was clear hesitance on Chazon's part before he nodded. "Stay safe. Don't make any reckless choices." He rushed to jump off the side of the ship, though he hesitated before beckoning Rifana over. "After this is over… Could we talk, just you and me? There's something I want to say to you…"
Rifana had an inkling as to what he wanted to say, but nodded anyway. "Don't worry too much about it for now. Focus on surviving this battle before anything else." Chazon nodded and jumped off the ship.
The battle against L'arc and Therese was raging on as Naofumi and his group sought to beat the duo back. It became apparent that having 4 different people attacking one target was too cluttered, leading Naofumi to order Filo and Obsidian to fight Therese alongside Melty, who despite her own leveling efforts was struggling.
L'arc quickly realized something with the two women who were attacking him alongside the Shield Hero. Raphtalia, whom he knows the fighting style of, had powerful, single strikes more than capable of hitting past his own defenses. He could easily parry her and force her back with his scythe and skills. With his massive level and stat lead, she could barely keep up with him, though she had been slowly getting better as the fight went on.
Rino, on the other hand, was throwing L'arc off completely. One reason was that her Agility and movement speed was incredible enough to outmaneuver him on every turn. The other reason was her Dual Blades. Even if he caught her in a situation where she couldn't dodge, she could block with one blade and counter with the other. His only saving grace was the fact that she doesn't do nearly as much damage as Raphtalia.
With the battle raging on, Naofumi was made keenly aware of two tricks up L'arc's sleeve. One was a Defense-piercing attack, which was bad enough for someone who couldn't do much besides tank. What was even worse is the scythe-user's "Defense-rating" skill, which turned his defenses against him.
The Shield Hero was able to quickly figure out the technicalities and limits of those skills. L'arc could somehow be a hero in a similar vein to me, meaning he uses SP. If that's the case, those skills could cost high amounts of SP and potentially have a cooldown. Additionally they require direct contact with my body to do damage, so as long as I can redirect the attacks, I should be fine.
"Raphtalia, Rino! On my mark, we'll pin him down! Strike hard and fast!"
"Got it!" If there's another advantage the two had, it was their impressive level of coordination. If Rino was able to enter a blade-lock with L'arc, Raphtalia had ample opening to strike. If Raphtalia found herself in a tricky spot and Naofumi couldn't help her in time, Rino was able to get the Tanuki out of danger in short business.
Thanks to the Royal Trio keeping Therese occupied, L'arc wasn't getting as much support from her. The wear of the battle was showing greatly on the scythe-wielder. He couldn't get off his back foot as he grinned. "You really know how to pin a guy down, don't you Kiddo? I probably would have stood more of a chance if you had less numbers… or if I had more back-up than Therese."
"Probably doesn't help your case that a Hatred-filled Chazon was set upon you guys at the very beginning, forcing you to waste resources on holding him off."
"True, but even after him I thought we were more than capable."
Is he admitting defeat? All it would take is an Elixer of some kind and we'd be back at square one, but-
"You two seem sorely tested right now."
A voice that Naofumi recognized all too well rang out into the air as someone erupted from the water. Someone that hasn't been seen since the last wave.
"Oh hey Glass. What prompted you to drop in?"
"I've already eliminated my target and decided to see if you were doing the same."
Shoot! Even with the continued numbers advantage, I'm beginning to see our victory becoming harder to achieve!
Glass looks at Naofumi with some respect in her eyes. "I believe you are Naofumi? Forcing L'arc into a situation like this is no easy feat, even with a numbers advantage. You haven't even gotten serious yet."
"Wait he hasn't- oh I think I know what you mean." L'arc nodded in understanding. "I guess you have something similar to what that Chazon boy had, huh?"
"Not exactly my proudest shield unlock, but I'll use it if I have to."
"Chazon is here too?" Glass looks around. "Is he elsewhere on the battlefield?"
"He had to fall back because one of his party members went wild or something. Something to do with his rather demonic-looking trident up and leaving him."
This was the first Glass has ever heard of such a trident. "When he fought me, he used a rather sacred-looking spear that granted him enough power to stand a chance against me, even with his level as low as it was. After I broke his aura, the pike he switched to forced my retreat because of how much Despair was consuming me."
"Huh, the trident must be a different one from what you've seen. This one had a demonic eye at the other end and was throwing poison miasma everywhere. Therese and I could see just how much Hatred was in his system."
That got Glass thinking. I wonder if there's any connection between those three forms? Two were fueled by negative emotions while one was using Hope.
Shaking her head, she looks at Naofumi. "Regardless, I'll be joining the fight myself. I felt something was off and brought some reinforcements from my world as well." Landing behind her were an unknown male and female that had a similar feeling to Glass herself, though not quite as powerful.
Naofumi grimaced at the sight. They're making up for the numbers difference in spades now. We have to keep up the pressure somehow-
"Sorry about that, am I too late to rejoin the party?" Chazon suddenly landed next to Naofumi, sporting a completely new spear. "Kardia had too much Hate in her system, so I had to purge it by any means necessary. Loving Embrace!"
Pink fire washed over the three others with him, healing them and giving them a new status:
Loving Embrace
Regenerating HP
Rino realized something because she was suddenly feeling a lot stronger as well. When she looked at her Dual Blades, they had transformed into sleek, white blades coming out of a heart-shaped hilt. "Love's Javelin…"
"Good you've rejoined us, because we have more unexpected company." Naofumi motions at Glass and her lackeys, who the Spear Hero recognizes.
"Ah, Chazon. Looks like you're in a similar position as our last battle, this time with Love rather than Hope."
"Not quite, but I think letting our battle talk for me is more effective. Ready for round 2?" Chazon grins at Glass as he enters a battle stance.
"Seems we'll be dueling once again. Let me see if you've improved, Hero of the Spear!" Glass opens her fan and launches an attack at Chazon, who dodges and rushes to greet her in kind.
The two people who Glass brought with her quickly reinforced L'arc and Thersia, providing additional healing and support. L'arc renewed his assault with his new support as Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Rino moved to re-engage.
Naofumi was initially dismayed about the number advantage not being in their favor as much, but he realized he overlooked something. Because Chazon was using Love's Javelin, Rino was also similarly powered up and was now faster and hitting harder than before.
Therese had detonated one of her gemstones to reunite with L'arc and give him additional support. However, that allowed the Royal Trio to rejoin Naofumi and the group of 6 went up against the group of 4. Thanks to the help Glass brought with her, it was a more even match.
The same could not be said about Glass' duel with Chazon, with him outmaneuvering her skills and getting solid hits in. Even if she got hits in, he kept healing himself with Loving Embrace, which not only could damage her, but caused his wounds to start healing faster by themselves.
She had a stunned face as Chazon hit her back. "You've gotten so much more powerful! How?!"
"It's amazing what you can accomplish by being able to level up and by unlocking a metric butt-ton of weapons for their stats. Me using an upgraded version of Love's Javelin is probably the icing on the cake."
Glass grimaced as she prepared another skill. Looks like, in my complacency of only looking out for that one Pike, I had failed to get much stronger than before. Even so, I can't falter here!
Chazon saw how determined she was to try and kill him, even to the point of throwing herself at him if it meant granting her a chance at it. L'arc and Therese said that they were trying to kill us because they were trying to save their world. If Glass shares their motivation it makes sense, but why? How would killing us mean their world's salvation?
Not long after, Chazon ended up hitting Glass into L'arc, who interrupted his skill to grab onto her. "Glass! Hang in there!"
Naofumi saw Chazon rejoin them. "I guess Love's Javelin is really giving you an edge, huh?"
"Yeah, though she wasn't without her fight. It probably could have been a lot more even if I didn't have it."
Looks like we still have the advantage thanks to Love's Javelin. Maybe Kardia going out of control and consuming all of my Hate herself was a blessing in disguise. Though I would have preferred to have not forced her through that...
L'arc heard that and grimaced. "Hold still, Glass."
"L'arc, I still need to- huh?" L'arc's scythe had started dribbling what looked like Soul-healing Water onto Glass. She was suddenly looking a lot more refreshed.
"You heroes really are Legendary in this world. We haven't even gotten to the Bow or Sword Heroes yet! To think my trump card is forced in a situation like this."
Glass looked not only refreshed, but an immense amount of power was radiating off her. "L'arc, what was that you were using on me?"
"Soul-healing Water. For me and those two heroes, a way to recover SP. For your kind, it's an amazingly powerful strengthening boost."
There was a pause before Glass smiled. "Indeed. Now… let's see if you still hold up, Spear Hero Chazon."
With those words, she suddenly appeared in front of Chazon and launched her next attack. He was able to block it with his Javelin, but it launched him with a stunned look. Holy sweet baby gods, L'arc was NOT kidding! I need to take this with as much seriousness as possible!
"Circle dance of nothingness!" Glass performed what looked like a fan dance with eloquent movements. Chazon was slightly distracted, only to snap out of it when she followed up with, "Moon Break!"
A rain of energy blades came down on Chazon. He tried to dodge as many as he could, but a fair number of them managed to maim him. By the time the rain stopped, he was fairly injured, HP at about 25% even with Loving Embrace. "Augh... my only silver lining is that you're tired after that as well…"
"Even without the defenses of the Shield Hero, you managed to weather my attack. I truly regret doubting your capabilities the first time we met."
"Hah… don't give me too much credit. I needed a powerful weapon like my current one to survive that attack." Chazon noticed that everyone else, including Naofumi, were beginning to get exhausted. Even the adventurers, mercenaries, and Itsuki's party were beginning to wear thin from how much fighting they were doing.
A notification appeared on his Status Magic and he knew what to do. "Sorry, but if you're that hell-bent on removing me, it's going to have to wait. I have a different issue I need to address."
"In your state? I won't let you escape!" Glass dashed towards Chazon in an attempt to catch him.
"Fueeeh, m-my Queen!"
Chazon saw Rishia in her Squirrel Kigurumi swimming a barrel towards the two of them. Mirellia used her water magic to launch it to land in front of Glass. "Sir Chazon, use it to buy yourself some time!"
He recognized the barrel from before and quickly covered his face and held his breath when it exploded. A vapor of Rucolu fruit immediately started spreading, engulfing Glass. "W-what is this?! The barrels that turned the sea red?"
Thanks to the distraction provided by both Rishia and Mirellia, Chazon retreated to Naofumi's group. "Rino! I need your help to restore everyone still fighting!"
Rino managed to force L'arc away and quickly joined Chazon. "I was going to ask why, but I think I know what you need to do. I'm ready for anything!" She grabs the Javelin's shaft with a determined nod.
Chazon nods back before taking a deep breath. "To our allies of goodwill, hear our voices!"
Rino joined in the chant: "Affection will ever light the road of your heart!"
"As the flames of revelation create a new path, let your dedication reward you with succor and health!"
"Passion's Providence!"
During the chanting, the pink flames rapidly gathered on the spearhead of Love's Javelin from the duo. When they finished their chant, it had grown into a fireball the size of an inflated hot-air balloon. Soon after it exploded, pink flames washed over the entire battlefield.
Enemies like the Wave monsters and the otherworldly fighters were hurt by the flames, but it was clear that wasn't their main purpose. As the flames washed over everyone in the Alliance, they clung to their bodies and everyone began to feel refreshed like they had a good night's sleep. Any aches, pains, or wounds healed instantly, stamina was restored, and MP was restored to full. Even the SP of the Legendary Heroes was fully restored.
Naofumi noted everything and he felt like he could fight for a good while longer without a break. He noted another new status that had a long timer:
Passion's Providence
Rapidly regenerating HP. Healing spells will now apply Loving Embrace.
There was a pair of thumps and Naofumi looked over, only to see Chazon and Rino sitting on the whale's corpse. They both had the "Down for the count" status with the same timer length as Passion's Providence, with Chazon no longer holding Love's Javelin. Looks like they'll be out of commission for a time.
"Naofumi-sama, I feel refreshed!" Filo, Melty, and Obsidian agreed with Raphtalia.
Those words got a grimace out of L'arc. "So they put themselves into a state of vulnerability to bring everyone back to full fighting force and thensome. Looks like our prospects turned mighty sour."
Glass, trying to fight off her intoxication, huffed a bit. "Even so, I can't stop! They're already too powerful! If we let them-"
She was interrupted when an arrow suddenly whizzed by her head, scratching her cheek. She looked and saw Kekal taking aim at her from a great distance with a grin on her face. It was clear she missed deliberately.
"Sorry, but you'll be the ones retreating now." Kardia and Rifana suddenly appeared beside Chazon and Rino, ready to protect the two. "Thanks to Passion's Providence, we're ready for anything you have to throw at us!"
"We won't let you kill Chazon-sama or Naofumi-sama!" Merlay appeared alongside Mirellia as the two joined Naofumi's group."
Therese was pale at the sight. It didn't help her case when she heard the Bright Starfire on Merlay's staff angrily curse at her for attacking Chazon. "We truly don't stand a chance… perhaps we should retreat."
Naofumi didn't want to let them escape, but before he could say anything, a timer appeared on his status screen, once again counting down to the end of the wave.
Glass stumbled over to her companions, clearly unstable. "W-we have to keep fighting- urgh."
"Not with you in that state!" L'arc made sure to grab Glass by the stomach before whispering something into her ear. She nodded as he looked at everyone else. "Looks like it's your victory today. But let it be known that we'll find a way to be the ones victorious! Until then!"
Glass whipped up a massive windstorm onto everyone, one so strong it was lifting the nearby ships up. Kardia and Merlay both immediately dispelled it the best they could, but only in time to see the other group go through the portal.
Naofumi wanted to give chase, but with how things were going he didn't want to take the risk. "I guess we had a bad case of so close, yet so far." He looks at Kardia. "Are you okay now? I heard something happened with you earlier."
Kardia suddenly started blushing fiercely. "I-I mean, I was out of control thanks to all of the Hate I had absorbed from Chazon-sama's soul and that's what started my transformation into a monster. Thankfully he h-helped dispel that hate i-in my heart and allowed me to grow my 5th tail." Nobody but Rifana knew why the 5-tailed Kitsune was stammering so much.
Mirellia smiled at the group. "While we failed to bring those people to justice, the Wave should be over soon. I thank you all for the defense of Cal Mira." With that, she bows gratefully.
I guess I can't call that battle a total loss. It did prove that everyone is becoming so much more powerful than before. However, I'm left with many questions and nobody to answer them…
"Once again, I thank you and your parties for being such powerful allies."
Mirellia was with Naofumi and Chazon, with Ren over by the entrance to the room. Apparently Ren wasn't wanting for entertainment because the monsters invaded the shoreline en-mass, though the Sword Hero figured it was because he was there. Thanks to that, though, the people fighting on the ships and water didn't have quite as many monsters to deal with.
"By the way, where's Itsuki? I hardly saw him during the Wave proper and he's not even here!" Naofumi was irate about the Bow Hero being a no-show.
"After his initial boat sank, he was forced into fighting the monsters of the Wave on another ship further away from the whale's corpse. As for the current moment, he told me beforehand that he had some party issues he needed to deal with. He seemed pretty upset."
Chazon hummed solemnly at that. "Party issues… I think I need to do something similar, so if you'll excuse me…" He hadn't forgotten what he requested of Rifana. However, now that he wasn't under the influence of Love's Javelin, he was a bit afraid to go. Oh… get it together, man. This is no time to be spineless!
"Of course. We'll inform you of anything we decide in your absence." Mirellia had already figured out why he suddenly wanted to leave after bringing up parties. Perhaps he truly did have a change of heart from our last time talking. It would gladden me greatly if that was the case.
Outside, Chazon headed toward the inn everyone was staying in. Before he went with Naofumi, Ren, and Mirellia, Rifana told everyone that she wanted to be at the beach near their resting place for a bit. Chazon knew why she was doing that and didn't want to make her wait.
When he arrived, Rifana was sitting on the sand, though she was out of her armor and back in her bikini. Chazon came up to her. "Sorry if I'm late."
"No worries. If anything, I was expecting you to take longer." Rifana stood up. "So what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"
"I… I wanted to say sorry about… what happened in the hot springs-"
"I already knew." Chazon gave her a surprised look as she smiled. "You gave me a Purple Hyacinth the other day. In the language of flowers, it means a sorrowful "I'm sorry, please forgive me"."
I guess I underestimated her flower knowledge.
"Even so, it's I who should be apologising for that." Chazon gave her a surprised look as she looked guilty. "Right before that moment, Raphtalia-chan had told me of that story with Naofumi-sama. It frustrated me so much that I wanted to prove that being more aggressive should have been the way to go for her. However, I failed to consider your own feelings and made you uncomfortable." She bows apologetically. "But please… all I ask is that you-"
"Rifana, look at me." She does so with a confused look, only to be startled when Chazon kisses her on the lips. "I was too hung up on your age because of my past world, not realizing that even Melromarc pre-reformation considered you a proper adult. But now I know better… and I want to rescind what I said so long ago."
"You mean…?"
Chazon smiles at her. "Rino may be my first girlfriend… but would you also have me as your boyfriend?"
"YES!" Rifana glomps Chazon in sheer happiness. "I always wanted to hear that! Even after you said what you did before that major battle, I held onto hope that you would love me like you loved Rino-sama one day!"
To think I was so held back by my own past and fear. Perhaps I should take the rest of this time to properly confess to the other 3 girls as well.
"It does my heart a great service to hear you say that, Rifana. I should probably inform you that I want to properly confess to Kardia, Merlay, and… even Kekal relatively soon."
Rifana breaks the hug. "Of course. We've already agreed on how we can share you! We'll all support you and each other the best we can!"
"One thing we need to change." Rifana gives him an odd look. "I want our relationship to be as equals. As such, using -sama is no longer necessary."
"Then… Chazon-kun, like Rino-sama and Kekal-chan call you?"
"You can drop the -sama for Rino too." Chazon knew it would take some getting used to for Rifana after how long she used those honorifics. "But yes."
"A-alright. Chazon-kun, I hope I'll be able to protect and support you in the days to come!"
"And I hope to love and protect you as well, Rifana."
The two embrace for a bit longer before heading back to their room, planning how Chazon will confess to the other 3 girls.